working lights

[RedDog]

Hi,advice please.. we are looking to replace our overhead work lights. we currently have 6 x halogens work lights hanging from roof of theatre, approximately 15m high.would LED folodlights be a suitable alternative? say around 50W?

thanks.

Also, just discovered.... the lights at the moment are hanging from some unspecified chain, and string in one case!!!where do I get some proper steel wire hanging kit..

thanks...

 

[ImagineerTom]

Cheap LED floods don't really last that long as work lights (if the roof traps hot air then they overheat and the lifespan drops dramatically) we typically get around 2 years out of them as work lights in tents.

 

You can get retro-fit CFL / fluorescent tubes that just drop in to Halogen Housings without any modifications and we have had much more success with those; they aren't as bright as the old halogen bulb but at £3-4 each they pay for themselves after about 200 hours of use and don't require rewiring or replacing entire units when they blow.

Obviously do check the rigging in place for the current lights but don't over-react. For something as lightweight as a garden floodlight (2kg weight maximum) really quite light duty chain is an acceptable means of fixing them in place rather than rigging proper stud bars and big metal brackets. Take a look above a suspended ceiling some time and you'll see its almost certainly held up with thin wire held in place with twists and virtually any historic ceiling you've stood under is held up with 200 year old straw and string. Depending on the weight of the fixture, frequency of inspection and strength of the mains cord attached to it (which could in the case of lightweight flood lights act as a safety to prevent it falling on to someone's head) a lightweight rigging solution that wouldn't even be considered for other theatrical lights could well be a perfectly acceptable solution.

[timsabre]

Agree about cheap led floods, but I have found the cfl halogen k7 replacements to be woefully dim compared to the original halogen.

 

You can get proper high-bay led fittings which are reliable with good brightness for example

 

https://trade.ledhut.co.uk/commercial-led-lighting/led-high-bay-lights/led-high-bay-lighting/premium-high-bay-range/100-watt-led-high-bay-ip65-meanwell-dimmable.html

[sunray]

<br />Agree about cheap led floods, but I have found the cfl halogen k7 replacements to be woefully dim compared to the original halogen. <br /><br />You can get proper high-bay led fittings which are reliable with good brightness for example<br /><br /><a href='https://trade.ledhut.co.uk/commercial-led-lighting/led-high-bay-lights/led-high-bay-lighting/premium-high-bay-range/100-watt-led-high-bay-ip65-meanwell-dimmable.html' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>https://trade.ledhut...l-dimmable.html</a><br />

 

I'm with you Tim, the CFL's are not a respectable replacement in these fittings.

 

As to the OP, If access to the fittings is easy I'd opt for cheap LED floods as they are so cheap now. In my opinion the 50W is somewhere between a 300W & 500W.

[adam2]

What about old Strand Theatre floodlights, but fitted with modern CFL or LED lamps ? Simple, robust, and nothing to go wrong apart from a readily replaced lamp. And a bit of re-use rather than more imported tat.

[Bryson]

Osram do a reasonably nice direct replacement, with our application in mind:

 

https://www.osram.us/pia/products/led/p001_pia_product_detail_23.jsp

 

I assume they're also available in the UK. The PSU is good for 240V.

 

They are nicer (particularly in terms of colour rendering) than cheap LED floods, but they are quite expensive for what they are.

 

Altman also do a dedicated LED work light fixture:

 

https://www.altmanlighting.com/product/led-worklight/