Mains or extra-low voltage downlighters?

[whazza22]

Opinions please

 

[DurhamSparky]

mains....!!

no messing about with stupid 12v transformers!!

 

[Guest123]

+1 for mains.

 

[Kiers1970]

12v best for dimming, GU 10's have a habit of blowing the dimmers up! Low voltage better quality light to!

 

[Guest123]

There are other lamp types other than GU10 available.

 

[DurhamSparky]

noubt worse as well when you get to a job with 5-6 12v lights and 1 of the transformers is duff!!! or teh customer provides there own and gets just one overall tranny and pays cheapest price and leaves with a 105w and has 6x 50w fittings!!!! stupid customers!!!

 

[Kiers1970]

on a job at the mo, customer supplying their own downlights, hate that, waiting for the call when one of the trannies goes down etc etc.

 

[DurhamSparky]

B&Q special downlights!!! heap a crap and not fire rated...!! i also hate the pre wired ones were you have --- amount of cable to use...!!

 

[Andyfm]

For display and shop lighting I would use 12v as the light is 10 - 15% brighter with far more options for beam angles etc, but for domestic i use mainly 240v

 

[tuckermot]

230 volts every time for me as mentioned before with 12v with trannies they can be unpredictable can go for ages with no problems or every other week a trannie goes down and out you go free of charge to replace it !!! i will say there are times when 12v is more sutable !!! installing 230 mains is permanent and once done can be tucked away and left for ever just dropping the fronts of down lighters to change lamps which from experience happens more often with mains as i believe 12v has a softer start up hence less stress on lamp

Rich

 

[RexT]

Hi tuckermot,

I agree I have found some problems with the transformers in that a lot are really built to a price and will not give any tolerance on how many lights can be connected to them. I know that for safety the 12 volt units are better but it can be a niggle having to go back when a transformer goes down and find out why. The fire rating point is important as a lot of heat is produced by down lighters and it is important to prevent fire. The problem is that the excess heat can reduce the life of the luminaires / lamps ( didnt say 'bulbs' as I get into trouble with the politically correct brigade).

Has anyone found that the lamps in the down lighters in kitchens can fail earlier than stated? I see a lot of claims on the life of the lamp and a lot dont ever get to last the 2000 or so hours claimed. I know it is probably an average thing but it does seem that a number do fail short of the expected life. I did wonder if it was an excess heat issue but this should have affected all the lamps the same - whoops sorry changing the subject.

Best wishes

Rex

 

[Sintra]

One more for mains.

 

[chris gray]

Hi tuckermot,

I agree I have found some problems with the transformers in that a lot are really built to a price and will not give any tolerance on how many lights can be connected to them. I know that for safety the 12 volt units are better but it can be a niggle having to go back when a transformer goes down and find out why. The fire rating point is important as a lot of heat is produced by down lighters and it is important to prevent fire. The problem is that the excess heat can reduce the life of the luminaires / lamps ( didnt say 'bulbs' as I get into trouble with the politically correct brigade).

Has anyone found that the lamps in the down lighters in kitchens can fail earlier than stated? I see a lot of claims on the life of the lamp and a lot dont ever get to last the 2000 or so hours claimed. I know it is probably an average thing but it does seem that a number do fail short of the expected life. I did wonder if it was an excess heat issue but this should have affected all the lamps the same - whoops sorry changing the subject.

Best wishes

Rex

buy cheap, keep buying. buy descent and they will last.

 

[Spudnik]

12V for me.

Lovely and crsip.

 

[cjp1]

230v cfl for me

 

[Phil]

+1 for mains although fitting cheap 12v ones the customer supplies and getting call backs to fix them comes in nicely

 

[Paul85]

Hi tuckermot,

I agree I have found some problems with the transformers in that a lot are really built to a price and will not give any tolerance on how many lights can be connected to them. I know that for safety the 12 volt units are better but it can be a niggle having to go back when a transformer goes down and find out why. The fire rating point is important as a lot of heat is produced by down lighters and it is important to prevent fire. The problem is that the excess heat can reduce the life of the luminaires / lamps ( didnt say 'bulbs' as I get into trouble with the politically correct brigade).

Has anyone found that the lamps in the down lighters in kitchens can fail earlier than stated? I see a lot of claims on the life of the lamp and a lot dont ever get to last the 2000 or so hours claimed. I know it is probably an average thing but it does seem that a number do fail short of the expected life. I did wonder if it was an excess heat issue but this should have affected all the lamps the same - whoops sorry changing the subject.

Best wishes

Rex

I work for a wholesaler and we have been told by a couple of big lamp manufactures that the reason that lamp never hit the claimed hours is the way that these numbers are generated.
Whenever a manufactorer wants to advertise the life of a lamp, they have to turn 500 of them on and just leave them on(so none of this turning on and off which cuts massive chunks of life!) and then the time that the last one goes out is the time they can quote, you could buy a 5000 hours lamp which when tested 499 of them failed in 1000 hours but because that last one soldered on they can quote that life... Hope this helps....

Paul

 

[RexT]

Hi Paul85,

Thanks, that helps to explain it. Seems a bit of a play on the testing process and at least I can now know why etc.

It would be better if they actually did an average test and gave a more even answer.

Thanks again,

Best wishes

Rex

 

[telectrix]

Candles everytime for me. no wires, no electric bills, free heat as well

 

[jeremy]

transformers are something that can go wrong. Why would you sell someone something that can go wrong?