On 27 Jan 2004 10:27:56 -0800, (N. Thornton) wrote:

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.




Even with all of this trouble, they still look clinical.

I use daylight fittings with electronic ballasts in my workshop
because I want good light intensity and the spectrum is appropriate.

I am far from convinced that fluorescents used in a kitchen to the
exclusion of incandescent lighting can cover the complete range of
requirements and moods.

If the kitchen is like a commercial one, used for preparation and
cooking only and wall to wall white and stainless steel, then this may
be OK. It certainly isn't, in my view if the room is
multifunctional - fluorescents, no matter how good just don't have the
aesthetic warmth. This may cost more to run, but need not be
excessive and is quite reasonable unless one is looking for an energy
saving Holy Grail and that is more important than a balance with
appearance.

..andy

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