Kitchen lighting

[Steve]

OK, regulars here will know I've been on a quest to find reasonably priced, nice looking fluorescent lighting for the kitchen.

I have just come across this on TLC. The Atom. I didnt want to go for downlighters, but my searches have been fruitless so far! And this is a CFL fitting so will provide better light than a halogen.



It only has a 12cm cutout, compared to most of these types which have 20cm. And its HF so will provide more light for longer.

At 13 watts each, how many of these lights will I need in a kitchen measuring 4450mm x 2600mm with the ceiling at 2400mm? There is no other illumination.

EDIT:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/GLPL218E.html

This is a twin fitting, with a bigger cutout, would this be better? It looks better quality yet is cheaper! How would this one fit to the ceiling? Would I need access from above?

 

[Cremeegg]

CFL produce a different light to halogens - whether it is better is a matter of personal opinion.

What other lighting have you in the kitchen - under cabinet lights to provide detailed task lighting on the work surfaces; other in cabinet lighting?

What do you want to achieve? Mood lighting or accent lighting or general lighting. Then how bright a light.

Only with these answers can you say how many of your fittings you will need.

We have 20W under cabinet lights in our kitchen - we rarely use the 50W downlighters as the 20W under cabinets provide light where we want it.

 

[333rocky333]

The second light, proberly you remove the mirror reflecter first , push up in the hole.

you have two "legs that you fit through the key hole slots fom inside, then slide them down on to the ceiling and then tighten them, you then refit the bezel.

Quite common on the larger fittings, the gear pack may be fairly large though and that obviously needs to go in above the ceiling first.

The first light are you sure it is 13 watt, the lamp in it looks like a PLT lamp, afaik only made in 32 or 42 watt
EDIT
apoligies they now make a 13 watt

 

[ColJack]

the problem with the second fitting is that it effectively leaves a large hole into the ceiling as the lamps fit through the reflector ( also meaning that you lose some of the light from the lamp itself since a good part of it will be outside of the reflector.. )

these holes will allow moisture ( steam from cooking as well as grease from frying etc ) into the ceiling void..

also it negates any fire resistance the current ceiling has for the same reasons..


in my own kitchen, I will be making a "pod" that will be suspended a few inches from the ceiling and will house some spots for task lighting, and fluorescents facing outwards as "wall washers" for general ambient light..

 

[aptsys]

I have ones very similar to the 2nd ones in my kitchen and study. In the study I have three fittings with only 1 18W lamp per fitting in a room sized 4m x 2.5m and it gives very adequate light.

In the kitchen we have 4 fittings with 2x18W lamps in each, but they are very bright!

If you aim to space these fittings about 2 or 2.5m apart, it seems to give a good distribution of light from a normal height ceiling. Higher than normal ceilings can have the fittings spaced apart further.

 

[ColJack]

based on a 600 x 600 ceiling grid, we usually put them every third tile.. so it would be 1800 centers...
but then again, we only used them for hallways and general use areas, not in the actual office space..

 

[Steve]

these holes will allow moisture ( steam from cooking as well as grease from frying etc ) into the ceiling void..

also it negates any fire resistance the current ceiling has for the same reasons....

I believe both units are available with an IP rated glass lens or similar.

And ceiling is not fire rated. The ceiling may be getting replaced. It was water damaged a few years ago, parents never realised insurance would cover it. Been painting over the cracks ever since Also there are a few wiring issues I'd like to sort out, access from above is tricky so pulling the ceiling down is ideal.

Cremeegg, there is no other lighting in the kitchen at the moment.

However, if the kitchen is replaced, there will be under cabinet fluorescent lighting, and I'm thinking about fitting LED strips on the cabinet tops shining at the ceiling, on the same switch.

aptsys, nice to hear from someone who has used these in a domestic setting (they are classed as commercial)

My main concern with them was that they would not give a good spread of light, since the lamps are recessed into the ceiling. Is this not the case? (We have similar fittings at work, but its hard to tell the spread of light, since they are mounted about 10 feet high)

 

[aptsys]

I'll see if I can take a picture for you. I too was worried about the spread of light, especially in the kitchen where cupboards are high up on the wall but it really isn't bad at all.

I think they look good in the ceiling, despite not being in a commercial environment.

edit: found a couple of pictures from ages ago when I was refurbing the house:
View media item 5202View media item 5203

 

[Steve]

Very nice, though perhaps a little bright for my liking.

Do you have electronic fittings or traditional starter fittings? If trad, do you find they flicker?

All for 144 watts. The current lighting is 240 watts (6x40w spots) so i'll probably go for 7 or 8 no. 13 watt units and have them closer together (they are smaller). If it goes ahead, I'll let y'all know, with a step by step guide, MDBalson style.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you are happy with recessed fittings, and you can find ones you like that take RO80 lamps, check out GE's Genura lamp...

 

[Steve]

If you are happy with recessed fittings, and you can find ones you like that take RO80 lamps, check out GE's Genura lamp...

Nice lamp, shame about the price. But I always think R80 recessed spots look a bit dated. Smaller (GU10) or bigger (CFL) than R80 is better. I dont know why. My Gran has R80s in her kitchen.

 

[Steve]

BAN, didn't you say something a while ago about discharge lighting in your kitchen? Something about very fancy Metal Halide lamps? Something I wouldn't rule out, if suitable.

 

[RF Lighting]

Personally I don't think discharge lighting would be the best idea for a domestic.

The warm up time is bad enough on CFLs, never mind discharge lamps.

Oh and then there is the cool down cycle before the lamp will restrick, which will be annoying if you turn the light off and realise you have forgotten to make your sandwiches for work or whatever.

I like the idea of HF PL downlights though.

I think spacings of between 1200 and 1800 mil on centers sounds right to me too.

R80 DLs can look good if done right. It's the lamps which makes them look dated, not generally the fittings (except for brass ones of course)

 

[aptsys]

Mine were initially LF fittings, but I upgraded the gear to HF in the kitchen before I installed them. The fittings themselves were ebay purchases - I ended up with 20 brand new fittings for £20 delivered

The LF ones in the study do not flicker at all (there's a gentle 50Hz hum though) and the warm up time is barely noticable.

I also have these in the bathroom (which are fitted with the frosted glass attachment) and hall which give excellent light.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

BAN, didn't you say something a while ago about discharge lighting in your kitchen? Something about very fancy Metal Halide lamps? Something I wouldn't rule out, if suitable.

Not me.

I've got 4 x RO80 luminaires with Genura lamps in them.

The lamps are fine, but if you think brass ones look dated RF, try white eyeball ones...

Am currently struggling to find new lights for the extension next year that are efficient, work well, look nice to both me and Mrs S, are dimmable, don't cost an arm and a leg, are available as ceiling and wall versions and are suitable for kitchen & dining areas (open plan). No challenge there then....

Dunno what it is with me and lights, but if ever I see one and think "ooh that's nice" I can guarantee it'll be expensive...

Take this, for example

It's a bit of a cheek, as they use it on their website but don't list is as a product.

So I asked about it.

£470.