Diffusing a bare bulb

Sep 21, 2006 4 Replies
M

Hello All, I am thinking about improving the ambient light in a kitchen. The walls and the ceiling are made of concrete and I cannot install recessed lighting. For energy efficiency reasons I would like to go with fluorescent (either CFLs or liner). For the moment I am thinking about linear lamps. My question is how can I make the light most pleasing. This is for an installation outside the USA. What makes a good diffuser? Any ideas about how one makes one's own diffuser? Is there an easy way to diffuse the light? The fixture is mounted directly on the ceiling and at the moment it bare causing a lot of glare.



Thanks.



MT



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R

Tranmission efficiency. Diffusion angle. Cost. Color neutrality. Strength and durability.

"Sign white" Plexiglas is a good trade-off of cost vs efficiency.

For the ultimate performance, use holographic light shaping diffusers:

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Expensive, but offset by efficiency savings if properly designed.

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P

If you don't have the fixture yet, why not just buy one with a diffuser built in. It'll look okay and have no fuss.

As for the light, check the color. "Shop Lights" are a very "cold" color. You can get natural light and some warmer bulbs that are more pleasing on the eye.

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P

There are inexpensive surface mount units that have slide-in plastic diffusers. Get one that has a diffuser that can be easily slid out for a yearly cleaning. On one light I cut an egg-crate plastic cover that directs the light down and hides the bulbs (except when looking straight on). You can buy various patterns/colors of clear plastic sheets at your DIY center and cut to size. Also, there are various types of fluorescent tubes.

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G

You may (or may not) be able to reduce a lot of the perceived glare just by changing the type of bulb.

Failing that, all the diffusers that I've ever seen have a side effect of reducing the amount of light you get. One technique that I like is to put an opaque mirrored reflector (caret shaped: "^") under the bulb, so that *ALL* the light you get is bounced off the ceiling. Kind of like this, only on the ceiling:

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This only works if the ceiling is light colored, and it looks funny if the ceiling is textured, and it eats a lot of the light the fixture puts out, but it WILL solve the glare problem.

How much headroom do you have to play with? For that matter, how much MONEY do you have to play with, cause this stuff:

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will solve all your problems...

--Goedjn

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