How to properly illuminate our life

Sometimes, you go out on the balcony late in the evening for a smoke – and your thoughts are tiredly tossing and turning, scattering, and your thoughts are mostly sad. About the fact that again the salary was delayed, and the daughter demands some stupid striped leggings, that the chandelier needs to be changed – the foolish son finished off the last ceiling, finally destroying her. On the other hand, maybe it’s for the best – I have always hated this three-horned monster – the uncomplicated flight of the thought of some Romanian craftsman. Looking into the night sky twinkling with distant stars, from thoughts of the dead electric candelabrum I smoothly flow into pleasant dreams about what kind of lamp I would like: I figure it out, fantasize and suddenly decide: Oh, I would stick to the ceiling with such stars! Thought and forgotten – the cigarette ran out.

And once I came to a business meeting and saw the limit of my dreams – the ceilings in the office were almost a starry sky. It is clear that there is no particular focus here. Moreover, they no longer cause puppy delight in any of my friends – spotlights built into suspended ceilings have not been the latest in fashion. In the West, they are generally a common thing in the interior. But if in our country (more recently), spot ceiling lamps were considered a luxury item and were affordable only for selected segments of the population, then today no one wants to lag behind European standards..

Ceiling spotlights come in not only different shapes, but also different colors. (Looking ahead, I will say that in the attached instructions for the purchased lamps, they promised me that all kinds of color colors of the lamps would unusually diversify the interior of any room, and with a skillful arrangement, they would also emphasize the non-standardness of your lifestyle.)

I don’t know how my dull existence can be called a beautiful phrase “lifestyle, but I decided to buy lamps..

Knowledgeable people suggested contacting Module. The company promised me to provide qualified assistance in choosing the type of luminaire, to calculate the required illumination of the room, to recommend the number of lamps and their location. And, of course, to install. For clarity, there is an exhibition hall. Beautiful – no words, my eyes fled. Moreover, in no other firm I have not seen such a variety. Lovely girls-managers very kindly chirped to me how well I would live if it (life) would be illuminated by spotlights, designed and installed by the caring hands of the Modul craftsmen. It’s a pity – my pocket will in no way manage to pay for an extensive (and, by the way, very necessary) list of services provided.

I had to go the other way. Calling several repair companies, I found out that spotlights can be installed by the same companies that install suspended ceilings. Prices for the installation of one lamp – from 2 to 20 $. I warn you right away: the queue for two dollars is a month. But if you decide to buy and install lamps for $ 20 on the ceiling – no problem, you won’t have time to call, as workers will be with you and even provide some discounts for a large amount of work: the more lamps, the cheaper the cost of installing one.

I, of course, got in line to install two dollars. On the other hand, in a month I will be able to understand in detail the types of lamps, decide how many of them I need, and precisely outline their location on the ceiling. Thus, I will save money: I will have to pay the workers only for the installation of lamps, they (workers) will make a suspended ceiling.

Another important point: spotlights can only be installed on a false ceiling, that is, they are screwed into the ceiling panels. And in the process of life, it turned out that we would still have to buy a chandelier (instead of the lost one), because the money would only be enough for a suspended ceiling (plus spotlights) in the bathroom. There, repairs are more necessary – the upper neighbors managed to fill us a hundred times, and our ceiling in streaks with a lonely protruding plafond, remembering the monetary reform of 1961, looked very sad.

What i learned?

So what do I get for my money? Tirelessly phoned several companies, went to construction exhibitions, fairs and shops <Shine> and found out: spotlights, it turns out, are rotary and non-rotary. In swivel spotlights – the outer part of the fittings is movable, so you can direct the light flux in the direction you need. And the non-reversible lamps are firmly fixed in the ceiling and, therefore, purposefully illuminate the same area. For my bathroom, I chose non-reversible lamps. Where should I turn them?

Spotlights for suspended ceilings are sold in Moscow, mainly made in Germany, England, Spain and Italy. Moreover, there are imported lamps in our market for both halogen and conventional incandescent lamps. Domestic lamps are produced only for incandescent lamps. Our ceiling light sources do not pamper design too much, variety too, but the price is good: $ 1.2 per piece, which is much cheaper than imported.

