# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  IP Rated Bathroom Downlights

## an3_bolt

Hi, 
Overseas at the moment - was chatting to a guy at a lighting shop and he mentioned that the particular country has a requirement for IP23 rated downlight fixtures in bathrooms. 
Kind of got me thinking in my ignorant bliss that I do not know of any requirements for IP rated downlight fixtures in bathrooms for Australia? 
The plot thickens - the reason why I am looking at this as I am fixing up my parents bathroom for them - with a 2.4m ceiling and they wanted some downlights in the area. The purchasing of the downlights was going to occur before the sparky attends - and I was simply thinking of the 11W GU10 CFL's that I have at my house.......unless there are any other suggestions that might be better or specifically required? 3.5m x 2.5m area and a 3 in 1 tastic or martec exhaust/heat/light in the middle........ 
Is it worth the extra cost to go LED for a bathroom that receives relatively little use? 
Opinions or thoughts greatly appreciated. 
Cheers

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## Jetpilot_Dave

I have LED gangs in the lounge room and dining room and they are not very bright. I don't know if you can get brighter bulbs or not. They also seam to have to 'warm up' before reaching full brightness.

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## M.V. Electrical

Dave, LEDs are 'instant on' and should have no warm up period, sure yours aren't CFLs?
To the OP, I would go with LEDs, a quality one like the Philips Master is very close to a 50W halogen. The problem with CFLs in a bathroom are that this is the sort of room where relatively quick visits are made and therefore instant light is preferred. 
Glenn. www.mountainvillageelectrical.com.au

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## commodorenut

> Overseas at the moment - was chatting to a guy at a lighting shop and he mentioned that the particular country has a requirement for IP23 rated downlight fixtures in bathrooms. 
> Kind of got me thinking in my ignorant bliss that I do not know of any requirements for IP rated downlight fixtures in bathrooms for Australia?

  IP23 is pretty "weak" really, and nearly all lights would pass (if tested) - sounds like it's merely a bureaucratic move to make more money from companies needing to submit products for approval. 
IP23 is:
Solids: Protection against intrusion from objects greater than 12.5mm (~half inch)
Liquids: Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect (Test duration: 5 minutes, Water volume: 0.7 litres per minute, Pressure: 80100 kN/m²) 
Unless these lights are going on the wall or floor, there's no way water spraying at those angles will reach them!

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## Jetpilot_Dave

> Dave, LEDs are 'instant on' and should have no warm up period, sure yours aren't CFLs?
> To the OP, I would go with LEDs, a quality one like the Philips Master is very close to a 50W halogen. The problem with CFLs in a bathroom are that this is the sort of room where relatively quick visits are made and therefore instant light is preferred. 
> Glenn. www.mountainvillageelectrical.com.au

  Thanks, you are right. I think mine are CFL's. They have a downlight style fitting but the light is a m shaped tube.

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## M.V. Electrical

Yeah Dave, the spiral tube is a dead giveaway - CFL. Nothing wrong with them, though more suited to parts of the house where the lights are left on for longer periods of time. 
Glenn.  LICENSED & LOCAL BLUE MOUNTAINS ELECTRICIAN - YOUR LOCAL BLUE MOUNTAINS ELECTRICIAN

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## an3_bolt

Gone with some warm GU10 LED's - Phillips Masters. 
Appreciate your input and advice Glen - certainly pointed me in the right direction. 
Cheers

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## aussieslr

Hi Guys,
I have CFLs in my bathroom and actually find them really good for middle of the night visits. The warm up period gives you're eyes time to adjust. If I am actually using the bathroom for a shower etc. it take about a minute to warm up fully so they are fine by the time the shower warms up. 
I also have CFLs in my hallway with a sensor doing the switching. I'm expecting the high switching rate to kill the CFLs but I haven't had a problem so far after 12 months use.
Cheers Danny.

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## Dave_KB

This thread is a bit old now but I have been researching led downlights for my bathroom and there's info here on IP ratings and bathrooms:  Distance between water and power points | Fittings - Bathroom - Build 
I'm assuming this is correct for Australia, here's the bit about lights: 
Light fittings with an IPX4 specification are only permitted in Zones 1 and 2, while those in Zone 3 don't require a specific IP rating.

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