LV Halogens

[elziko]

I'm thinking of fitting some low voltage halogens in a bathroom and I have looked a the Wiki but have a few more questions:

1) Is the only reason you'd use a toroidal transformer to be able to use a dimmer?

2) Is the switching generally done on the high voltage side?

3) I want to have a bank of four for the main bathroom and a separate one for above the shower. Is there a more elegant way of switching them rather than having two separate pendants? Can you get a single pendant that will toggle two sets of lights like this: on/on, on/off, off/on, off/off? I would imagine it's unlikely. What about a single unit with two cords? Any other ideas for a switch that will be in the bathroom in Zone 3? I've thought about a wireless switch but these seem to be very expensive.

4) Since at least one of the lights will be in Zone 2, all lights are going to be IP65. Can you get the 'eyeball' type halogens in IP65? I imagine they'd be expensive needing a good seal.

TIA

[Andy Hall]

There isn't really a reason to use one at all. You can get electronic transformers which are dimmable

Yes, and the dimming.

[elziko]

Thanks very much for your reply!

So would it be acceptable to mount one of these inside a bathroom? I thought that I /had/ to use pull cords?

None of those seem to be described as 'eyeball' which is the word that TLC seems to use to describe a light that can be angled in various directions. On that page are you saying that this one in particular is such a light?:

doesn't seem to look quite like the eyeball lights that TLC sell in the non-shower section:

[John Rumm]

Not in Zone 3. You need to use something appropriate for the circumstance. So if it is well away from sources of wet, then you are ok.

You could also control the shower light by other means... flow switch on the shower perhaps!

[stevelup]

I moved our bathroom light switch outside of the door for that very reason. I don't really see the need for it to be inside the room - it's not like it is going to suddenly get dark whilst you are already in there!

I've got pretty much the same arrangement as Andy suggested - a dual varilight dimmer outside the door. One channel runs 'effect' lighting (shelf lighting, behind mirror lighting and one to illuminate the window recess), the other runs the main lights (4 x downlights).

When you are using SELV lighting, does it need to be IP rated if it's not in a shower? I'm unclear on the regs there...

Going back to elziko's other question, the 'GL3043' ones from TLC are pretty adjustable and should satisfy most requirements.

Steve

[elziko]

Mmmm, I really like that idea! TLC doesn't seem to sell these flow switches - have you seen them somewhere? I'm having a new shower fitted so this is a good time to fit something like this.

[meow2222]

Toroids should not be on dimmers. The advantage of toroidal is reliability. Other than that they have nothing but downsides.

yes

[Dave H.]

Not strictly true, in a lot of situations the reduced stray magnetic field is a big advantage (I make music in my loft, last thing I want is hum picked up on the signal cables), they're a lot quieter acoustically (ditto for noise picked up by microphones), not suffering from the magnetostrictive vibration like traditional E-I core transformers, and usually a little more efficient and smaller. The electronic "transformers" are actually switch-mode supplies, and generate a hell of a lot more electronic noise than the trad iron-cored ones, although they are dimmable while transformers generally kill dimmers due to induced voltages at switchover unless the dimmer's particularly well designed.

-- Dave H. (The engineer formerly known as Homeless)

"Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise men" - Douglas Bader

[John Rumm]

Try part numbers 17896 or 17897 at

[Peter Ashby]

Oh boy, you obviously didn't grow up in a family like mine or have kids or a wife like me then.

Peter

[DIY-Not]

I think you'll find you only need IP44 for Zone 2, according to TLC's technical data sheet on zoning

>

[stevelup]

countrywww.the-brights.net

I can't comment on your family but I do have kids and a wife... They all seem to cope just fine having the light switches outside the bathroom!

[Clive George]

You mean your kids have missed the obvious comedy opportunities afforded by turning the lights out on their dad while he's in the bath?

cheers, clive

[Peter Ashby]

If your kids haven't thought of the wheeze of leaving their sibling in darkness in the bathroom then I hold little hope for their creativity. In my family a whole culture of ever more fiendish endarkenments would have ensued.

Peter

[Peter Ashby]

Yup, it's all in the timing. The comedic possibilities are almost infinite. Back where I used to work in London in order to save electrickery costs they installed movement sensors on the lights in the corridors, they were so sensitive you were usually 3/4 of the way along before they would turn on. The real problem was they also put them in the toilets, so there you would be, on your own sitting on the bog, and the lights would go out. Now yours truly having as a teacher once said: 'arms like an Orang-Utan' could just reach up and wave. They got lots of complaints from the smaller members of the female sex though.

Fortunately this sort of thing stopped in the actual labs, not much fun trying decant 4Molar NaOH into a measuring cylinder when the lights go out.

Peter

[Aidan Karley]

Dad was a troglodyte (caver) before the kids were conceived. Kids can amuse themselves as they like, but the only way it's going to be troublesome is if Dad is in the bath trying to read something important. Of course, what is important in the bath is a little different from what is important in the toilet. But the wise troglodyte knows how to get to his back-up light under conditions that the Medway Handyman wouldn't get into.

[Peter Ashby]

I don't think we need to go into where he kept his candle while on the loo...

Peter

[Aidan Karley]

In the cistern, with the waterproof matches?