I need to get a new fluorescent fitting (or 3) for my mum's kitchen
since her ancient 8' or so fitting is on the blink (literally). I want
to get high frequency (electronic) fittings since one of my sisters is
inclined to complain about flicker (but let's all google 'fluorescent
flicker' for previous discussions on this subject rather than start a
new one here :-).

Screwfix and Toolstation only seem to offer switch start. TLC offer
electronic control gear ('Transtar' ballast) as separate items
suggesting that their regular lamps are bog-standard clockwork types.
Replacing the innard's of mum's existing fitting is one possibility but
I wondered if anone here could suggest a supplier of electronic
fittings online (my mum lives 100 miles away so I'd rather have
something delivered to her that cart it up in the car).

More generally I'm looking for sources of decent-looking and effective
low energy lighting particularly for kitchens: I have to replace a duff
halogen track light system in a client's kitchen and don't want to
replace it with another energy-guzzling halogen unit if I can help it.
I'm also after something for my own kitchen which presently just has 3
CFs in pendants (but SWMBO thinks these are tacky).


Oh, and I did say reasonably priced, didn't I? :-)

"John Stumbles" wrote in message
oups.com...
I need to get a new fluorescent fitting (or 3) for my mum's kitchen
since her ancient 8' or so fitting is on the blink (literally). I want
to get high frequency (electronic) fittings since one of my sisters is
inclined to complain about flicker (but let's all google 'fluorescent
flicker' for previous discussions on this subject rather than start a
new one here :-).

Screwfix and Toolstation only seem to offer switch start. TLC offer
electronic control gear ('Transtar' ballast) as separate items
suggesting that their regular lamps are bog-standard clockwork types.
Replacing the innard's of mum's existing fitting is one possibility but
I wondered if anone here could suggest a supplier of electronic
fittings online (my mum lives 100 miles away so I'd rather have
something delivered to her that cart it up in the car).

More generally I'm looking for sources of decent-looking and effective
low energy lighting particularly for kitchens: I have to replace a duff
halogen track light system in a client's kitchen and don't want to
replace it with another energy-guzzling halogen unit if I can help it.
I'm also after something for my own kitchen which presently just has 3
CFs in pendants (but SWMBO thinks these are tacky).


Oh, and I did say reasonably priced, didn't I? :-)


Try an electrical wholsaler close to your mother, ask them to order it in
and then pick up on Sunday morning?

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 13:09:48 -0000, "James Salisbury" wrote:


"John Stumbles" wrote in message
roups.com...
I need to get a new fluorescent fitting (or 3) for my mum's kitchen
since her ancient 8' or so fitting is on the blink (literally). I want
to get high frequency (electronic) fittings since one of my sisters is
inclined to complain about flicker (but let's all google 'fluorescent
flicker' for previous discussions on this subject rather than start a
new one here :-).

Screwfix and Toolstation only seem to offer switch start. TLC offer
electronic control gear ('Transtar' ballast) as separate items
suggesting that their regular lamps are bog-standard clockwork types.
Replacing the innard's of mum's existing fitting is one possibility but
I wondered if anone here could suggest a supplier of electronic
fittings online (my mum lives 100 miles away so I'd rather have
something delivered to her that cart it up in the car).

More generally I'm looking for sources of decent-looking and effective
low energy lighting particularly for kitchens: I have to replace a duff
halogen track light system in a client's kitchen and don't want to
replace it with another energy-guzzling halogen unit if I can help it.
I'm also after something for my own kitchen which presently just has 3
CFs in pendants (but SWMBO thinks these are tacky).


Oh, and I did say reasonably priced, didn't I? :-)


Try an electrical wholsaler close to your mother, ask them to order it in
and then pick up on Sunday morning?

How many proper wholesalers are open even on a Sat afternoon, never mind a Sunday.?

"Mike Harrison" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 13:09:48 -0000, "James Salisbury"
wrote:


"John Stumbles" wrote in message
groups.com...
I need to get a new fluorescent fitting (or 3) for my mum's kitchen
since her ancient 8' or so fitting is on the blink (literally). I want
to get high frequency (electronic) fittings since one of my sisters is
inclined to complain about flicker (but let's all google 'fluorescent
flicker' for previous discussions on this subject rather than start a
new one here :-).

