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How many downlighters in a bathroom ?
Is there a general rule of thumb for deciding upon the number of
downlighters fitted in a bathroom ? I am hoping to fit 50W chrome downlighters into my smallish bathroom and can't decide on the number. The ceiling space is only 3.55m squared so I was thinking along the lines of 4 or 5 downlighters giving 200 or 250W in total. Does this seem about right or will 5 be too many ? The suite is plain white and I will position a very large mirror on one wall to try and make the bathroom feel larger. Any recommendations or methods to adopt here ? Do you really have to have the waterproof ones above the bath ? - I mean it would be one heck of a splash to get water right up to the ceiling ! TIA, Mike. |
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#2
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"mikeyw" wrote in message
om... Is there a general rule of thumb for deciding upon the number of downlighters fitted in a bathroom ? I am hoping to fit 50W chrome downlighters into my smallish bathroom and can't decide on the number. The ceiling space is only 3.55m squared so I was thinking along the lines of 4 or 5 downlighters giving 200 or 250W in total. Does this seem about right or will 5 be too many ? The suite is plain white and I will position a very large mirror on one wall to try and make the bathroom feel larger. Any recommendations or methods to adopt here ? Do you really have to have the waterproof ones above the bath ? - I mean it would be one heck of a splash to get water right up to the ceiling ! TIA, Mike. You'll need sunglasses to walk in there with that lot on! I fitted 6x20W downlighters to a previous bathroom, that was perhaps 3m x 1.8m, and that gave a very high level of light. 50W lamps would have been way too much. Go wide angle lamps rather than the spots, and for bathrooms they need to be the glass-fronted enclosed type. I assume we're talking 12v elv here? -- Richard Sampson mail me at richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk |
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#3
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RichardS wrote:
"mikeyw" wrote in message om... Is there a general rule of thumb for deciding upon the number of downlighters fitted in a bathroom ? I fitted 6x20W downlighters to a previous bathroom, that was perhaps 3m x 1.8m, and that gave a very high level of light. I'd second that, I fitted 4x50W 12V downlighters in my (approx) 2.5m x 2.5m bathroom and it's rather too bright. I'm planning to replace them with 35W, or maybe 20W, lamps at some point (probably as and when they expire naturally). Remember that downlighters create quite distinct pools of light - even the 35 degree ones - and so e.g. 5x20W is better than 2x50W. I have heard of glass diffusers that clip over the downlighters, to produce a more even spread of light, but I haven't actually seen any to be able to judge how effective they are. -- Tony |
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#4
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Spiders wearing shades...
** T h e A r a c h n i d B l u e s B r o t h e r s ** Ok, that jokes going down the drain. -- Dorothy Bradbury Now with all perfect wiring. |
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#5
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mikeyw wrote:
Is there a general rule of thumb for deciding upon the number of downlighters fitted in a bathroom ? I am hoping to fit 50W chrome downlighters into my smallish bathroom and can't decide on the number. The ceiling space is only 3.55m squared so I was thinking along the lines of 4 or 5 downlighters giving 200 or 250W in total. I did four 35W 12V downlights in a small shower room (about 1.6 by 2.2m) and that gives a nice even coverage of the room from the lower half down (i.e. the top of the walls are less well illuminated than the lower half and the floor). This is the effect I was trying to achieve, however you may find that wall washers will work better if you want more even top to bottom lighting. Does this seem about right or will 5 be too many ? Probably too many... If you use the 12V lights then the colour of the light tends to be whiter and closer to daylight. The suite is plain white and I will position a very large mirror on one wall to try and make the bathroom feel larger. Any recommendations or methods to adopt here ? Do you really have to have the waterproof ones above the bath ? - I mean it would be one heck of a splash to get water right up to the ceiling ! Does the bath have a shower? Personally I would stick to the waterproof ones given the room is small. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
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#6
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Tony Eva wrote:
Remember that downlighters create quite distinct pools of light - even the 35 degree ones - and so e.g. 5x20W is better than 2x50W. It does depend on ceiling height a bit. I have been in a small loo where the only illumination was 2 50W mains halogen downlights, and the lighting was actuially quite pleasent and even due to the ceiling being 10' high. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
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#8
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John Rumm wrote:
