I'm planning on replacing the kitchen strip-light with either 4 or 6 recessed halogen spotlights.
How do take the single cable which currently feeds the strip-light and branch it out to 6 spotlights? Do I use a junction box?
Mark.
If they are mains you can use a junction box and 'star' connect or daisy chain. It makes no difference.
Use low voltage downlighters, more efficient, better quality of light and much better lamp life. Get a kit which plugs together for simplicity.
Adam
Oh, you've done it now...
Or maybe you're a troll?
David
Just make sure the transformer doesn't buzz like mad like my parents and several others I have heard.
Steven.
Oh dear what have I said, or is it a CFL fan club in here.
LV downlighters get better efficiency lumens per watt than line voltage incan lamps. Higher colour temperature and better beam control because of smaller filament. Much better lamp life than GU10 MR16s, have some LV lamps that are past there 10th birthday with a few hours day use. Good transfomers wont buzz, but cost about as much as a whole kit out of a shed, can reccomend Mode and IBL.
Adam
Well that depends... I would strongly suggest using low voltage halogens rather than mains since they are preferable for many reasons.
After that the choice of wiring comes down to how many transformers you plan to have and where you will place them. In some respects the simplest is one small transformer per light. That way you can wire each position with switched mains, (star or daisychain or combination using junction boxes etc), and poke the transformer into the hole you make for the light.
If you are running from a central transformer then you need to watch the current load on the wire - since even a small voltage drop on 12V lamps will be far more visible than with mains. A workable layout would be perhaps a star wiring layout from the transformer with two lights per wire.
Seems a little harsh Lobster....
Na, we are pretty equally divided on them ;-)
The option of using dichroic lamps is also worth mentioning with LV setups, since this projects less heat forward and gives an improvement in light whiteness again.
Sorry, wasn't intended.... perhaps I should have included a :-)
Not sure about that, ISTR every time downlighters are mentioned here there seems to be a resounding chorus of disapproval!
We have quite a few at home, fitted by yours truly at SWMBO's behest. Personally I don't particularly like them, mainly because of the power consumption issue
If you say so; but the practicality is that they only illuminate a downward pool of light rather than the whole room, which is why my small bathroom needs 4 of the buggers totalling 140W, whereas a 20W CFL would light the room more effectively, at one-seventh of the power usage.
David
Not from me there isn't. I think that they are excellent for a number of situations. It would be nice if they used a little less power, but they are not used all day normally, nor all year. When they are in use, the heat energy is added to that in the house.
To me this is all about context. You have just made a point about
120W of energy, used at certain times in the bathroom - i.e. occasional use even with women in the house.Set this into the context of the energy used to heat the house, and it's a teaspoon and bucket discussion. There is no need for sack cloth and ashes unless your name is Hilary Benn, for whom it would be completely appropriate.
Intrinsically, one should know that when the government is trying to legislate for something that has proved commercially unattractive that there is some other agenda that that presented going on.
He mentioned CFLs not downlights! Downlights are ok when used sensibly... Thinking about it the OP may want to look here:
Again you seem to be not comparing like with like. The point was that a
35W LV Halogen will give more light than a 35W 240V halogen.If you want general lighting just with halogens then you need to play your layouts carefully. Wall washers can help maximise light dispersion, as can use of the widest beam lamps (not all vendors sell a variety of beam widths)
If all that was needed was functional lighting a fluorescent strip light (or several) on a white ceiling would be fine - and very energy efficient. But most want lighting to look good and provide a pleasant 'atmosphere'. So basically to hell with efficiency. Thinking you can save the planet from global warming by changing a few light bulbs to more efficient types is like pi**ing in the ocean for all the effect it will have.
On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 15:34:55 +0100 someone who may be "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote this:-
Ah yes, the old, "I'll not get off my backside until everyone else has got off their backside line."
On Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:06:22 -0700 someone who may be snipped-for-privacy@totalise.co.uk wrote this:-
For what reason(s)?
What alternatives have you considered?
No - it's called being realistic. It's a con happily supported by politicians of all colours in many countries who refuse to admit that measures which would have some effect are simply untenable to the majority. Nature will provide the answer in due coarse. Man may not like that answer, though.
And the answer may well be coarse, of course.
On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:08:13 +0100 someone who may be "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote this:-
If we take the argument to its logical conclusion then nobody would do anything, because they would be waiting for others to do the same thing first. However, some people do take the initiative and start trends rather then follow them.
They would account for flares, wearing baseball caps backwards, and driving in the centre lane of the motorway then?
Just because you start a trend it does not mean you are doing anything useful.
Compared against the lighting load used by places like supermarkets and shopping centres that deliberately use no natural daylighting, domestic lighting load is a drop in the bucket. Heavy commercial users will look for tax incentives to update lighting equipment.
For users looking at economising electrical load makes good sense, it will save you money, but look at black box power consumers first, average PC 300W+ running for how long per day?, freeview boxes that still pull 20W in standby, lighting really is unlikely to biggest power consumer in the house....
Adam
That's just stupid.
If there is an issue, then the appropriate course of action is to address the most significant contributing factors first.
This one is playing a marketing game of "Let's get everyone involved" while directing attention away from the more politically difficult things that may actually make a difference - always assuming that it is necessary to make a difference.
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