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4 replies
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4 replies
Can the paper on the back of gypsum catch fire?
I have googled a lot and tried to find out about the fire risk regarding the paper on the back of the drywall when installing spotlights in the ceiling but haven't managed to find anything.
I have hired electricians who have wired and installed 20w 12v halogen hide a lite, installation depth about 22mm and require no pots. They get extremely hot, even to the point where you can't hold them, is there a risk that it could catch fire in the paper on the back of the drywall?
I have hired electricians who have wired and installed 20w 12v halogen hide a lite, installation depth about 22mm and require no pots. They get extremely hot, even to the point where you can't hold them, is there a risk that it could catch fire in the paper on the back of the drywall?
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· Norrbotten
· 3 390 posts
Are you worried about the actual hole in a plaster ceiling? There is certainly a risk, but the cases I am familiar with are more about contact with combustible materials, insulation, or without pots. Make sure to have some form of ventilation even if your spot does not require a pot.
Plaster is considered a non-combustible material, and the paper will not catch fire immediately. The thermal ignition temperature (ignited by heating without a flame) for paper is about 450 degrees. Additionally, the paper is applied to completely non-combustible plaster that binds water molecules, so these must first be "boiled off."
So you probably don't need to worry about the plaster paper, but you should be very careful about what is around the top of your spot.
Plaster is considered a non-combustible material, and the paper will not catch fire immediately. The thermal ignition temperature (ignited by heating without a flame) for paper is about 450 degrees. Additionally, the paper is applied to completely non-combustible plaster that binds water molecules, so these must first be "boiled off."
So you probably don't need to worry about the plaster paper, but you should be very careful about what is around the top of your spot.
Thanks for the response. Yes, the spotlight got so incredibly hot I became worried about the pappen. I have a good margin, 10cm of air above and a concrete ceiling.
I read on Norgips' website that the temperature against the gypsum should not exceed 50 degrees continuously to avoid the risk of drying out. The question is how long this refers to; I also assume that their temperature specification has some margin, but 50 degrees doesn't seem impossible to reach if you can't hold the spotlight in your hand. This might lead more to the gypsum crumbling and the lamp coming loose rather than a fire in the pappen, but still.
/n
I read on Norgips' website that the temperature against the gypsum should not exceed 50 degrees continuously to avoid the risk of drying out. The question is how long this refers to; I also assume that their temperature specification has some margin, but 50 degrees doesn't seem impossible to reach if you can't hold the spotlight in your hand. This might lead more to the gypsum crumbling and the lamp coming loose rather than a fire in the pappen, but still.
/n
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When it starts to burn, it is around 60 degrees hot.
But I believe that the drying out would not pose any problem. It is likely not to spread more than a few cm in the sheet, and partly the paper is still there providing some stability, and then probably the drying out means that the durability worsens and not that it disappears "completely".
But I believe that the drying out would not pose any problem. It is likely not to spread more than a few cm in the sheet, and partly the paper is still there providing some stability, and then probably the drying out means that the durability worsens and not that it disappears "completely".
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