Frequently asked questions
Choosing the right fitting
Which zone is my light going in?
Zone 0 is inside the bath or tray. Zone 1 is directly above it up to 2.25m. Zone 2 is the 600mm band beyond zone 1 and the 600mm radius around a basin tap. Everything else is outside the zones. Full detail, including the two things people usually get wrong, is on our zones and IP ratings guide.
What IP rating do I need?
IP67 and SELV 12V in zone 0. IP65 in zone 1. IP44 in zone 2. Outside the zones there's no minimum, but IP44 is sensible in a room that steams up.
Does it need to be fire rated?
If there's a habitable room, a loft or a flat above the ceiling you're cutting into, yes — to BS 476 Part 21, matched to the floor above. Fire rating and IP rating are separate things; a bathroom downlight under an occupied room needs both.
How many downlights for my bathroom?
Four in a typical 2.2 × 1.8m room, spaced roughly a metre apart and 600–800mm off the walls. Six is usually too many. Send us the dimensions and we'll tell you.
What colour temperature should I pick?
2700K warm and domestic, 3000K a good general bathroom, 4000K clinical. Whatever you choose, use one temperature throughout the room — mixing them is the most common mistake in a bathroom scheme.
What's CRI and why do you keep mentioning it?
Colour rendering index: how truthfully a light shows colour. Cheap LED is CRI 80 and makes skin look grey. CRI 95+ is where skin looks like skin, which matters in the one room where people study their own face.
Will a backlit mirror light my face?
No. It lights the wall behind it — 30–80 lux at the face against 300–600 for a front-lit mirror. See front lit or backlit.
What's a demister and is it worth it?
A heated pad behind the glass that keeps a patch clear after a shower. It costs very little and it's the feature customers thank us for most.
Dimming, drivers and lamps
My LEDs flicker or buzz on a dimmer.
Almost always the wrong dimmer or too small a load. LEDs need a trailing-edge (or LED-specific) dimmer, and most dimmers have a minimum load that four small LEDs won't reach. Our dimmers list the tested load range.
My light has failed. Do I need a whole new fitting?
Usually not — it's normally the driver. Tell us the product and we'll send a replacement driver. Drivers on our named drivers list are stocked for ten years.
Can I use my own lamps?
In GU10 and E27 fittings, yes. Match the colour temperature across the room and use CRI 95+ if it's lighting a face.
Installation
Can I fit this myself?
Electrical work in a room with a bath or shower is notifiable work in England and Wales and needs a competent person. A like-for-like swap of an existing fitting generally isn't notifiable, but the safe answer in a bathroom is to use a registered electrician.
Do I get a certificate?
From your own electrician, yes. If you buy one of our installed packages, the notification and the certificates are included.
Do you supply a ceiling plan?
With every whole-bathroom scheme, yes — positions, spacings, circuits and switching. See everything with a ceiling plan.
Orders and delivery
How much is delivery?
£4.95 under £75, free at £75 and over. Mirrors and mirror cabinets carry a £25 two-person handling charge per order.
When should I book my electrician?
After the goods have arrived and you've opened and checked them, never before.
Do you take trade accounts?
Yes — see trade and specification.
Do you ship outside the UK?
Not at present.
Still stuck?
support@homartuk.com · 07868 375682 · Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm.