Placing LED drivers (transformers) in safe spaces.

[ToughButterCup]

Building on the content of this topic on connecting LED strip lighting drivers to the mains,  a little bird whispered in my ear, loud enough for me to worry ( - overthink - Ok @Russell griffiths ? ) about where I can / should / may /may not / would / could / oughtn't to / may / am permitted to  place the drivers.

 

You know, those things that are called drivers, but are transformers really.

Thinking about fire regulation,  are there any rules where they may not be placed ?

 

Of course, it makes sense to place them in an accessible place for maintenance reasons - but what about ceiling  spaces where sound insulation might increase their working temperature.

Can I bury one in some of the over-abundance of insulation that exists in my front wall? 

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Main rules are that they have to be accessible and they must not be buried in insulation, as they need a bit of free space around them for ventilation/cooling.  They only run slightly warm to the touch, so nothing like as hot as halogen lights or transformers..

 

Some of ours are in the ceiling void, accessible through the holes where the lights clip in, with small baskets of chicken wire over them to keep the acoustic insulation a few inches away from them.   They are just resting on the plasterboard ceiling.   Others are either inside the light enclosures or are behind the eaves walls, and can be accessed via the doors I built in to those (we use those spaces as storage areas).

[Bitpipe]

Yep, accessibility is key as we've had a few fail in the first few years and it's an easy job to swap them out - if you can access them.

 

They tend to go in as part of second fix so the environment they live in should be established by then.