Thread: Low Voltage Lighting.

Welcome to the forum

Its not a matter of where to put them it a matter of where you are allowed to

New strict regulations come into play the end of next month as to how far from a combustible material they are allowed to be installed

Really need to know where ceiling joists and battens are

What if you have metal battens Nev? And does this apply to 20 watt downlights also?

Hi

Just a couple of points in case you are not aware of them. Low voltage d/l are not cheaper to run than normal lights. (well 50w compared to 60w they are a smidgen cheaper)

Usually more d/l are needed per room because the low voltage d/l are "directional" lighting and have a limited spread of light.

They sure look good, especially if they are placed and used correctly.

Keep in mind that there is a LARGE range of wattage and angles from which to choose. Don't just go to a store and buy the cheapest 50w lights, you can do so much better than that.

The light output from d/l is "sharp" and very harsh lighting. It is not a soft "ambient" light that you get from the usual incandescent globe

As far as the quantity and positioning of d/l that is to some extent a personal preference. This personal preference can also be "directed" by the furniture in the room and the furniture placement.

As an example, I recently redecorated our main bedroom and installed new d/l. I installed ELEVEN downlights, yes, that's right ELEVEN!

Now to put this in perspective, they are not all used at once and they serve different purposes.

There are five d/l in a line 300mm from and parallel to one wall. Now you might think this is overkill, until I describe what and why.

In this line there are 5x 20w d/l. These are 25mm diameter and have a white reflector. These are used as the "main" bedroom light and provides lighting somewhat similar to the original incandescent globe but still "directional". This means that the now 100w (instead of original 60w) globe light the room with a great but soft appearance - but they cost almost twice as much to run. The real gain is only in the appearance and "decor".

The remaining SIX downlights, all 35w, not the "full" 50w, are placed in pairs on each of the remaining three walls. Two of these are used to light the contents of the built in wardrobe - good lighting here, but also necessary because of the change from the incandescent globe.

Two other lights are placed above the dressing table for SWMBO. Now these are great for lighting the dressing table, but they are NOT practical for the real use of the dressing table where ladies attend to their appearance. The light from these lights is MUCH too direct, i.e. DOWN and cast shadows on the face, under the eyebrows, nose, lips and chin. This IS not practical for ladies to use for applying makeup

The remaining two lights are really practical. They are placed in the ceiling above the bedhead, only 100mm from the cornice. They are directed away from the wall toward the foot of the bed. These (as intended) make great reading lights for reading in bed - even though only 35w, they are bright so beware if you install something similar and your partner wants to sleep while you read

There are a couple of images attached, and here is a link to my downlights web page, showing what I did with d/l and the effect. The photos are a little dim because the flash was not used (it would wash out the lighting effect).

You may also want to give some thought to installing IR sensors to turn on the lights. This has been great for a couple of my installations as you will see/read if you go to the web page.

I am happy to answer any questions if you think I can help

HTH
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Thanks for your in depth reply Peter. As usual things are a lot more complex than what it looks like on the surface. The house is an investment property in Cairns and I think that staying with coventional fluoros is the to go.

Ceers Chriv.

Convential fluoros are definitely the go for a rental place. Good light output, cheap to install, last well and are enrgy efficient.

Low voltage downlights are high users of energy relative to the light produced - they are just cheap to buy and relatively easy to install.

Good results for downlights can be had using compact fluorescent lamp fittings especially in places where the lights will be on for some time each night (eg: over kitchen benches). They can't be dimmed, but I have got around this by simply adding more switches which gives more options for lighting levels without dimmers.

LED fittings are around, but are not yet price competitive, but will get there shortly I reckon.

But as you have concluded the good old fluoro with the new ballasts give good light output so go for them. They are better used by reflecting their light off ceilings or down walls by installing them above or behind pelmets.