I would like to share one more important information. If you decide to call the craftsmen to install spot ceiling lights, keep in mind that there is an IP rating for the luminaire in lighting. This badge should appear on the instructions (or on the box with the luminaire) and identify where the luminaire can be installed. Follow the logic: first, it consists of two numbers.

The first shows the protection against the penetration of solid particles into the luminaire structure:

1 – from 50 mm in size;
2 – from 12 mm in size;
3 – from 2.5 mm in size;
4 – from 1 mm in size;
5 – dust protection;
6 – complete protection against dust;
0 – no protection.

The second shows protection from moisture:

1 – from vertically falling drops;
2 – from water drops falling at an angle of 15 °;
3 – from obliquely falling splashes, tilt angle up to 60 °;
4 – from splashes;
5 – from water jets;
6 – from powerful water jets;
7 – from temporary immersion in water;
8 – from prolonged immersion in water;
0 – no protection.

Thus, if the instructions indicate IP54, this means that the luminaire is protected from dust and splashing water..

If the protection index is not specified in the specification of the luminaire, it is assumed that it is IP20. That is, it is protected from the penetration of particles with a diameter of more than 12 mm, but there is no protection from moisture. However, this does not mean that it is not suitable for the bathroom. According to the accepted technical rules, in residential buildings and hotels, the bathroom and shower rooms are classified as dry rooms..

Therefore, I strongly advise: when buying a lamp you like, you should pay attention to this indicator.

In addition, spot ceiling devices are divided into lamps for incandescent and halogen lamps. The latter are smaller in size than incandescent lamps. But this is not the end of their differences..

Spotlights with conventional incandescent lamps

Luminaires from Mired-M for incandescent lamps

If you lift your head, look at any chandelier – you will see electric bulbs in it. Every student knows that this is incandescent lamps. But for those who studied poorly and were generally a hard-core truant, I explain. An incandescent lamp (which, by the way, this year is already 120 years old) is a light source with an emitter in the form of a wire (filament or spiral) made of a refractory metal (usually tungsten), which is heated with an electric current to a temperature of 2200-3000 ° C … In this case, the incandescent wire is placed in a vacuum in a glass flask.

Fig. 1.
Typical design of an incandescent spot lamp:
A – the outer diameter of the lamp
B – installation depth
C – bore diameter

So, in point ceiling lamps, as a rule, not simple, but mirror lamps are used. This is when the upper (if it is already screwed into the ceiling, then it is the lower) part of the bulb is covered with a mirror layer. It protects the lamp structure from overheating, while at the same time the lamp itself shines brighter. In this case, the other part of the bulb remains dull, and the light from it is uniform, diffused.

Fig. 2.
Typical design of an incandescent spot lamp with a protective cover:
A – the outer diameter of the lamp
B – installation depth
C – bore diameter

In principle, such a lamp should not burn out for a very long time – 600-1000 hours! This means that if you spend about an hour a day in the bathroom, you will have to change the light bulb every two years. Of course, provided that the lamp is manufactured by a company that guarantees you this service life, and if you did not buy the product manually or on the market. This valuable information is contained in the specifications signed by the manufacturer..

Fig. 3.
Typical design of a rotary spot lamp for an incandescent lamp:
A – the outer diameter of the lamp
B – installation depth
C – bore diameter

The design of the lamp for incandescent lamps can be of two types: U-shaped, open (as shown in Fig. 1), and closed, with a protective casing (Fig. 2). The casing protects the luminaire from condensation, so it can be used in damp rooms.

However, lamps with incandescent lamps have one drawback. The fact is that the dimensions of the reinforcement, which, in fact, will be hidden behind the suspended slabs, are from 8 to 12 cm. This means that it is for these centimeters that your already low ceiling will become even lower. But on the other hand, if an incandescent lamp ever burns out, it is much easier and easier to replace it than <halogen>. The light bulb will just need to be unscrewed, as usual, and a new one will be screwed in. And with <halogens> first you have to remove the retaining ring, and only then put a new one.