... I have been in a small loo where the only illumination was 2 50W mains halogen downlights, and the lighting was actuially quite pleasent and even due to the ceiling being 10' high. That's true, though 10' high ceilings are hardly the norm :-) Another consideration when planning the lighting is that (in my experience) it's better to angle the downlighters, perhaps onto the adjacent wall, so that the lighting is more indirect than directly from above. Again, in my bathroom, I placed one light above the basin and the downward light is not especially flattering when looking in the mirror. -- Tony |
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#10
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mikeyw wrote:
Is there a general rule of thumb for deciding upon the number of downlighters fitted in a bathroom ? I am hoping to fit 50W chrome downlighters into my smallish bathroom and can't decide on the number. The ceiling space is only 3.55m squared so I was thinking along the lines of 4 or 5 downlighters giving 200 or 250W in total. Everyone has different preferences but I would find this way too bright, Our bathroom is approx 2.5x2.5m and I only used 4 x20W 12V halogens and find it perfectly adequate. But the relative position of the lights will play a part. Does this seem about right or will 5 be too many ? The suite is plain white and I will position a very large mirror on one wall to try and make the bathroom feel larger. the positioning of the downlighters will make a big difference, as the light they give off is fairly directional. Try and locate one between where you might stand and wher etha mirror is to give good illumination when using it. (alternatively stick one on the wall above the mirror) Any recommendations or methods to adopt here ? Do you really have to have the waterproof ones above the bath ? - I mean it would be one heck of a splash to get water right up to the ceiling ! Again it depends on exactly where the light is positioned and how high your ceiling is. This site has a reasonable explantion of the various zones and the requirements. http://www.diydata.com/electrics/bat..._electrics.htm regards David |
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#11
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"Tony Eva" wrote in message ... wrote: My bathroom is small - 1.8m x 2.2m. I've got 6 x 50w. And contrary to the others who say it would be too bright, it's not. It's just right. Wow. What colour are the floors, walls and fittings? I suppose a lot depends on personal taste as well - you would appear to prefer your bathroom well lit :-) Oooh, a new OT thread! "Who's got the smallest bathroom?" Mine's 1.56m x 1.67m - which gives me an early lead. No, I don't have downlighters. They don't give out much light (300W for a room that size - eek!). -- Bob Mannix (anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not) |
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#12
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"David M" wrote in message
... mikeyw wrote: Is there a general rule of thumb for deciding upon the number of downlighters fitted in a bathroom ? I am hoping to fit 50W chrome downlighters into my smallish bathroom and can't decide on the number. The ceiling space is only 3.55m squared so I was thinking along the lines of 4 or 5 downlighters giving 200 or 250W in total. Everyone has different preferences but I would find this way too bright, Our bathroom is approx 2.5x2.5m and I only used 4 x20W 12V halogens and find it perfectly adequate. But the relative position of the lights will play a part. Does this seem about right or will 5 be too many ? The suite is plain white and I will position a very large mirror on one wall to try and make the bathroom feel larger. the positioning of the downlighters will make a big difference, as the light they give off is fairly directional. Try and locate one between where you might stand and wher etha mirror is to give good illumination when using it. (alternatively stick one on the wall above the mirror) Any recommendations or methods to adopt here ? Do you really have to have the waterproof ones above the bath ? - I mean it would be one heck of a splash to get water right up to the ceiling ! Again it depends on exactly where the light is positioned and how high your ceiling is. This site has a reasonable explantion of the various zones and the requirements. http://www.diydata.com/electrics/bat..._electrics.htm regards David My house ensuite shower room was supplied with 4 x 50W downlighters. I changed the switch to a 2 gang one so that one down light was on one gang and other 3 on other gang. This is so you can turn the light on in the middle of night without blinding yourself, works fine. Just have to remember to just switch one switch is caught short in the middle of the night... |
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#14
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RichardS wrote:
"mikeyw" wrote in message om... Is there a general rule of thumb for deciding upon the number of downlighters fitted in a bathroom ? I am hoping to fit 50W chrome downlighters into my smallish bathroom and can't decide on the number. The ceiling space is only 3.55m squared so I was thinking along the lines of 4 or 5 downlighters giving 200 or 250W in total. Does this seem about right or will 5 be too many ? The suite is plain white and I will position a very large mirror on one wall to try and make the bathroom feel larger. Any recommendations or methods to adopt here ? Do you really have to have the waterproof ones above the bath ? - I mean it would be one heck of a splash to get water right up to the ceiling ! TIA, Mike. You'll need sunglasses to walk in there with that lot on! could always use a pull-cord dimmer switch like this: http://www.lighting-direct.co.uk/bigprod.asp?id=2429 £32.00 ish from http://www.lighting-direct.co.uk search for dimmers / page 9 hth RT |
