Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [lighting]

Planning, installing and using either indoor or outdoor artificial lights.

This is a catch-all tag for any question related to artificial lighting, either indoor or outdoor.

See also:

  • for questions related to Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs.
  • for questions about supplying electricity to your lighting.
  • for questions about halogen light bulbs.
  • for questions related to LED light bulbs.
  • for general questions about light fixtures.
  • for questions about recessed lighting (also known as can lights).
2914 questions
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What type of bulb is this?

This bulb is found inside a fancy light fixture, I haven’t seen one before and it doesn’t have any markings on it. I need to order replacements. More images showing the context of where I found this bulb.
jason
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12
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Can I upgrade existing T12 fluorescent fixtures to T8 just by replacing the ballast and bulbs?

I was going to replace the fluorescent T12 fixtures around my house with T8 fixtures, but I noticed that the T8 bulbs seem to fit just fine into the T12 fixtures. It seems like I could save myself a few bucks and maybe some hassle if I just replace…
rob
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11
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1 answer

Light won't switch off after blowing fuse

I recently tried to change a bulb using an adaptor (converting from a E27 to B22 fitting). After switching on the light fitting the fuse had blown. After inspection it turns out the adapter is faulty and must have caused a short-circuit. After…
Andy
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9
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1 answer

Are track lighting systems standardized/universal?

Our business has track for track lighting, but the previous tenants took the fixtures with them when they moved out. I want to buy and install some pendant and spotlight track lights, but I'm not sure whether I have to look for models compatible…
rob
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9
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2 answers

How can I estimate lumens needed for a workshop?

I want to use my garage as a workshop, but it is currently not well lit. How can I estimate how many lumens of lighting fixtures I should buy? I'm confused about the calculation, but also lighting seems to be a bit subjective. I am rarely annoyed by…
gomennathan
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7
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6 answers

About how much does it cost to leave 12 led bulbs 60watt replacement burning for 24 hours?

I changed to LED bulbs, and I wonder if it pays to buy a switch timer or if it is cheaper to leave it on at all times?
B.Z.Z.
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7
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3 answers

What kind of lightbulb(?) is in this chandelier?

I've come across images from a chandelier by Mathieu Lehanneur for Chateau Borely. Even after looking at it quite for a while and going through everything I've ever seen, I couldn't really imagine what light source/bulb (I don't know the English…
kaiser
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7
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2 answers

Fluorescent lights that turn on very slowly

So I've got an older house, built in the late 1950's. All the lights in the bathroom fixtures and the garage are fluorescent. Sometimes, but not always, they take several minutes to actually turn on when you flip the light switch. I can see that…
Aaron
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6
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4 answers

Can an incandescent light dimmer be used to dim LED lights?

I have two dimmers which control 500 incandescent lights. Now I need to replace the lights with LEDs. Can I use the same dimmers?
Kaushik Sarkar
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5
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3 answers

Why are my fluorescent lights not working sometimes?

I have a fluorescent light fixture in my kitchen, which uses u-shaped tubes. A few weeks ago they just stopped working. I could turn the switch on and there'd just be no light. Not flickering which I've read indicates a bad bulb. No buzzing sound,…
CodeRedick
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5
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4 answers

Can you use a HID light bulb to illuminate a garage/workshop?

Based on typical recommendation, my garage workshop should have 50k lumens of illumination. It seems challenging to accomplish this with LEDs - I would either need a lot of regular LEDs, or a good amount of very expensive high-intensity…
gomennathan
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5
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3 answers

LED bulb thread base vs incandescent bulb thread base

All of my ceiling fixtures have porclean sockets which are deep and incandescent bulbs have a longer thread base to make contact at the bottom of the deep socket. More than half the ceiling fixtures (with 2 to 6 sockets each) in my home will not…
PATRICK-A
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5
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2 answers

What is the type of this light bulb?

I need to replace this light-bulb. It is very slim and I have never seen it anywhere else. What is the light bulb's type?
Ali
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4
votes
5 answers

Ceiling fan light dims

I have a Harbor Breeze ceiling fan and light kit. When I turn on the light, it starts out bright, but then in a second it dims. It doesn't turn off, it just dims. What could be causing this to happen?
Rick
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4
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4 answers

How to spread light more

Which one is better for light bulbs in home to get more from light. White board behind bulb? White plastic covering the bulb? Mirror behind the bulb? Any other way? How to get more from a light source?
LifeH2O
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