poorpeet Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 I want to install low voltage down lights & saw some warm white SMD led gu10 lamps that seemed to give a broad spread of nice light. The room (kitchen) is approx 13'x17'. Is there as way of calculating how many of these will be required to light the space effectively asnd what the sbest spec will be? Any advice will be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 (edited) well there are several software packages that will do this for you (simulate lux level) not sure of a free one Kitchens tend to need a lot of light, so i would over rather than under spec them. Go for 2800K or lower for "warm" Edited December 14, 2012 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poorpeet Posted December 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 Cheers. I'll have a hunt about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottoj18 Posted December 15, 2012 Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 hi mate low voltage lights are normally mr16 12v bulbs. gu10's are normally 240v.( all led are 12v but the install would be diffrent for gu10 and mr16) if your going led i would recomend gu10's as there is no need for transformers like a low voltage circuit and when you move you can change the bulbs to 240v as led are not cheap!. led gu10's have a transfourmer buitl in to the bulb instead of in line , i would go for a warm white at about 5watt gu10 led (led 5w = to a 50w halagon bulb) the amount of lights depend of the size and the need for light i.e sink, work tops. your best bet is about 1.5m spread. i have 5 x 5w led gu10's in my kitchen witch is about 4m x 4m thats not a bad spread of light ... if you are thinking of dimming the lights you will be paying almost twice as much for a led bulb. hope that helps anything else just ask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tis1979 Posted December 15, 2012 Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 Look at led hut website get good deals on there if you are going to dim them ( I would ) then you need a trailing edge dimmer switch. Atb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted December 15, 2012 Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 ( I would ) then you need a trailing edge dimmer switch. Atb Well you need a dimmable fixture and the appropriate dimmer some use leading edge some use trailing edge some use leading edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanj Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 hi mate low voltage lights are normally mr16 12v bulbs. gu10's are normally 240v.( all led are 12v but the install would be diffrent for gu10 and mr16) if your going led i would recomend gu10's as there is no need for transformers like a low voltage circuit and when you move you can change the bulbs to 240v as led are not cheap!. led gu10's have a transfourmer buitl in to the bulb instead of in line , i would go for a warm white at about 5watt gu10 led (led 5w = to a 50w halagon bulb) the amount of lights depend of the size and the need for light i.e sink, work tops. your best bet is about 1.5m spread. i have 5 x 5w led gu10's in my kitchen witch is about 4m x 4m thats not a bad spread of light ... if you are thinking of dimming the lights you will be paying almost twice as much for a led bulb. hope that helps anything else just ask sorry for hijacking thread but I have gu10s in my kitchen and have never spent so much replacing bulbs so often, doesnt matter if I buy **** cheap bulbs or GEs best result is the same........any suggestions as to poss cause ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poorpeet Posted December 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 Thanks for all the advice. One of my customers was saying that the life of the led bulbs was a joke. Is it a problem with the tech or an installation issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4eyes Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 I have a gu10 install in my home office and the bathroom. The office gets more use and the lights are on pretty much 3 full days a week, circa 12hrs each day. The same bulbs have been installed for around 2 years, so that's roughly 1,900 hours. How long are they lasting in the install you mention? Does the constant switching damage them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottoj18 Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 sorry for hijacking thread but I have gu10s in my kitchen and have never spent so much replacing bulbs so often, doesnt matter if I buy **** cheap bulbs or GEs best result is the same........any suggestions as to poss cause ? It could b the bulbs are over heating, led would benefit you they operate at about 30*c halagon lights are about 100*c. At about £10-£15 per led gu10 that is expensive but they use less energy and last around 20,000 hours if you get them from a reputable dealer they will give you a 3-5 year guarantee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottoj18 Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 I have a gu10 install in my home office and the bathroom. The office gets more use and the lights are on pretty much 3 full days a week, circa 12hrs each day. The same bulbs have been installed for around 2 years, so that's roughly 1,900 hours. How long are they lasting in the install you mention? Does the constant switching damage them? Led gu10 Around 20,000 hours, 1 5watt gu10 gives out the same light output as a 50w halogen gu10. So it costs the same to run 5 led bulbs as 1 halogen. Because the bulb doset have to warm up to work like a halogen switching is not an issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanj Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 It could b the bulbs are over heating, led would benefit you they operate at about 30*c halagon lights are about 100*c. At about £10-£15 per led gu10 that is expensive but they use less energy and last around 20,000 hours if you get them from a reputable dealer they will give you a 3-5 year guarantee. Cheers will try the LEDs.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvid wings Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 what's up with candles ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear-uk Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 what's up with candles ? Would that be 4 or Fork Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 12v halogen with good transformers are hard to beat and better light than led IMO especially in a kitchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnybasha Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Would definitely check if buying led's that they are 50watt equivalent, as most 4.5w or 5w are 35w equivalent depending on manufacturer and are very dull. The ones I use are phillips 6w which is a direct replacement to a standard 50w gu10. But aren't the cheapest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Philips ones are good but £20 a time and definitely get the warm white ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnybasha Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Yeah like I say not cheap I think they're about £25 each for dimmable but worth it compared to others I've used. And best colour, white or cool white looks too clinical like an office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvid wings Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Would that be 4 or Fork your watching to many tv repeats ,unless your 85 that is with a good memory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daza Posted December 21, 2012 Report Share Posted December 21, 2012 Yeah like I say not cheap I think they're about £25 each for dimmable but worth it compared to others I've used. And best colour, white or cool white looks too clinical like an office. Yeah I find it depends on the room. I would go for a brighter white if it was the kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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