Spotlights with incandescent halogen lamps

A halogen lamp is also an incandescent lamp. It’s just that its internal structure is somewhat different from a simple incandescent lamp. First, the size of the glass cone. For a halogen lamp, it is several times smaller. And secondly, by internal filling. As is known, air is removed from a simple lamp (tungsten filament – in a vacuum). In a halogen, the filament is placed in a flask filled with a mixture of an inert gas with halogens (usually iodine or bromine). It is thanks to this mixture that the halogen (at the same power as an ordinary Ilyich lamp) gives much more light.

Luminaires from Mired-M for halogen lamps

The range of halogen bulbs is much richer than conventional lamps. For example, halogen lamps with reflectors are inserted into spotlights. The reflector is a small cone-shaped shade covered with a mirror layer. The plafond can be open or with a protective glass that protects the bulb itself from dirt, dust and playful hands.

I want to tell you how to change a burnt out halogen lamp (without a reflector or with a reflector, but without a protective glass). So, never touch the glass cone with your bare hands! No, it won’t kill you, but a light bulb can be seriously crippled, moreover, it will definitely go out forever. This is explained as follows: the bulb of the light bulb is made of fused quartz, and if you touch the bulb, a bold print will certainly remain on it. The fat causes the quartz to crystallize, causing the bulb to collapse and the lamp to burn out. To prevent this from happening, it is imperative to hold the new lamp (when replacing) with a napkin or piece of paper.

Fig. 4.
Typical design of a downlight for a halogen lamp

Luminaires with halogen bulbs have one indisputable advantage: when installing such luminaires, the suspended ceiling drops by only 3.5-6 cm precisely because they are smaller than those with conventional bulbs. It is clear that they are much more convenient and profitable to use in rooms with low ceilings..

If your halogens are of good quality and you handle them properly, your lamps won’t burn out even longer than conventional incandescent bulbs – from 2000 to 4000 hours. This means you don’t have to worry (in the sense of replacing burnt out light bulbs) for almost ten years!

Fig. five.
Typical design of a recessed spotlight for a halogen lamp

But I warn you: such a wonderful guarantee is given only by <tube monsters>, for example, a German company <Osram> (Osram) and American <General Electric> (General Electric). In the markets, I saw a lot of inexpensive <halogen> . Alas, the quality of this product is directly proportional to the price: the lower it is, the worse the light bulb. Moreover, knowledgeable people told me that very often it is almost impossible to identify a fake either by packaging, or by appearance, or by price. You will find out that you were slipped a fake, only at home – by the burnout rate.

Spotlights with halogen bulbs are generally more expensive than those with simple incandescent bulbs. In the sense that the first purchase and installation will cost a lot of money. But then there will be no worries or troubles. (For example, switching to halogen lighting in a department store <Tagansky> saved energy costs more than twice and paid for the new equipment in 3 months.) In addition, halogen bulbs provide a directional light beam, you can choose a bulb with a scattering angle from 8 to 60 °. This is done using ribs on the reflective surface of the reflector – such <narrow> directivity is especially good if you need to highlight some particular (or especially valuable) piece of your interior.

Halogens are rated for 220 and 12 volts. The service life of 220-volt lamps is 2000 hours, 12-volt lamps – 4000. It would seem that it is better to buy a 12-volt lamp and, screwing it where you should, enjoy life. But in our homes, as you know, the wiring is designed for a voltage of 220 volts – therefore, you definitely need a transformer that will convert the voltage from 220 to 12 volts. The trouble is that this device can burn out, and in order to change it, you will have to disassemble almost the entire structure of your false ceiling..

This business, you see, is troublesome, and it is almost impossible to independently perform this manipulation. True, the specialists of the company you have called in will cope with this work quickly and dexterously. But, of course, for some money.