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#15
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Lurch wrote:
On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 05:49:01 GMT, strung together this: I've got 6 x 50w. And contrary to the others who say it would be too bright, it's not. It's just right. Good, not just me then! I've got a 3m x 2m ish bathroom with 4 x 50W GU10s, 1 x 50W 12V showerlight and 2 60W wall light spot affairs. Just about right I'd say. There must be a batch of _very_ low efficiency 50W bulbs going about, is all that I can think. :-) cheers David |
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#16
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My bathroom is small - 1.8m x 2.2m. I've got 6 x 50w. And contrary to the others who say it would be too bright, it's not. It's just right. MJ Wow - as mine is slightly smaller i think i'll try 5 x 50W then. I can always fit a dimmer as a get out clause in case it is too bright. Are you using angled DL's or fixed ? |
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#17
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In article ,
David M writes: There must be a batch of _very_ low efficiency 50W bulbs going about, is all that I can think. :-) Most lamps are _very_ low efficiency if you use the floor as a reflector to light the rest of the room. I have a rather brightly lit bathroom with 42W of lighting (actually, probably ~45W with control gear losses). Since this is a DIY newsgroup, I'll add that I made a substatial part of the lights myself too ;-) -- Andrew Gabriel |
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#18
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Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article , David M writes: There must be a batch of _very_ low efficiency 50W bulbs going about, is all that I can think. :-) Most lamps are _very_ low efficiency if you use the floor as a reflector to light the rest of the room. Yes , this is the issue. They could easily use a 35W or even 20W bulb and they would probably not notice the difference as 90% of the light ends up on the floor. cheers David |
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#20
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On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 13:30:21 +0000, David M
strung together this: Good, not just me then! I've got a 3m x 2m ish bathroom with 4 x 50W GU10s, 1 x 50W 12V showerlight and 2 60W wall light spot affairs. Just about right I'd say. There must be a batch of _very_ low efficiency 50W bulbs going about, is all that I can think. :-) Think I could downrate the lamps and not notice too much difference. backpedalling The room doesn't have a window so it is quite depressing when it's underlit. I'd like to point out that they're on seperate switches so they're not always on all together. /backpedalling -- SJW A.C.S. Ltd |
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#21
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David M wrote:
There must be a batch of _very_ low efficiency 50W bulbs going about, is all that I can think. :-) The response of the eye is non linear anyway, so to get illumination that looks twice as bright as 50W you will need way more than 100W. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
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#22
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On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 09:33:13 +0000, Tony Eva wrote:
wrote: My bathroom is small - 1.8m x 2.2m. I've got 6 x 50w. And contrary to the others who say it would be too bright, it's not. It's just right. Wow. What colour are the floors, walls and fittings? I suppose a lot depends on personal taste as well - you would appear to prefer your bathroom well lit :-) Ok, I have to admit there's a mix of black (granite actually) and white, but I had the lights installed and running for some time with just plain plastered walls and it was still ok. And now it's still about 75% white. I do like bright lighting, but nobody has ever complained or even commented on it being too bright. I find it irritating that every light fitting you pick up says 60w max, which is little brighter than a couple of candles. It makes me wonder what these light fitting manufacturers think 100w bulbs are for. So what happens to all the 100w bulbs you see on the shelves? Probably bought by people like me who ignore the 60w max warning with no ill effect. Halogen uplighters appear to have taken a downturn as well. They all used to be 500w. When I came to replace one a year or so ago all I could find were 300w max ones. I tried one, and instead of the bright white light I had before, it was a yellow. I examined the dimmer box and it said 500w max. The construction hasn't changed. So I put a 500w bulb in and it has been ok. MJ |
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#23
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John Rumm wrote:
David M wrote: There must be a batch of _very_ low efficiency 50W bulbs going about, is all that I can think. :-) The response of the eye is non linear anyway, so to get illumination that looks twice as bright as 50W you will need way more than 100W. Yes the response of the eye is fairly complex, and the point you raise, is another good argument why many of the posters, with a couple of hundred Watts worth of bulbs in a small space, probably would only see a minor reduction in the effective lighting if they halved the wattage. cheers David |
