Spotlight Help - Transformer or Not?

[beekay22]

Hi guys

Im currently having some spotlights installed around the house (upstairs and down)

Im getting lots of conflicting opinions on whether we should have a transformer on the lights or not.

Some people are saying that spotlights with transformers blow out quite easily and that they generate heat etc.

Can anyone give this newbie some advice as im totally bamboozled!

Thanks!
Beekay

 

[Steve]

transformers are another thing to go wrong.

did anyone mention that downlights use lots of energy and set fire to things, and make it very hard to comply with all the building regs whilst installing?

mains voltage is the way forward should you not have changed your mind by now. With mains you can replace the horrid halogen narrow beams with compact fluorescents or LEDs.

Better still, google PL downlights now. Install something designed for lighting up a room to start with.

 

[beekay22]

Cheers Steve!

Are you suggesting to go with 240v on the spotlights (if i do go with the spotlights)

I checked out those PL lights - assuming they are the energy saving ones - i just didnt like the light from them, it was really white rather than more of a yellow.

hmm...decisions decisions....

 

[skenk]

Mains downlights blow more often (although no transformers to blow) and low voltage* tend to give a nicer light. Both give out about the same amount of heat.



*or Extra Low Voltage, if you prefer the correct terminology

 

[oharaf]

Transformers are a pain in the derrier, unless installed correc tly then they pop when it is least convenient. Some people say they give a better quality of light.

Personally good quality 240v spots are the better option and choosing the right bulbs for them helps.

But a Steve says, the lighting 'level' is not brilliant.

For example to achieve 'good' lighting in our living room, because myh wife doesn't listen to the resident electrician, I installed 10 240v downlighters at 50w per fitting into a room that is about 4m by 3m and has ceilings of about 2m high!!!


Oh and she wanted to be able to dim them!!! dimmer was about £30!!

 

[securespark]

Should have split them onto two or more switchwires, then used standard 250W dimmers.

 

[oharaf]

that was my suggestion , but she wanted them all on one!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I installed 10 240v downlighters at 50w per fitting into a room that is about 4m by 3m and has ceilings of about 2m high!!!

I light the entire ground floor of my house with less than 500W...

beekay - here you see the fundamental problem with those types of lights - they are simply not designed to provide room illumination. They were designed to highlight individual features or display items - you yourself recognise this because you call them "spotlights".

And fiddling around with choices between LV and ELV, or even incandescent/LED/CFL lamps will make no difference to their fundamental unsuitability.

Couple that with the damage you will do to your ceilings and the difficulties (in some cases impossibilities) of complying with the Building Regulations and it becomes, IMO, a mad thing to do.

I urge you to have a complete rethink.

 

[beekay22]

thanks guys - we've had a bit of a re-think and gone with 240v versions of the light.

fingers crossed that this is the right option

@ban-all-sheds - what are you using to light the downstairs of your house? would be interested to know what solution you have!

Thanks for all the advice guys!

Beekay

 

[martinxxxxxx]

500w site light in a one room open plan set up perhaps?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have a mixture of 80mm recessed lights and wall lights which take regular ES lamps.

All but 2 of the 80mm recessed ones have low-energy lamps, the 2 which don't are on dimmers so they still have incandescents in.

The wall lights originally had 100W GLS lamps, then one time I had no spare so I put a 60W in, and we decided that there was b****r-all difference, so we switched to those. Now they have a mix of 60W incandescents and CFLs while we decide which of the latter we like.

Total wattage 416, and heading downwards - there'll be another 80-odd to come out of the wall lights, and as soon as Mrs Sheds & I can find luminaires we like the 2 80mms still using incandescents will be coming out. (Which is why I'm not bothering to find any dimmable R80 CFLs).

In the longer term all of those will have to go anyway, as GE have changed the design of the Genura lamp I use - it now looks fugly and doesn't work as well, but does now comply with some new legislation.

When everything is done I reckon I'll have around 300W.

 

[Steve]

I checked out those PL lights - assuming they are the energy saving ones - i just didnt like the light from them, it was really white rather than more of a yellow

You can get different colour whites. From warm white (2700k) to daylight (6400k). Warm white is the preferred option in domestic.

For retail, cool white (4000k) is preferred for their clean light.

 

[sparkwright]

mains downlighters are dimmer than the elv ones.