Transformers

As a rule, all firms that sell spotlights sell both bulbs and transformers. Deciding which transformer you need is very simple. The power of the bulbs used is multiplied by their number. And the result shows how powerful the transformer should be. The more powerful the transformer, the more expensive it is. And accordingly larger in size. When installing a suspended ceiling, this must be taken into account..

As the employees of the Lival company told me, most often they buy a low-power transformer for a group of bulbs, so several transformers are required for the ceiling in one room. In this case, if one transformer breaks down, the rest will continue to work. <for myself and that guy>, which means that at least a few bulbs will still properly illuminate your soapy body (if, for example, the lamps are mounted in a suspended ceiling located in your bathroom). In addition, this way you can also save money – a low-power transformer is cheaper, and replacing a burned-out one will also cost less..

When choosing a transformer, note that induction and electronic types of this miracle of electrical engineering are most often on sale. Induction transformers weigh only 1.5 – 2 kg, experts consider them quite reliable, in addition, these transformers are relatively inexpensive. Electronic transformers are lighter and smaller in size, but they are more likely to fail and more expensive. For them, if possible, it is necessary to take into account the length of the wires connecting the lamps and the transformer, because at a distance of more than two meters (from the transformer) power losses begin due to the resistance of the wire.

On the other hand, it is now customary all over the world to transfer low-power devices (up to 100 W) to a safe voltage that better meets the requirements of electrical and fire safety. This does not mean, of course, washing machines or televisions, but low-power appliances – telephones, electric bells and lighting fixtures. This choice, in my opinion, is quite justified – it is much safer to have a 12-volt light bulb in the bathroom. Just imagine, you are standing waist-deep in water, and the light has gone out. So what? If it is unpleasant for you to wash in the dark, then you can screw in a new weak light bulb without even turning off the switch – in extreme cases, you will only be shocked slightly, almost not painfully. And if you manage to change a light bulb with a voltage of 220 volts in the same situation, it is possible (God forbid!) A lethal outcome.

Lamps as an interior detail

On the one hand, experts believe that ceiling spotlights are not designed to illuminate large rooms. But on the other hand – I personally think – it’s a matter of taste. Maybe I want to make my home completely different from the apartment of my neighbor and all my friends and acquaintances! Then you can call a familiar (or unfamiliar) designer – he will help you combine ordinary chandeliers (as the main light source) with spotlights (as additional lighting). Let’s say, if you place the lamps around the perimeter of the room, then the light from them will visually enlarge the room..

Typically, the housing of spotlights is made of metal, glass, brass and thermoplastic. A special charm to the lamps is given by special coatings – polished brass, matt brass, chrome, matt chrome, black chrome, bronze. But don’t forget: if you order lamps in a non-standard color, each one will automatically become 25% more expensive.

I want to say a little about color solutions. On our market there are lamps with the most incredible body colors, for example, you can install lamps made of colored glass. On a white background, the false ceiling looks very original and stylish <luminaries> emerald or turquoise colors. Fans of intricate forms of the company offer to screw structures with shades in the form of a spiral, a triangle or even an icicle into the ceiling. Naturally, the more intricate and cool the lamp is, the more expensive it is. And if you are an esthete and everything proposed does not suit you categorically and insults your refined taste – no problem. Bring a sketch and order a color and shape for an individual order.

Today our conversation is about ceiling lamps. But in principle, spotlights can be used for different purposes. For example, some companies sell special furniture recessed lamps (for halogen lamps). They are quite inexpensive, but this design looks pretty nice. Spotlights can also be mounted in walls, in the shelves of a cabinet type <sideboard> or a slide for dishes and illuminate a particularly expressively beloved set of crystal glasses from the Konakovskaya Glass Factory, presented by your beloved mother-in-law. And if you live in a cottage, designers advise to mount spotlights in stairwells. Firstly, it is beautiful, in addition, in the dark you can be guided by their guiding light – so as not to curl up and overcome the rise, not every time groping along the wall in search of a switch. You can also highlight arched openings, and, if desired (and available), highlight the water in your home pool. In fact, there are many options. But that’s another story, so we’ll talk about it next time..

Katya Tets