I know how good your Core77 guys are at finding things, so thought I would throw this problem out to all the lighting people out there.
We are looking for lighting for our loft hallways. We found an awesome fixture that was essentially a 4’ slim florescent lamp inside a plastic tube. Simple metal threaded end caps and a single clip for wall or suspended mounting. It looked like a lightsabre!!.
We love it, but have just found out from the supplier that they are not meant to run 24 hours a day, so we can’t use it. Apparently they don’t have any compatible ballasts that would work in that fixture.
I am looking for something similar/same or something else like it that has a similar modern/industrial feel. We need about 80(?) and unit price should be about $150.
Here’s a photoshop of the effect these had in the hall. I can’t find a link to the actual fixture online.
It was Edison ED SLIM-1x28Wt5 if that helps.
Any recommendations for fixtures or suppliers would be great. We’re in Toronto, but I assume any supplier could deliver if need be.
Have you considered the use of high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps? They are brighter (so you need less separate units) and much more energy efficient (more light, less heat) than fluorescent lamps and usually made for always-on operation (they ARE meant to run 24 hours a day). Available designs focus on industrial or commercial use, indoors and outdoors.
No, I don’t know anything about HID lamps. The number isn’t an issue since we already have outlets.
More what we are looking for at the moment is something that just looks really cool and isn’t too expensive.
Any specific designs/links to check out? Do they need a different kind of control or external ballast of some sort? The outlets are just regular octagon box 120V outlets and the current lamps are just some big box store contractors grade crap.
Awesome. Thanks. Will check these for sure. The first one may not work though as I think the ballast needs to be part of the fixture given we are just replacing cfl fixtures with normal octagon boxes. Dunno where a remote ballast would go.
Exactly what I’m looking fir it seems in the bartco link.
The problem with distributed ballasts is, that you would want to switch on all corridor lights at once, not one after another. so, the inrush current would be higher than what the circuit could take and the fuse gets activated. A remote ballast is necessary to prevent the inrush current from getting too high. Once the lights are on, the operating current usually is much lower. The remote ballast would be placed inside or next to the distribution box. It would be necessary to have dedicated circuits for lighting without any junctions for power outlets etc. This can usually be found in circuits dedicated for lighting staircases or large halls. Ask the one in charge for the electrical installation in the corresponding place
In theory, that’s true. But in reality, there are power outages and other reasons why you have to be able to safely switch off the lights (and back on again). You neither know that the available cabling has been done correctly in the past nor that it would be capable for the new usecase. So, have things checked up in advance (before buying anything) by an expert .
