Ceiling pot light backing is plastic?
Ceiling pot light backing is plastic?
I have one ceiling pot light in my sauna and I noticed the electrician is using a plastic vapour barrier extension behind it. I feel this is wrong given it's on the ceiling and it's a few feet to the side of the electric heater. My concern is plastic melting and off gassing. What other type of backing for this pot light do you recommend? I'd like to show the electrician the alternative.
I would only use a sauna rated light fixture, ones for this height will have to be a filament bulb, and are often encased in glass. I would also use silicone cabling. LEDs don't handle heat very well, and most sauna ones are only rated for lower levels.
I would use the regular sauna vapour barrier too, and I would run a heat proof silicone cable for a safe distance, rather than a PVC or rubber one.
Here's some ideas: https://www.saunainter.com/en/sauna-lighting/sauna-lamps/?page=2
Also: https://www.saunainter.com/en/sauna-building/electric-sauna-cables/silicone-sheathed-cable-sihf-3x1-5mm--/sk315/ (might be slightly overspecced in terms of thickness for a light)
All light fixtures inside the hot room should be sauna rated. I don't know how that works outside Finland, but I'm sure any ceramic lamp base would be better than a plastic one. And please don't forget about the IP rating.
Do you have details about the exact material? "Plastic" doesn't really say much - plus you don't really have to worry about the melting point, but the glass transition temperature. That's the temperature at which it loses stability, which can be more than 100°C away from its melting point. Depending on the type of plastic and additives you're looking at a range of roughly 50°C to 400°C for the glass transition temperature - and I'm assuming that kind of part needs to have a relatively high rating for fire safety reasons. So, try to get the datasheet for that thing.
This is the location of the light to the heater, btw.
Thanks all. I shared this with the electricians and they replaced the plastic backing with some metal product. I'll also make sure they're using a sauna rated lighting product.