From: Colin:

I would like flourecsent tubes if I could find some way of making
them look
nice. I think think that they make a better working light. Has anyone
seen
any fittings, or got any tips for installation, that would look
acceptable?


OK, that I can help you with. I used to use fls a lot before CFLs.

There are 5 problems with typical fl lighting installs:

1. bare bright tube gives glare
2. ugly fitting
3. poor light quality
4. Flicker and flash
5. Downtime
6. excessively bright lights are often fitted

.... All of which are easy to avoid.



1 and 2 are easy: use either trough of shelf fittings - preferably
trough.

___________ -- ceiling
|
|
| O | O is bulb on a shelf with a side, making a trough.
|___| The ceiling is lit up diffusely,
| while the fitting and bulb are not seen
|
| -- wall


_________ _
| _ O|_| is bulb and fitting mounted sideways on a shelf
|__0|_| The ceiling is lit up diffusely,
| the bulb is not seen, but the fitting is.
|
| -- wall



3 is a matter of choosing your tube: there are many versions of white
around, eg:

cool white - horrid, avoid
4500K - not nice, avoid
daylight - fair
white - ok
warm white - good
2700K - good
3500K - very good
philips numbered tubes - mostly very good
full spectrum tubes - pricey

These colours are marked near the end of the tubes. Sales assistants
often dont know that there are different versions.


4 can be avoided by using an electronic fitting.


5 can be avoided by
- always keeping a spare starter and tube,
- use the same tube size throughout so youve always got something
suitable
- have more than one light per room

When a ligt fails, first replace the starter, and if that doesnt work,
then replace the tube. With electronic fittings you just replace the
tube, theres no starter.


6 is simple, youve already used fl there so you know how much power
you want.



Finally I'd suggest using 2 foot tubes, as theyre small enough to fit
lots of locations, easy to store, their light output per fitting is
sensible, so they can also be used in every room if you want, and the
tubes are common. 4 foot is the next best. 3' tubes are harder to come
by, 6' are almost obsolete, 5' are too bright to look good in home
use, and 8' are impractical for house use.


Finally wipe the bulb clean twice a year (they last so long), and have
each light on its own wall switch. You wont need PIR.


If you like the downlighter look, a good half way is to add some
miniature very low power downlighter-style fittings (just 2w to 5w),
arranging them to direct the light towards eyes rather than the floor.
This way they give the same appearance as downlighters, but consume
next to nothing. There are many other options too.


Regards, NT