Screwfix and Toolstation only seem to offer switch start. TLC offer
electronic control gear ('Transtar' ballast) as separate items
suggesting that their regular lamps are bog-standard clockwork types.
Replacing the innard's of mum's existing fitting is one possibility but
I wondered if anone here could suggest a supplier of electronic
fittings online (my mum lives 100 miles away so I'd rather have
something delivered to her that cart it up in the car).

More generally I'm looking for sources of decent-looking and effective
low energy lighting particularly for kitchens: I have to replace a duff
halogen track light system in a client's kitchen and don't want to
replace it with another energy-guzzling halogen unit if I can help it.
I'm also after something for my own kitchen which presently just has 3
CFs in pendants (but SWMBO thinks these are tacky).


Oh, and I did say reasonably priced, didn't I? :-)


Try an electrical wholsaler close to your mother, ask them to order it in
and then pick up on Sunday morning?

How many proper wholesalers are open even on a Sat afternoon, never mind a
Sunday.?

Most will deliver.. and could deliver to your mother?

[copied to sci.engr.lighting, but scope is UK]

In article .com,
"John Stumbles" writes:
I need to get a new fluorescent fitting (or 3) for my mum's kitchen
since her ancient 8' or so fitting is on the blink (literally). I want
to get high frequency (electronic) fittings since one of my sisters is
inclined to complain about flicker (but let's all google 'fluorescent
flicker' for previous discussions on this subject rather than start a
new one here :-).

They are manufactured, but it seems no one stocks them; they
are ordered only as required for installations. If you go
into an electrical wholesaler and ask the price for just a
few off, make sure you are sitting down. ;-)
In my experience, it's cheaper to buy a regular fitting
and separate electronic control gear, and swap the guts over.
If you wanted 100 of them to refit an office, then the
economics probably turn around the other way and you can
buy direct from the manufacturers rather than wholesalers.
BTW, can anyone think of any use for a pile of unused
magnetic ballasts on the shelf in my garage? ;-)

More generally I'm looking for sources of decent-looking and effective
low energy lighting particularly for kitchens: I have to replace a duff
halogen track light system in a client's kitchen and don't want to
replace it with another energy-guzzling halogen unit if I can help it.
I'm also after something for my own kitchen which presently just has 3
CFs in pendants (but SWMBO thinks these are tacky).

I've done up a few kitchens, and I usually go for concealed
lighting. The one I did where lighting couldn't be concealed,
I converted the existing downlighters to compact fluorescent
ones. For the central lamp, I couldn't find anything energy
efficient which was even remotely style acceptable, so it
ended up with a fitting which takes 100W filament lamp (and
a compact fluorescent retrofit won't even fit in the fitting).

For rooms I've done since then, I've continued making my own
low energy lighting, being very disappointed with what's
[not] available commercially.

The kitchen downlighting conversion can be seen on the lower
half of page http://www.cucumber.demon.co.uk/lights/diy/ and
it uses control gear recycled from dead compact fluorescents.
This is no longer necessary as the price and availability of
electronic control gear has improved considerably since I did
this. A more recent luminare conversion using commercial
control gear is http://www.cucumber.demon.co.uk/lights/diy2/
(using a Philips "Matchbox" ballast in this case).

--
Andrew Gabriel

On 11 Dec 2005 04:33:21 -0800, "John Stumbles"
wrote:

I need to get a new fluorescent fitting (or 3) for my mum's kitchen
since her ancient 8' or so fitting is on the blink (literally). I want
to get high frequency (electronic) fittings since one of my sisters is
inclined to complain about flicker (but let's all google 'fluorescent
flicker' for previous discussions on this subject rather than start a
new one here :-).

Screwfix and Toolstation only seem to offer switch start. TLC offer
electronic control gear ('Transtar' ballast) as separate items
suggesting that their regular lamps are bog-standard clockwork types.
Replacing the innard's of mum's existing fitting is one possibility but
I wondered if anone here could suggest a supplier of electronic
fittings online (my mum lives 100 miles away so I'd rather have
something delivered to her that cart it up in the car).

