Guide to Bulbs for Recessed & Track Lights

Guide to Lamps (Bulbs) Used with Recessed & Track Lights
- Aiming & spacing Guidelines for fixtures mounted on track lighting rails
Questions & Answers about how to choose, install, or troubleshoot recessed lights & track lights in buildings
References

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Track lighting bulbs: how to select bulbs for track lights: here we provide a detailed guide to different types of light bulbs (lamps) and their application to track lighting.

Guide to Lamps (Bulbs) Used with Recessed & Track Lights

This article series details guidelines for selecting and installing interior lighting to meet the requirements for different building areas. This article includes excerpts or adaptations from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss, courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Our page to photo (Taliesin West, Scottsdale, AZ, D Friedman) illustrates two of several indoor lighting methods used by Frank Lloyd Wright in "the bunker", originally a storage room, currently used for meetings, and built with no windows.

Beam spreads for directional lights vary depending on the lamp and fixture. For general lighting, choose a wide flood with a beam spread of at least 50 degrees.

BR lamps are the most economical directional lamp and provide good enough beam control for general lighting. Standard A lamps with Alzak trim or compact fluorescents also provide good general lighting.

Halogen PAR lamps offer more precise beam control suitable for task or accent lighting. Low-voltage M-16 and PAR36 lamps offer very precise beam control, making them well-suited to accent lighting.

Because of their narrow focus, spots produce higher illumination levels than floods but over a smaller area. Beam spreads and lighting levels for common directional lamps are shown in Table 5-24.

Table 5-24: Performance of Common Directional Lamps (bulbs) (C) J Wiley, S Bliss

Aiming Lamps Mounted on Track Lighting

For accent lighting, eyeballs and similar adjustable trims allow the homeowner to direct the light to the artwork or architectural feature being lit (Figure 5-30).

These are typically used with a narrow spot to provide bright focused light on a small area. Slotted wall wash trim is used to splash diffused light on broad areas of wall or bookcases. Nondirectional A lamps or compact fluorescents work well in this application. General recommendations for recessed lighting bulb wattage or bulb type and fixture spacing are given in Table 5-25.

Table 5-25: Recessed Lighting Recommendations: Bulb Sizes, Fixture Spacing (C) J Wiley, S Bliss

Spacing Guidelines for Track Lighting Lamps

The general rule for ambient or task lighting may apply to track lighting spacing & aiming: that is to space recessed ceiling fixtures approximately the same distance apart as the beam spread at the work height, typically assumed to be 30 inches above the floor (36 inches for kitchen counters). The beam spread is the central cone of light, where the beam is at least 50% of the brightness at the center of the beam.

Most manufacturers publish beam spread data for their recessed lights with different trim options. Beam spreads and lighting levels for some common fixtures and lamps are shown in Table 5-26.

Table 5-26.

For accent lighting, space recessed or track fixtures so their light hits the wall at about 30 degrees. For lighting a large wall area, the distance between fixtures should be equal to or less than their distance from the wall (see Figure 5-23).

Figure 5-23

-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.

Industry & Trade Associations for Lighting and Other Interior Components in buildings

American Lighting Association www.americanlightingassoc.com

Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industries www.awci.org

Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) www.carpet-rug.org

Drywall Finishing Council www.dwfc.org

Forest Stewardship Program www.fscus.org

FloorFacts www.floorfacts.com

The Gypsum Association www.gypsum.org

National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association (NOFMA) www.nofma.com

National Wood Flooring Association www.woodfloors.org

Painting and Decorating Contractors of America www.pdca.org Smartwood/Rainforest Alliance www.smartwood.org

-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
Steve Bliss's Building Advisor at buildingadvisor.com helps homeowners & contractors plan & complete successful building & remodeling projects: buying land, site work, building design, cost estimating, materials & components, & project management through complete construction. Email: info@buildingadvisor.com
Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com

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The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

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