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#24
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RichardS wrote:
"mikeyw" wrote in message . com... Is there a general rule of thumb for deciding upon the number of downlighters fitted in a bathroom ? I am hoping to fit 50W chrome downlighters into my smallish bathroom and can't decide on the number. The ceiling space is only 3.55m squared so I was thinking along the lines of 4 or 5 downlighters giving 200 or 250W in total. Does this seem about right or will 5 be too many ? You'll need sunglasses to walk in there with that lot on! I fitted 6x20W downlighters to a previous bathroom, that was perhaps 3m x 1.8m, and that gave a very high level of light. 50W lamps would have been way too much. Go wide angle lamps rather than the spots, and for bathrooms they need to be the glass-fronted enclosed type. I assume we're talking 12v elv here? I have used 6 x 35W in a room 2m x 2.5m and it is about right. As with any downlighter scheme, the ceiling is darker and the coverage is a little patchy. If you fit http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...ull/index.html together with dimmable transformer(s), then for times when it feels a bit bright, you can set it to suit yourself. It is working well for me. I have got hold of some ultra-wide angle bulbs, but the aperture size of the glass fronted fitting obviously has a limiting effect on this. Chris -- Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh. |
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#25
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It seems as though I'm the only one here who would be terrified by the
electricity bill when the kids or visiting in-laws left 300 watts of lighting on all night repeatedly! I'd be fitting a timer or a motion detector (!) :-) --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.786 / Virus Database: 532 - Release Date: 29/10/2004 |
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#26
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Doctor D wrote:
It seems as though I'm the only one here who would be terrified by the electricity bill when the kids or visiting in-laws left 300 watts of lighting on all night repeatedly! I'd be fitting a timer or a motion detector (!) :-) 300 watts, that's 7.2kW/day if left on continuously, about 50p/day. -- Chris Green |
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#27
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#28
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wrote in message ... Doctor D wrote: It seems as though I'm the only one here who would be terrified by the electricity bill when the kids or visiting in-laws left 300 watts of lighting on all night repeatedly! I'd be fitting a timer or a motion detector (!) :-) 300 watts, that's 7.2kW/day if left on continuously, about 50p/day. Yep, or about £15.50 per month. I currently pay about £25 per month for all our electricity for a family of 4 in a 4 bedroom house with a dishwasher and tumble dryer in regular use. We have CFL's fitted wherever possible, although in a rash moment I agreed to fit 12 x 20 watt halogen downlighters in our kitchen! They don't get much use as we tend to rely on the 13 watt florrie tubes under the cupboards which tend to run continuously from about 5pm to 11pm. I'm not really convinced by halogens/downlighters. They look great in the ceiling, but don't have the light spread of florries, are not cheap to run (comparatively) and the lamps seem to need changing frequently. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.786 / Virus Database: 532 - Release Date: 29/10/2004 |
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#29
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Doctor D wrote:
wrote in message ... Doctor D wrote: It seems as though I'm the only one here who would be terrified by the electricity bill when the kids or visiting in-laws left 300 watts of lighting on all night repeatedly! I'd be fitting a timer or a motion detector (!) :-) 300 watts, that's 7.2kW/day if left on continuously, about 50p/day. Yep, or about £15.50 per month. If left on 24 hours/day for the whole month, rather more than would be likely in reality (and as I pointed out if you are on economy 7 it would be considerably less). -- Chris Green |
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#31
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wrote in message ... Doctor D wrote: wrote in message ... Doctor D wrote: It seems as though I'm the only one here who would be terrified by the electricity bill when the kids or visiting in-laws left 300 watts of lighting on all night repeatedly! I'd be fitting a timer or a motion detector (!) :-) 300 watts, that's 7.2kW/day if left on continuously, about 50p/day. Yep, or about £15.50 per month. If left on 24 hours/day for the whole month, rather more than would be likely in reality (and as I pointed out if you are on economy 7 it would be considerably less). Changing to Economy 7 just because my father in law can't remember to switch off lights is a bit dramatic :-) I'm paranoid about wasting electricity - it runs in the family, my father's mad as well! I've found myself developing his habit of closing doors whilst muttering "Were you born in a barn" at my kids. The hours just whizz by here you know - I really must get out more. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.786 / Virus Database: 532 - Release Date: 29/10/2004 |
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