gregog Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Hi there, I've got a big problem that I wonder if anyone could offer any solutions for!Basically, at the moment we are using 500w interior/ exterior floods for working light in our venue. The problem is, because the floods are pointing straight down, the heat is pointing back up and making the reflector so hot that it blows the bubbles on more than a weekly basis. I have rigged some small par 30's for the time being, but they are only 100w. I do not want to put in florries as they want the light to be relatively warm and not the harsh discharge you get from a florrie. Does anyone have any suggestions of any alternatives that I could use? (Not move the floods up, as the angle in which they have had to of been rigged mean that they can only point straight down as there are no other points for where they could be mounted in order to solve the problem!) Has anybody else had this problem and found a solution, or does anyone know of any other unit/ lantern I could use failing using theatrical lx units to solve the problem??? Many thanks for taking the time for rweading and thank you for your help in advance,Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael6388 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Can you get lower power lamps for your floods - ie 300W or 200W? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregog Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 They will only accept either 300/ 500. I could get 300W, but to be honest I'm still not completely convinved they would last too much longer as they are left on permenantly throughout the day, so although they would last slightly longer, I know the same problem would still exist. Plus I don't think 300w would cut it in the space.Many thanks for your suggestion though, it's something I considered but decided not to follow through... Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonkiDonki Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 (Not move the floods up, as the angle in which they have had to of been rigged mean that they can only point straight down as there are no other points for where they could be mounted in order to solve the problem!)Steve. Are you sure there are no alternatives to how they are rigged? If they are bolted to the ceiling/rof structure then how about bolting a peice of unistrut in their place and hanging off a length of threaded bar as approriate to provide room for some tilit? This would also allow for a saftey bond to be attached directly from the lamp to the unistrut or even a secondary fixing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregog Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 (Not move the floods up, as the angle in which they have had to of been rigged mean that they can only point straight down as there are no other points for where they could be mounted in order to solve the problem!)Steve. Are you sure there are no alternatives to how they are rigged? If they are bolted to the ceiling/rof structure then how about bolting a peice of unistrut in their place and hanging off a length of threaded bar as approriate to provide room for some tilit? This would also allow for a saftey bond to be attached directly from the lamp to the unistrut or even a secondary fixing. Not particularly, due to the terrible design of the building and floating gantries I am very limited. By changing the angle/ direction of the unit, I would not get the light where I needed it. I have struck one of the units to have a play and see if there is any other way I can do it. Basically I can't see it is possible, so I am looking for a new alternative and switching out the floods. Surely there must be a unit with about 500W capacity with a throw similarly to a flood that is suitable to be mounted straight down? Does anyone know of one?? Many thanks again for your help and the suggestions so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahame Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I would suggest trying to source some hot-restrike metal halide floods. Probably not the cheapest option, but they don't get hot, consume very little power and require little maintenance. I can't find the exact model I'm thinking of at the moment, but I've seen some in use that are IP rated, have a well-constructed casing and a frosted glass. Although they do take a short time to fully warm up, it's only a minute or two at most, and the colour temperature is similar to fluorescents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 we are using 500w interior/ exterior floods for working light in our venue. ....they are left on permenantly throughout the day, You don't say exactly what "throughout the day" means, but if we conservatively assume 9-5 weekdays, then each one costs about 125 pounds per annum in electricity. If we extend that to cover evenings and weekends, you can almost double the figure. Multiply that by the number of units, and you'll get a fright! I would suggest trying to source some hot-restrike metal halide floods. Probably not the cheapest option,But I suspect they'll pay for themselves very quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam2 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 The energy cost of useing halogen lighting throughout the day is very considerable, and liable to increase, and as you have noted the lamp life can be very short. I would therefore consider either metal halide floods as suggested above, or flouresecent.Hot-restrike metal halides are expensive, and may not be needed in this application. If the lights are left on all day, then standard metal halide fittings should be suitable. Flourescent lighting is available in a wide range of colour appearence and colour rendering, if mounting space permits I would consider basic 1,500mm twin lamp flourescent fittings, fitted with colour 830 lamps.If colour rendering is crucial, then consider the better colour rendering lamps such as 930. Flourescent lamps should last