18W IP54 CCT Adjustable Frosted Diffuser Downlight - White

This is a recessed LED downlight drawing 18W and putting out 1,800 lumens, with a frosted diffuser across the face so the light arrives as a soft wash rather than a single bright point. The LED board is built in, so there is no separate lamp to buy now or change later. Colour temperature is selectable on the fitting itself, with three white settings to choose between before it goes up. The manufacturer does not state the Kelvin figures for those settings. The beam spreads at 90 degrees, wide for a downlight.

The IP54 rating is worth reading twice. It means protection against splashing water from any direction, which allows the fitting into bathroom zones 2 and 3: around a bath or basin and the space beyond, rather than directly over a shower tray. The same rating suits a kitchen ceiling above a hob or sink, a utility room or a sheltered porch where steam and the odd splash are normal. Because 90 degrees is a wide beam, light from neighbouring fittings overlaps sooner, so you get a more even ceiling and fewer scallops down a wall. Loop in and loop out terminals mean a run of several can be wired from one feed.

This one is not dimmable. Wire it to a plain switched circuit and keep any dimmer for another fitting, since running a non-dimmable driver on a dimmer tends to cause flicker and shortens its life. Set the colour temperature before the fitting goes up, because the selector on the driver housing is far easier to reach with the unit in your hand than through a hole in the ceiling. It is sold as a single downlight, minimum order one. Our wider range of recessed downlights also runs to 12W, 18W and 24W CCT adjustable round panels, a 65W quick connect GU10 version and a 2W emergency downlight.

Can I use this in a bathroom?

Yes. The IP54 rating covers splashing water from any direction, which allows it in zones 2 and 3, meaning around a bath or basin and the space beyond, not directly above a shower tray. Have it installed by a qualified electrician.

How do I choose the colour temperature?

A selector on the driver housing sets one of three white settings, and it is far simpler to do that with the fitting in your hand before it goes into the ceiling. The manufacturer does not state the Kelvin value of each setting.

Will it work with a dimmer switch?

No. The specification states it is not dimmable, so wire it to a standard switched lighting circuit. Putting a non-dimmable driver on a dimmer usually causes flicker or buzzing and can shorten the life of the electronics.

What does loop in and loop out mean in practice?

The terminal block accepts an incoming feed and an outgoing one, so several fittings can be chained along a single circuit rather than each one being run back to a separate junction, which saves cable and time on a ceiling run.

How many will I need for a room?

Each unit gives 1,800 lumens over a 90 degree spread, which is a lot of light from one point, so plan spacing on total lumens for the room rather than on the fitting count you would use with older halogen downlights.

Is a halogen equivalent or a fire rating stated?

Neither is stated by the manufacturer, so compare on the 1,800 lumen output rather than on a wattage equivalent, and ask your electrician whether your ceiling build up calls for a fire rated fitting.