Category Archives: Lighting

Outdoor Fluorescent Lighting

For homes and businesses, installing outdoor fluorescent lighting makes a lot of sense. While it is more expensive than the standard incandescent fixture, there are many benefits to installing these lights outdoors. The most notable benefit is that fluorescent lighting is harder to vandalize than incandescent outdoor lights. As it is easier to protect fluorescent tubes, as well as the tubes being naturally more resistant to damage, this combination makes them ideal for outdoor use. In addition to this, waterproofing is a common feature of outdoor fluorescent lighting, which allows them to be used no matter what the weather outdoor is.

However, it is important to realize that outdoor fluorescent lighting and indoor fluorescent lighting are different. You should not use fluorescent lighting designed for indoor use outdoors. Unlike the indoor lights, the outdoor lights are designed to be exposed to moisture and natural temperature changes. In addition to this, the fixtures are also protected against the elements. This is why it is so important that you are careful to use outdoor fixtures outdoors. The risk of electric shock is very high if you attempt to wire an indoor fixture outdoors.

There are a few things that you need to keep in mind if you are intending on using outdoor fluorescent lighting. First, many of the tubes used in fluorescent lighting uses a compound called mercury. Mercury is poisonous to adults and children in high amounts, so it is important that the tubes are treated with care. While not every fluorescent light has mercury, many of them do. If you are uncertain if the fluorescent lights contain mercury, you can check the tube for a mercury symbol. Manufacturers are required to include the mercury symbol on any fluorescent that includes mercury.

When you change out your outdoor fluorescent lighting tubes, you should make certain that power is cut off to the lights. While outdoor lights are protected against moisture and temperature changes, you run risk of electric shock if you attempt to exchange the tubes while power is running to them. If you are exchanging old fluorescent tubes for new ones, ensure that you dispose of them properly to prevent any risks of mercury exposure.

Most outdoor fluorescent lighting fixtures are compatible with t12, t8 and t5 fluorescent ballasts. All fluorescent types are available in different sizes and shapes to best suit your needs. Outdoor fluorescent lighting can be purchased directly online or through a local hardware retailer.

Recessed Fluorescent Lighting

If you have low ceilings and cannot spare the space for a hanging fixture, you should consider installing recessed fluorescent lighting. Unlike incandescent lighting, which consumes a great deal of energy for light, fluorescent lighting outputs the same amount of light for a fraction of the cost. This results in long term savings for you while also helping to ease the strain on energy producers and power grids.

In addition to this, recessed fluorescent lighting allows you to save space. In low ceiling, cramped spaces, this style of lighting now only ensures that you use your electricity wisely, but keeps hanging fixtures out of the way.

There are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you install recessed fluorescent lighting. First, fluorescent fixtures, unlike many incandescent fixtures, are only compatible with fluorescent tubes. Compact fluorescent lights that are compatible with incandescent fixtures will not work in your recessed fluorescent lighting fixtures. Unlike incandescent fixtures, fluorescent fixtures use two plugs for the ballast. In exchange, the fixture is able to output high quality light on a single tube for over 8000 hours. This is significantly higher than the standard incandescent bulb. After 8000 hours, the standard t8 fluorescent light will retain 90% of its original lighting capacity.

The true benefit to recessed fluorescent lighting is the energy savings and the infrequency in which the lights need to be replaced. While the installation costs are higher than incandescent fixtures, it does not take long for the fixture and lights to pay for themselves in the amount of money saved from converting from incandescent lights.

There is one disadvantage to recessed fluorescent lighting that you should be aware of before you do the installation. Many fluorescent lamps contain mercury, an element that can be poisonous to adults and children. If you intend on using fluorescent lamps in your home, it is important that you are careful with handling the tubes and dispose of them properly so that you are not exposed to any mercury.  Not all fluorescent lights contain mercury. The ones that do are clearly labeled on the box and the lamp itself so you can be aware that they need to be handled carefully.

Older recessed fluorescent lighting fixtures are designed for t12 fluorescent lights which will be ceased being manufactured by the year 2010. T8 lamps are the replacement for t12 fixtures, and newer recessed fluorescent lighting will be designed for t8 lamps.

Kitchen Fluorescent Lighting

If you are renovating your kitchen, you should consider installing kitchen fluorescent lighting. The kitchen is one of the rooms in your home that has the highest requirement for good lighting. Despite this, many people choose to go with incandescent light fixtures, which burn out bulbs much more frequently and cost a great deal more in electricity than their fluorescent counterparts.

The first step in selecting kitchen fluorescent lighting is to determine what type of fluorescent light you want in your kitchen. T12 fluorescent lights were once the common selection, as they had a long life span and good light quality. However, t12 fluorescent lights are being replaced by the more efficient, brighter t8 models. T8 fluorescent lighting is an excellent kitchen fluorescent lighting solution due to the fact that these lights perform at 90% light brightness even after 8000 hours of operation. As three t8 lamps can do the job of four t12 lamps at even lower costs, it is possible to save a significant amount of money on lighting costs.

However, there is one disadvantage to kitchen fluorescent lighting. Mercury is a common element found in fluorescent lights. While not all lamps contain mercury, you need to be aware that quite a few of them do. When you install kitchen fluorescent lighting, you need to make certain that you are very careful with the tubes so that you are not accidentally exposed to the mercury that is held within the tube.

Some may consider this a disadvantage as well: kitchen fluorescent lighting is more expensive to install than standard incandescent fixtures. While the growing popularity of the fixtures has gone a long way to decrease the price, adding kitchen fluorescent lighting can increase the costs of renovations.

If you already own kitchen fluorescent lighting, you will need to check the integrity of the fixture every few years. If you have new tubes in your fixture and you notice a buzzing or flickering from the lights, it is possible that the fixture may need replaced or repaired. While the fixtures typically last well over ten years, the older models of fixtures, typically designed for t12 fluorescent lights, are known to degrade over time. If you own t12 kitchen fluorescent lighting, you will want to upgrade to a t8 model as the fixtures last longer and support the t8 lamps which are slated to be the standard fluorescent from 2010 and later.