lv downlighting covered in insulation and melted

[decdastardly]

Hi everyone
I recently went to an old ladies house to look at a LV downlighter that was out. I took it down and found the transformer was melted. Everthing is covered in insulation over the top of everything fairly tightly. Its a plasterboard ceiling so the thermal insulation is only on the one side but still.
The connections were crimped then wrapped up and there were some burn marks in the 230v wires from the crimps to the tranny.
Could be a bad connection but overall it's not good I don't think
I'd like to clear some insultion away but it's impossible through the small holes and there's no access from above.
I was thinking about installing mains voltage LEDs
What do you more experienced guys reckon, any advice would help me out.
Also the lights were on 10a MCBs and it's 1.5 t&e?

 

[johnnyb]

Dec.
Theres nothing wrong with 10amp mcb on a 1.5mm cable, thats the first thing, 2nd thing, what ever means possible you will have to clear the insulation away to let the tranys and the like breath mate, we in the past have had to get a wire coat hangar bent to try and drag insulation out, very time consuming i know but theres no point fitting your new led lights without clearing the way, unless of course the hous owner will let you rip holes in ceiling to expose the lot, and then get a plasterer in, other wise its the long haul, i,m afraid..

 

[a.e.s]

I could be wrong, but I thought that LED downlights didnt run hot, nothing like a LV downlight and that insulation with them was not a problem.

 

[johnnyb]

I could be wrong, but I thought that LED downlights didnt run hot, nothing like a LV downlight and that insulation with them was not a problem.

Correct, but the trany feeding the led needs to breath, not be in insulation, in my opinion, but yeh the led light doesn,t get warm, your right.

 

[decdastardly]

Thanks guys for the responses
Always a bit of a balancing act I find between advising people what needs to be done without scaring anyone. I thought about the LEDs because I've seen direct plug-in gu10s that need no tranny which don't give out heat but of course the only danger is people could then later replace with a standard gu10 which do run a bit hot. I guess that's not so bad if it's in a fire rated fitting.

I know a 10a mcb is ok for this looking at the books but i just wondered why it might have been done like that originally? It's a small flat and the lighting circuits are split between 2 mcb's (not on the rcd side of the split board)

I agree in any case If i was to go back I'd definately remove the insulation even if it was a pain in the ---. Anyway turns out it's a new build and may be still under warranty but I may still be called back have to wait and see.

Don't these Lv trannys have internal overloads anyway?