Halogen down lights can combust and start fires in rental properties if not installed correctly. Protect yourself and get a Response Electrical Health Check.
In 2012, it became compulsory to have heat canisters installed with any new halogen down light installation and for good reason. Halogen down lights are the leading cause of roof fires in Australia with one in five fires being a result of halogen down lights not having the appropriate fire protection installed.
A halogen down light runs between 300 – 500 degree Celsius at the back of the globe that can ignite leaves and dust if there is no heat protection installed. A common example of down lights causing fires in rental properties is when dry leaves blow into the roof space and land on top of the down light without heat protection which combusts and starts a fire. If these down lights are installed too close to a structural beam, the small leaf fire will burn the structural beam and then turn into a fire in the roof. These fires have been known to burn rental properties to the ground.
Halogen down lights are expensive assets to have in rental properties for the simple fact that they break down frequently. For those of you who have halogen down lights, how often do you need to change the globes? The globes and equipment breaks down because of the operating heat of the equipment. There are 3 components that break down in halogen down lights: the globe, the down light lead and the transformer. Every time each of these items break down, the owner will have to pay for another call out for an electrician to come out and repair the down light. This is why halogen down lights are expensive to owners of rental properties. Not only expensive in terms of dollars, they are also expensive in terms of time when you have to organise the repairs every time the halogen down lights break down as a property manager.
What can you do as a property manager to protect your properties?
Inspect the halogen down lights:
As a property manager, you will not be able to tell whether or not a down light has heat protection from just looking at a down light from the room. The only way to tell is to get into the roof space and inspect the lights.
Response Fire & Electrical Services Certified Safe & Functional Rentals Program ensures that all of your properties are protected and photographs are taken to ensure that you have a record of your safe properties.
Install Heat Canisters To The Halogen Down Lights:
Down light heat canisters, as shown in the video, are designed to stop debris from accumulating on top of a halogen down light in rental properties. They also allow the heat to rise above the beam level before dissipated into the roof space.
If they are not correctly installed or not installed at all, you run the risk of a fire starting in your rental property. The most economic solution for this is to install heat canisters to each halogen down light fitting.
Replace With LED Down Lights
LED down lights are a great solution for rental properties for a number of reasons. The long term maintenance cost of halogen down lights is huge for rental properties as you need to pay for an electrician’s call out every time a halogen down light breaks down.
LED down lights can last over 10 years without any repairs needed. Although there is an upfront cost of installation, the long term cost savings make it worth the upfront cost. They also provide a lot more light with a wider beam angle so can beautify your rental property.
Conclusion:
- As a property manager, you need to ensure that your rental properties are safe for your tenants to live in.
- Halogen down lights are the leading cause of roof fires in Australia.
- Halogen down lights are expensive assets for rental properties because their globes, leads and transformers break down frequently.
- Ensure that there are heat canisters installed to your rental property halogen down lights through a complete electrical check like the Response Electrical Health Checks.
- LED down lights are a great long term time and cost solution to halogen down lights.