M
mik_dundee
First of all I would like to thank you for the sticky on Child Plug sockets. Will be sure to pass this info around.
I had an idea to fit accent lights between the wood ceiling joists just for some mood lighting.
I'm not qualified for anything like this so have had this done by a professional who is leaving it up to me to decide on what lighting to have installed.
The idea is similar to something I saw online in the attached picture.![[ElectriciansForums.net] Accent lighting advice](https://electricians.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/data/attachments/10/10781-04369a710f0de85a25e6ea846a205204.jpg "[ElectriciansForums.net] Accent lighting advice")
The room is 3 by 4metres and I it has been wired up with 22 lights on either end of the ceiling joists.
For this I am thinking 5W lamps to save energy which means running on a 12V circuit.
The ceiling joists are treated with the highest class fire retardant and 5-10 centimetres have been left between the bottom of the joist and the plasterboard. The ends of the joist have a thick metal strip running below them that I plan on hiding the lights. This should help conceal them, give access for changing bulbs and I am thinking could help in heat dissipation.
The price of LEDs especially dimmable ones with the right drivers and compatible switches is prohibitive right now so I plan on using small 5W G4 halogens throughout.
If I dim these to 80% I am hoping to achieve something like 22*4 = 88W when the lights are lit... possibly 100W accouting for the inefficiency of the transformer.
In future I may move to LEDs but only if worth if. A 5W LED would be too bright for my intended use of just a mood lighting to accompany a pendant and 2 walls lights.
This is where I get confused.
I could use 1 transformer per light but that would be a lot of money spent on transformers and I am thinking I may run into problems due to minimum loads. It also means one more component to install and hide.
Ideally I would want to spend some money on a couple of decent transformers that have a greater efficiency than smaller units and run the lights in parallel. If a bank fails I can replace the transformer which may still be under guarantee like something from Aurora.
I have also read that I need to be aware of voltage drops over greater distances.
There is adequate space to store these on either side of the room and be no more than 3 metres from the furthest light.
They could be placed in the centre of each side of the room with only 1.5m from the furthest light but this may mean hiding them within the plasterboard. Not ideal as they may run hot and I would lose easy access to them.
As for lampholders I've seen some that comply with the new regulations an are ceramic.
However it seems strange that they are rated for MR16, MR11 and G4. Are they the same?
Also are these simply attached to the cables already run through by the electrican?
Can anyone advise? I could simply use GU10s and mains voltage but I do not think that these can be had at 5W. They are also a lot larger so would be more visible.
The G4 can be clear or frosted and can be place on the topside of the metal beam so that they reflect light onto the ceiling and joists.
Sorry for too much/not enough info.
Michael
I had an idea to fit accent lights between the wood ceiling joists just for some mood lighting.
I'm not qualified for anything like this so have had this done by a professional who is leaving it up to me to decide on what lighting to have installed.
The idea is similar to something I saw online in the attached picture.
The room is 3 by 4metres and I it has been wired up with 22 lights on either end of the ceiling joists.
For this I am thinking 5W lamps to save energy which means running on a 12V circuit.
The ceiling joists are treated with the highest class fire retardant and 5-10 centimetres have been left between the bottom of the joist and the plasterboard. The ends of the joist have a thick metal strip running below them that I plan on hiding the lights. This should help conceal them, give access for changing bulbs and I am thinking could help in heat dissipation.
The price of LEDs especially dimmable ones with the right drivers and compatible switches is prohibitive right now so I plan on using small 5W G4 halogens throughout.
If I dim these to 80% I am hoping to achieve something like 22*4 = 88W when the lights are lit... possibly 100W accouting for the inefficiency of the transformer.
In future I may move to LEDs but only if worth if. A 5W LED would be too bright for my intended use of just a mood lighting to accompany a pendant and 2 walls lights.
This is where I get confused.
I could use 1 transformer per light but that would be a lot of money spent on transformers and I am thinking I may run into problems due to minimum loads. It also means one more component to install and hide.
Ideally I would want to spend some money on a couple of decent transformers that have a greater efficiency than smaller units and run the lights in parallel. If a bank fails I can replace the transformer which may still be under guarantee like something from Aurora.
I have also read that I need to be aware of voltage drops over greater distances.
There is adequate space to store these on either side of the room and be no more than 3 metres from the furthest light.
They could be placed in the centre of each side of the room with only 1.5m from the furthest light but this may mean hiding them within the plasterboard. Not ideal as they may run hot and I would lose easy access to them.
As for lampholders I've seen some that comply with the new regulations an are ceramic.
However it seems strange that they are rated for MR16, MR11 and G4. Are they the same?
Also are these simply attached to the cables already run through by the electrican?
Can anyone advise? I could simply use GU10s and mains voltage but I do not think that these can be had at 5W. They are also a lot larger so would be more visible.
The G4 can be clear or frosted and can be place on the topside of the metal beam so that they reflect light onto the ceiling and joists.
Sorry for too much/not enough info.
Michael
