After pricing up a customers bathroom refurb, it has prompted me to do
something about my own bathroom.
The fittings are all ok, but the walls and ceiling are very dated (6"
white tiles, only around the bath,with grout going grey,ceiling in white
emulsion that has started to peel in a couple of places etc).

The tiling and ceiling will be done in the usual way - buy whatever I
can afford, then put it up when I get time.
But before I start on that, I'd like to put in new lighting.

I have seen one bathroom where there is a PIR sensor inside the door,
which lights up around 6 ceiling mounted low voltage
spotlights/downlights.
I'd like to replicate this.

How many lights are required (12v 20w iirc) to illuminate a ~6 feet
square bathroom?

I was thinking 4, plus an extra combined fan/light over the bath.
Are there any kits with the PIR included?

PIR sensors. Easy to fit? Reliable?
How do they work? say it is daytime, but you want the lights on, will
they turn on then?

Thanks for any thoughts.
Alan.

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To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

On 2008-04-13 08:46:11 +0100, (A.Lee) said:

After pricing up a customers bathroom refurb, it has prompted me to do
something about my own bathroom.
The fittings are all ok, but the walls and ceiling are very dated (6"
white tiles, only around the bath,with grout going grey,ceiling in white
emulsion that has started to peel in a couple of places etc).

The tiling and ceiling will be done in the usual way - buy whatever I
can afford, then put it up when I get time.
But before I start on that, I'd like to put in new lighting.

I have seen one bathroom where there is a PIR sensor inside the door,
which lights up around 6 ceiling mounted low voltage
spotlights/downlights.
I'd like to replicate this.

How many lights are required (12v 20w iirc) to illuminate a ~6 feet
square bathroom?



I was thinking 4, plus an extra combined fan/light over the bath.

I would have said 6 but it depends on how light you want the room to be
- e.g. like an operating theatre or synergistic with candle lit baths.

You can place the lights near to the walls and arranged such that the
wall intersects the cone of light from the dwn lighters. This will
give a parabola effect on the wall and as long as the wall is light in
colour there will be good light reflection into the room. However,
you must then finish the walls and tiling to a very high standard
because blemishes will appear in sharp relief.

You may want to have additional task lighting e.g. at a mirror for such
activities as shaving and applying your make up.


Are there any kits with the PIR included?

PIR sensors. Easy to fit? Reliable?
How do they work? say it is daytime, but you want the lights on, will
they turn on then?

Adjustable.

e.g.

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/DNCEFLPIRS.html

In article ,
(A.Lee) writes:

I have seen one bathroom where there is a PIR sensor inside the door,
which lights up around 6 ceiling mounted low voltage
spotlights/downlights.
I'd like to replicate this.

These are a disaster in a bathroom. You need good general lighting
in a bathroom for shaving, make-up, washing, etc. Downlighters can't
provide general lighting -- they light the top of your head and the
floor. If you painted the floor brilliant white, they might just
manage to light the rest of the room.

The PIR is a good idea.

PIR sensors. Easy to fit? Reliable?
How do they work? say it is daytime, but you want the lights on, will
they turn on then?

They have an adjustable light level trigger, which can normally be
adjusted to the point where they ignore the ambient level and come
on anyway.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

A.Lee wrote:

How many lights are required (12v 20w iirc) to illuminate a ~6 feet
square bathroom?

Four should do it. Go for the wall washing effect to get more
omnidirectional lighting.

I was thinking 4, plus an extra combined fan/light over the bath.
Are there any kits with the PIR included?

Not usually - but you can buy standalone PIR easily enough.

PIR sensors. Easy to fit? Reliable?

yup

How do they work? say it is daytime, but you want the lights on, will
they turn on then?

They usually let you control their dusk detection to the extent of being
off, so they will run all the time.

One thing you may need to lookout for is if you are soaking in the bath
and the lack of movement allows all the lights to go out. You might have
to wave a hand from time to time! (I think I would be tempted to fit a
switch in parallel so that you can force them on when you need)

--
Cheers,

John.

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"A.Lee" wrote in message
...
After pricing up a customers bathroom refurb, it has prompted me to do
something about my own bathroom.
The fittings are all ok, but the walls and ceiling are very dated (6"
white tiles, only around the bath,with grout going grey,ceiling in white
emulsion that has started to peel in a couple of places etc).

The tiling and ceiling will be done in the usual way - buy whatever I
can afford, then put it up when I get time.
But before I start on that, I'd like to put in new lighting.

I have seen one bathroom where there is a PIR sensor inside the door,
which lights up around 6 ceiling mounted low voltage
spotlights/downlights.
I'd like to replicate this.

How many lights are required (12v 20w iirc) to illuminate a ~6 feet
square bathroom?

I was thinking 4, plus an extra combined fan/light over the bath.
Are there any kits with the PIR included?

I am putting four IP65 down lighters (they take 50w lamps but I think 20w
should be enough) over the shower tray and a 38 watt IP44 over the loo and
sink.

The down lighters are going to be near the walls to illuminate the walls.
They are flat aquabords so they shouldn't have odd shadows and such that you
get if they are unlevel.

If that isn't enough I will have to fit some more.

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:46:11 +0100, (A.Lee) wrote:

I have seen one bathroom where there is a PIR sensor inside the door,
which lights up around 6 ceiling mounted low voltage
spotlights/downlights. I'd like to replicate this.

You don't want to - really. At 03:00 hours when someone wanders into
the bog, their way lit only by the gentle reflection of the sodium
lights on the council tip nearby, they are suddenly illuminated by
what, to dark adapted vision, is the equivalent of a small nuclear
explosion. Screaming gently they cover their eyes with their hands
and blunder into the throne cracking their shins. This causes them to
rebound back into the cupboard spilling its contents on the floor.
Lacerating their feet on the broken glass, and all thought of a period
of gentle contemplation long past being necessary they stumble out of
the room whereupon the lights go out and in what is now to them total
darkness they fall down the stairs breaking both legs and injuring the
cat.

Someone I know fitted a similar system and when they got out of
hospital attacked the PIR with a hammer and for overnight use mounted
one small red LED in the centre of the ceiling. It comes on at about
23:00 and provides enough illumination for midnight forays to the loo
without dazzling anyone.

How many lights are required (12v 20w iirc) to illuminate a ~6 feet
square bathroom?

Depends on the type of light. Downlighters (preferably a small
galaxies worth) are much favoured by those who like the "footballers
girlfriend" style of decor and they go well with gilt taps, fluffy
dice and looy the quinze mirror embellishments. The most common
mistake is to put them above mirrors where they cast strong shadows on
the face. Moreover, with downlighters when lying in the bath your
retina is burned out by the hideous bright point sources scattered
around the ceiling. They are cheap however.

Ideally you should have several lighting types capable of being
switched as you wish. For night time excursions a very low power
light connected to a PIR can be useful. It need only be a few watts
and need not be in the ceiling (LED lamps are useful here). Its
purpose is to provide sufficient light for someone who is already dark
adapted to do what they must and stagger back to bed still half
comatose.

For morning ablutions and face painting then theatrical lighting - two
vertical lights either side of the mirror - is best and should be
coupled with high ambient light levels.

For sitting in the bath with a book and bottle of wine dimmer lighting
and a lamp behind the head somewhere (it can be in the ceiling but
well back from the head) to illuminate the book are ideal.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/arti...403815,00.html

http://www.barefootfloor.com/light-y8.html

might give you a few ideas.