More generally I'm looking for sources of decent-looking and effective
low energy lighting particularly for kitchens: I have to replace a duff
halogen track light system in a client's kitchen and don't want to
replace it with another energy-guzzling halogen unit if I can help it.
I'm also after something for my own kitchen which presently just has 3
CFs in pendants (but SWMBO thinks these are tacky).


Oh, and I did say reasonably priced, didn't I? :-)

Try WF in Bracknell.

They have a catalogue with a whole variety and will deliver, if need
be from another branch.

Of course, you know to ask for discount....... :-)

If you find any low energy fitments that don't look tacky or bulbs
that don't create a bilious light, please be sure to say....



--

..andy

Andrew Gabriel wrote:

---8---
http://www.cucumber.demon.co.uk/lights/diy/
http://www.cucumber.demon.co.uk/lights/diy2/

I like it!

Andy Hall wrote:

Try WF in Bracknell.

I think they must be the place I went into once on my way in to work when I
worked in Bracknell (in a previous life :-). They seemed quite good.

They have a catalogue with a whole variety and will deliver, if need
be from another branch.

Dunno how close their branches get to mid wales - mind I did get a pm in
Hereford to deliver a big rad and bundle of 15mm 40 miles to her last xmas.
(Yes I know you're thinking what imaginative pressies I get her ;-)


Of course, you know to ask for discount....... :-)

If you find any low energy fitments that don't look tacky or bulbs
that don't create a bilious light, please be sure to say....

sigh!

I think Andrew G has the right idea.

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 23:07:34 GMT, John Stumbles
wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:

Try WF in Bracknell.

I think they must be the place I went into once on my way in to work when I
worked in Bracknell (in a previous life :-). They seemed quite good.

The Bracknell branch is in Western Road just along from the turning to
the tip and at the back of Homebase.

There's one in Reading just off of Richfield Ave.

Other than these, they will deliver nationally by delivery firm...


They have a catalogue with a whole variety and will deliver, if need
be from another branch.

Dunno how close their branches get to mid wales - mind I did get a pm in
Hereford to deliver a big rad and bundle of 15mm 40 miles to her last xmas.
(Yes I know you're thinking what imaginative pressies I get her ;-)

Must have been a bugger getting it down the chimney.....




Of course, you know to ask for discount....... :-)

If you find any low energy fitments that don't look tacky or bulbs
that don't create a bilious light, please be sure to say....

sigh!

I think Andrew G has the right idea.

Usually does....



--

..andy

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
The kitchen downlighting conversion can be seen on the lower half of
page http://www.cucumber.demon.co.uk/lights/diy/ and it uses control
gear recycled from dead compact fluorescents. This is no longer
necessary as the price and availability of electronic control gear has
improved considerably since I did this.

I note that of all the lamps you had available for cannibalisation you
chose the odd one out from an electronic perspective. The Philips
ballast is the only one that uses the choke for limiting and feedback.
This may be because the Philips was one of the first and therefore the
first to fail making it ripe for hacking.

--
Clive Mitchell
http:/www.bigclive.com

I do kitchens all the time and what you are looking for is an indirect
cove effect.

Is there space above the cabinet? Here in the US there is usually a
foot or more of "wasted" space between the cabinet tops and the
ceiling. It's a great place to plunk a few fluorescent tubes (low
profile) and get indirect lighting. Add a couple of standard recessed
or track (FL if you can) at the critical work area, switched
separately. Then you've got a real winner.

Look around at local suppliers. As for the low energy cans, all the US
makers have very good ones that are on the shelf at all electrical
dealers. You folks are supposedly way a head of us in design and low
energy fixtures. You would never get a US inspector to pass AG's
retrofits. (Inventive though they are!)

RickR

If you plan to install a fluorescent light on top of a length of
kitchen cabinets,
can I recommend firstly lining the top with old newspapers so that
cleaning
up there is simply done by discarding such newspapers and replacing
them
with fresh ones.
Also, it would do no harm to lay a width of tinfoil as a makeshift
reflector on top
of said newspaper.

No warnings about earthing the tinfoil please.

Mungo :-)