Recessed Lighting with Incandescent bulbs

last year

We are doing a gut remodel. The bedrooms will have a center fan (no light) and a recessed light in each of the 4 corners (or more if needed.) The bedrooms are 14' by 15', 15' by 16', and 16' by 16'.

Is there a brand of recessed lighting that uses incandescent bulbs (not wafer LEDs) that offers better trim options? As this is a higher-end remodel, I do not mind paying more for a better esthetic.

Also, it seems that most on here prefer 4" over 6" lights. Is the layout and spacing for either option the same?

*We have a family member who has health issues that are triggered by LED lights. So, incandescent is a must here. Please no snide remarks. Yes, there are LED lights that do not cause the helath effects, but currently those are only offered in industrial type-large-scale lights. There is nothing available for the residential market.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

einportlandor
last year
I hope one of the lighting pros will chime in here with helpful answers. In the meantime, consider forgoing recessed lighting entirely in the affected bedrooms. I, too, have problems with overhead lighting (fluroescent is the worst) and the brighter the light the worse the effect. I'd look for alternative lighting options that are easier to live with and IMO more attractive. Good luck with your remodel.
kandrewspa
last year
I also think you should be able to do something else besides recessed lighting in bedrooms in particular. I would only do recessed lighting in a room you're planning on using for a home office. It's easier to find lamps that use incandescent bulbs. I also do not like the light LEDs produce - I guess this is an unusual thing, but I find it to be disturbing and poor DH is always scouring the internet trying to keep us in incandescents. He also suggested you look to see if you can get a light kit for your ceiling fans that will take an incandescent bulb. If not, since you're remodeling, if you have an electrician coming in already, have one outlet switched that you can have a lamp on a switched outlet in every room (if you don't already).
Related Discussions
replacing incandescent light bulbs
Q
Comments (11)
Fluorescent bulbs can be recycled and the mercury captured and reused. It's mandatory here in Europe now, although I'm sure many bulbs still find their way in to the regular waste stream. You would have to check your local area to see what disposal options are available. However, even if we do dispose of them in the regular waste and the mercury ends up in to the environment, it is still better for the environment than having used ordinary bulbs. Burning coal releases mercury, thus the energy guzzling old fashioned bulbs contribute far more mercury to the environment than a comparative fluorescent. This is true even when you take in to account both the mercury from the energy it consumes and the small amount of mercury in the bulb itself. Ideally, if you're concerned about mercury in the environment, you should use fluorescent lighting and dispose of the bulbs properly.
...See More
6' recessed can lights where bulb is actually recessed
Q
Comments (9)
You need to know the brand and model of your recessed housings to be able to browse a catalog and choose the trims and lamps that can improve the lamp concealment. New homes like your new one are often being built with inexpensive IC rated housings & trims. These have a stop on the socket assembly which keeps the lamp from being raised up higher in an attempt to control heat since the housings can be covered in insulation. Your 12 year old CA home probably had non IC rated housings which lacked the stop. There are more expensive housings and trims which fix this and there are some airtight trims which also can improve on this hopefully with the housings you have. If you want more detailed info then you'll need to provide more information.
...See More
Need help choosing recessing lighting bulbs and size
Q
Comments (3)
The Zephyr website lists a 50w PAR20 halogen bulb (screw in type) for your Breeze II. Knowing that, your local lighting store might be able to help you find lamps that would match up with it fairly closely. The lamps of this type that I found online were specified at 520 to 600 lumens, 2900K to 3500K color temp, and 90-100 CRI, so even buying the same type of lamp isn't guaranteed to give the same results when you replace a burned out lamp but maybe it's close enough. Since there's such a range in specs even on the same type bulb, you might go down to wherever you would normally buy bulbs (like Home Depot or Lowe's or your local lighting store) and buy one. Put it into a lamp that you own (it has a normal medium screw-in base) and shine it on the tiles. If you like that light, then look for lighting with those specs. This is a pretty simplistic approach, but at least you would know what kind of light you're going to get and know where to get replacements. If you have enough time, you could try calling the support people at Zephyr and ask about the specs on their lamps.
...See More
Light bulbs for 5 inch vs 6 inch recessed cans
Q
Comments (6)
First, about the can trim. The "clear" trim (silvery) and "haze" trim (dull golden) are designed to reflect the most light while not producing much glare. The black baffle trim reflects the least glare. Personally, I dislike the look of all three of these. I prefer white baffle trim. I would rather put up with a little glare when they are on and have them disappear better into the ceiling when they are off. Secondly, the size issue. I chose 5" cans for my 8' kitchen ceiling because I think that size is the best tradeoff. The 4" cans don't spread their light very wide, so you need more of them, getting the "swiss cheese" look. The 6" cans are less attractive to me due to their large size. If you want fluorescent, you can buy a special 5" can made to hold the pin-base type of fluorescent bulb. That's what I did because I live in California, and a certain percentage of fluorescent lighting is required here as an energy-saving measure. As rjr220 said, fluorescents can't be dimmed, although I did manage to find some bulbs with acceptably an acceptably warm color, so I don't hate them. I haven't seen fluorescent floodlights made to fit in a 5" can, but they might exist. What I did over the sink is the 5" can with a PAR 30 50 Watt bulb on a dimmer, which is what I really prefer. These put out plenty of light, much more than the fluorescents do. In older parts of my house I have 6" cans that I put fluorescent bulbs in. They put out decent light, but I think the 5" size looks MUCH better. Juno is considered a better brand than Halo. It is supposed to be a bit better constructed, and has many more trim options. I have 5" Juno in the kitchen, and 6" Halo in my office. What I dislike about the Halo is that when you look up at them, you can see around the lightbulb into the guts of the can light. The Junos are not like that. The newest option with is energy saving are the LED cans, which Juno makes in 5" and 6". I don't know much about them because they have only become available recently. I think they are more expensive. You might want to check the lighting forum, also. Good luck with your renovation.
...See More
wdccruise
last year
last modified: last year
- I used the Juno 17HZ-WH trim which is also available in other reflector and trim colors as shown in the brochure.
- I think the Juno 17SQ trims are very attractive; the brochure shows other reflector and trim colors.
- There are incandescent R20 and halogen PAR20 bulbs available.
"We have a family member who has health issues that are triggered by LED lights. Please no snide remarks."

How about a chuckle? Chuckle. "Issues": if any word should be banned, it's that one.

Use low-color-temperature LEDs (e.g., 2700K).
palimpsest
last year
last modified: last year
I used 6" diameter cans in my bathrooms and closets all with the drop opal glass lenses because I have a house built in the 1960s and I didn't want anything too modern looking. I think they are basic Progress Lighting housings.

I have a central fixture switched from the nearer position from the door in each bedroom as required. Then I have the second switch for the lamps and this is a three-way switch because there is a switch at each bedside. I never use the overhead lighting in the bedrooms except if I need them on for cleaning. I grew up in a house with switched lamps from the door (as well as one for the central fixture) and when I removed the fixtures from two of the bedrooms prior to the sale of that house, they each had three original bulbs from the 1960s in them. Personally I find overhead lighting in bedrooms extremely unpleasant. Electricians will often try and talk you out of switched lamps because it is extra work.

That said I would do the one recessed in each corner, probably on a dimmer and with a switch near the bedside if you want recessed lighting. You don't necessarily want to have to get out of bed to turn the lights out.

I think there is a trend to do residential lighting as if there isn't going to be a table lamp in the entire house and then light it up like a retail store. I don't think it's necessary

Recessed Lighting with Incandescent bulbs

Comments (4)

einportlandor

kandrewspa

Related Discussions

wdccruise

palimpsest

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US