Lighting problems

[Piero]

Hi Guys
I really need a lighting expert !!!!!!!!!!
I am light sensitive, and recently in a bid to inprove the light in my workshop, I bought a load of striplights and dueley installed them.
Floresent lights are praying havork with me!!!!!!!

My unit is about 650 sq feet, I have 10 double four foot lights, all with the reflective matel inserts.

I tried to change to tubes to daylight tubes,
these were a lot brighter,
that seemed to make things worse!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its the reflective light that I stuggel with, its driving me crazy.

There is NO natrule light in my workshop so really need to get the light right.

does anyone on our forum do lighting for a living OR (excuse the bun) but can anyone spreed a little light on the matter

 

[shenion]

Yes, glare is a problem. If ind the "shop light" bulbs are real harsh with lots of glare.

The soft white seem better, or is that cool white

I have some kitchen bulbs in one. A bit pink but easier on eyes.

A diffuser over the lights helps on glare as the light source is spread out.

 

[brightspark]

Yes, glare is a problem. If ind the "shop light" bulbs are real harsh with lots of glare.

The soft white seem better, or is that cool white

I have some kitchen bulbs in one. A bit pink but easier on eyes.

A diffuser over the lights helps on glare as the light source is spread out.

cool white are an intense white .try a couple of warm white tubes there more of a natural colour

 

[Piero]

there is a "new generation" tubes that have just come out, dont know to much about them.

I am happy to rip the lot out, but I dont know what to install instead

 

[brightspark]

there is a "new generation" tubes that have just come out, dont know to much about them.

I am happy to rip the lot out, but I dont know what to install instead

yea there called t5 tubes energy saving but they wont fit in your old fittings . they use smaller wattage electronic ballasts and the light intensity is just the same .

 

[madkayaker]

Where onto T8 now! Cat2 diffusers might help that's what is fitted to offices

 

[Piero]

dont know what to do???????????????

 

[brightspark]

Where onto T8 now! Cat2 diffusers might help that's what is fitted to offices

cat 2 diffusers dont give of any reflected light sideways and are mainly used in offices . the light shines strait down so no reflected light of any other fittings . bad point is it kills a lot of light off in a large aeria so u need to fit more

 

[FranV8]

You may be sensitive to the flicker from them, you might need to try some high frequency ballasts.

Do you normally find yourself okay under conventional tungsten lighting?

 

[Piero]

I have T8 tubes and cat 2 dffusers, yes light is stright down, lots of shad,
STILL reflects on all it shines on.

I have 50 to 60herts ballasts, thing 100htz would be better but to change them would cost a small fortune and still not solve the problem.

I am prity sure its the glare thats the problem, but I am NO expert

 

[madkayaker]

Try adding a bit of halogen light in as well that might help as its different wavelengths and no flicker but with modern fittings and T8 tubes there shouldn't be any noticeable flicker. Have you got three phase and the lights mixed on different phases?

 

[shenion]

What i did is buy a few of each type of bulb. Cool white, soft white, warm white, daylight in addition to the work light ones I had.

I have 5 sets of lights in the garage and one inside. Found the ones that worked best.

Yes, the T5 are more efficient, they will almost always have an electronic ballast. Speaking of ballasts, I replaced most of the ones in the garage with electronic ballasts. The warm up quicker and don't flicker when it is cold. The other reason was the constant buzzing drove me nuts.

My shop lights were $10. The electronic ballasts were $40. I found a lot of 5 on ebay for $30.

Diffusers will help; the crackle finish ones help. I bought some 2x4' panels used in suspended ceilings and put them over some fluorescent lights I have inside.

 

[Piero]

I have read so much bad press about flouresent bulbs,
am thinking to spotlights OR uplights etc etc

 

[madkayaker]

It's a pay off between cost of the lighting and cost of the power. If you have the hight then halide highway fittings are good for lighting big areas with general light then use task lighting such as halogen but halogen are power hungry or use led task lighting with vastly reduced running costs but higher cost to get

 

[Piero]

just had a look at a photo that I took of the packing from Osram.
The new tubes I bought were L36W/865 cool daylight 3250 lm
mega bright light, lots and lots of light bounch and glare.
I had to change back to the tubes that came with the fitings,
cant remember what there are, but they are more of a yellow/orange light and softer on the eyes,

theys make the light not white enough or bright enough and still some glare.

Happy to change the lot

 

[brightspark]

various tubes and fittings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent-lamp_formats

 

[brightspark]

I have T8 tubes and cat 2 dffusers, yes light is stright down, lots of shad,
STILL reflects on all it shines on.

I have 50 to 60herts ballasts, thing 100htz would be better but to change them would cost a small fortune and still not solve the problem.

I am prity sure its the glare thats the problem, but I am NO expert

thats probably your problem on reflection the chrome cat 2 reflectors. normal battens just have a white reflector
and dont glare. try removing a few of the diffusers and just leave the open tubes that then would just have a white background and see what its like

 

[Piero]

tried that, tried just about every thing.

I make bio diesel, and some of the oil we collect comes in plasic contaners, opake in colour.

with a empty clean container, I cut it up and made a flate sheet out of it, then removed the chrome defusser and stuck up this plastic opake cover.
It did help quite a bit.

I de remember seeing on some old strip lights these plastic type covers.

I was thinging of buying a hard plastic opake sheet and cutting it up and trying that.

any thoughts on this guys

 

[madkayaker]

you can get prismatic diffusers but they go yellow fast

 

[MattF]

I am light sensitive

In what way? Light sensitive as in poor eye filtration where bright light is concerned, leading to being dazzled or similar, headches and sensitivity caused by flicker, or some other type of sensitivity?

I suffer the poor filtration of light, which in turn also causes headaches in really bright conditions, and it's a devil to work around. I go with a switchable mix of flourescent lamps/tubes and halogen downlighters. More important are the surfaces than the lights though. That's why I've never painted all the chipboard lining of the workshop, wooden surfaces etc. Leads to things being duller due to absorption rather than reflection, but allows you to see without being practically blinded or suffering the damnable headaches.