several years, and use only about 20/25% of the electricity consumed by the halogen lighting. If space is tight, then compact flourescent floods are available that use a pair of 26 watt lamps, these are only readliy available in warm white, cool white. Not the wide choice that exists in 1,500mm lamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregog Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 As I originally stated, I do not particularly want to use florries. I would if I could, but I have been vito'd by the management staff above me. The costing of the units is irrelevant as is the cost per year to run them, as we are registered as a charity therefore costing is reduced. Cost is not an issue as they are willing to pay for this problem to be put right...Any other suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theatrcymraeglampy Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Stage Electrics do a 150W MBI (IP44 Rated) that is arguably as bright as there 400W. http://www.stage-electrics.co.uk/product.aspx?code=639-4923 10% off your first online order! £86.95 list exc VAT But does not include the bubble, plug, or cable How big is the space to be lit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleah Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 As I originally stated, I do not particularly want to use florries. I would if I could, but I have been vito'd by the management staff above me. The costing of the units is irrelevant as is the cost per year to run them, as we are registered as a charity therefore costing is reduced. Cost is not an issue as they are willing to pay for this problem to be put right...Any other suggestions? Do they not realise that as and when they get their green credentials looked at, they will probably be slated for this? If I were sponsoring this charity, and got wind of this attitude towards running costs and green issues, I'd be withdrawing funding quick smart! There are obviously circumstances where such things are unavoidable, but I don't see this as one, based on what you've said.I would be seriously pushing management towards florries or some other more energy efficient solution. And surely a 500w halogen is 'harsher' than a florrie? I'd hate to be working all day everyday under halogen, with all the shadows and harshness and unwanted heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRisdale Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 As I originally stated, I do not particularly want to use florries.Though your original reason for wanting to avoid them was the colour temperature... Like Adam said, you can get tubes with adjusted colour temperature, or even sleeves of correction filter, to make them more tungsten like. We have 500w floods, discharge floods and florry tubes here - each used in different circumstances. Based on that experience, I would firmly suggest that you go with tubes - and just convince your bosses to get over what ever the problem is. Aside from the better light "coverage" (more diffuse) you get from them, the warm-up time for discharge floods can be a real pain when you're in a hurry. Other than that, surely £20 LED parcans are the answer Gareth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 The costing of the units is irrelevant as is the cost per year to run them, as we are registered as a charity therefore costing is reduced. That's just nonsense - are you saying your organisation does not pay for power because it's a charity? The cost I quoted was on one of the best commercial rates available to very large consumers (it's actually the rate charged to an organisation, which incidentally is also a charity, which has an energy bill of >10 million per annum); smaller organisations (charity or not!) would pay more per unit. has your charity ever heard the term "carbon footprint"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokm Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 If the colour temp of the lights 'too harsh', just invest in some colour correction gel. I'm sure both lee and rosco do something that'll correct whatever colour temp the MBI's or whatever you end up going for, to something a little more warm feeling, i.e. 3200/tungsten. They also do jackets for florry tubes, so perhaps that opens that option up again. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregog Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 The costing of the units is irrelevant as is the cost per year to run them, as we are registered as a charity therefore costing is reduced. That's just nonsense - are you saying your organisation does not pay for power because it's a charity? The cost I quoted was on one of the best commercial rates available to very large consumers (it's actually the rate charged to an organisation, which incidentally is also a charity, which has an energy bill of >10 million per annum); smaller organisations (charity or not!) would pay more per unit. has your charity ever heard the term "carbon footprint"? No Bruce, could you please explain to me what a carbon footprint is? I've never heard the term before... Of course we are taking that into consideration, but there are other factors to consider on my end. The units aren't run 365 days a year, and the workers arent always required, but when they are they are running for very long periods of time. Whatever units I go for, will have to be rigged approx 6.5 metres off the flying gantry. As such I worry about how many florries it would take to cover the surface area I have to cover. (Auditorium of 400 seats and stage 14 metres square.)Thank you all for your help and suggetions. Why is it that a few years ago people on this forum were so happy to help, but now most people that ask for assistance with something are bombarded with smart arse answers and are patronised for not knowing the answer? Bewilders me... Anyway, thanks again. A little bit more to consider now!Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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