How to Get The Most for Your Money on Halogen Lamps
Everyone knows that the more we learn about an item, the better chance we have of saving money and becoming more efficient with our purchases. The same philosophy holds true for halogen lamps. The following literature is intended to help you learn more about halogen lamps and help you save money and/or avoid pitfalls in your future purchases.
How Much Light Do I Need
A hard question to answer. Think of it this way. When lighting a fast food restaurant you need to have bright white light. It gives the impression of a clean and safe environment. However in some of the more up scale restaurants they are trying to create a mood. In this case you need to use lower levels of lighting. In many cases these restaurants highlight their decorations and create a theme. Two restaurants- different lighting needs.
Determine your needs. Look at what you are trying to achieve. In one case a customer in Colorado added track lighting to his gallery. His sales increased 1700%. Not bad. Good lighting makes a huge difference on how one perceives his environment.
Look how gas stations are illuminated. What message are they trying to convey?
We sell track lighting for interior applications. It is extremely versatile and we can light most anything. You can put a number of different lamps on the same track from the little MR-16 spot to the large wall wash fluorescent units. Track is widely used in all retail applications. Check our web site for all kinds of fixtures and fittings.
Send us an email with a rough idea of what you are doing, and one of our designers will get right back to you with suggestions.
How Do Halogen Lamps Work?
The characteristics of tungsten halogen lamps that improve the lamp itself, such as its longer life, higher efficiency, compact size and reduced bulb blackening during the lamp's life, are a direct impact of the tungsten halogen cycle
To simplify the explanation of the cycle, evaporated tungsten from the bulb's filament combines with the halogen gas to form a tungsten halide. This process increases the lamp life and prevents the bulb from blackening. When this tungsten halide comes into contact with the hot filament it separates and the tungsten re-deposits back on the filament. Not all of the tungsten is able to re-deposit back on the filament. This gives these lamps a finite life. The fused quartz in the halogen lamp allows it to withstand the high temperature required for this process.
"130 volt Lamps Last Longer Than 120 volt Lamps"
Well, SOMETIMES! You may have been told that the 130-volt lamps have a bigger filament thus allowing them to last longer. This is true if your facility's voltage is between 118 and 130 volts. The 130-volt lamp does have a bigger filament and is designed to operate at a high voltage. If your facility is below 118 volts you will lose efficiency, your color temperature will shift towards yellow and the lamps expected life may be reduced. Over voltage operations result in higher wattage, higher efficiency and a higher light output, but a shorter life.
If you don't know your actual operating voltage, find out. It's real easy. All you need is a multi-meter that may be plugged into the wall socket. Test your socket at different times during the day. If your readings are 120V or below then use a 120Volt lamp, otherwise use a 130V. It just may be that the 130-volt lamp is the way for you to go, then again, maybe not. It is important to use the correct voltage lamp in order to get the best lamp life, color rendering, color temperature and energy savings!
Life
In order to understand lamp life you need to know how lamp life is determined. Manufacturers determine it by burning a large group of lamps continuously. During this process, some lamps will fail relatively early while others will burn long after their rated life. It is when half of this group of lamps burn out that the manufacturer assigns "LIFE".
Think of lamp life as an average. So, if you encounter a salesperson bragging about the longevity of their lamps, be wary! The laws of physics dictate that both the life of the lamp and the light output are determined by its filament temperature. Even the best salesperson cannot defy the laws of physics! Also, some offshore lamp companies are not held to the same ethics as major manufacturers and will not always tell the truth about the performance of their lamps.
In some cases people have complained that the lamp did not last the entire lamp life as printed on the box. But we have never heard a complaint when the lamp life exceeds the expected life period.
Measurements
The diameter of a lamp is measured in 1/8-inch increments. As an example, a PAR 16 divided by 8 equal's 2 inches in diameter. A PAR 30 divided by 8 equals 3.75 inches in diameter, and so on.
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My New Lamp Does Not Work
Check the fixture first. Try the lamp in a different fixture that you know works. This way you will know if it is the lamp or the fixture. If you have a problem with the lamp send us an email with the details.
Broken In Shipment
If you received your lamps and they are damaged please notify us of this right away. We will put a credit on your account so that the next time you place an order you will be credited for the damaged units. Send us a note at
. Sometimes we have shipping problems exclusive to a specific area. In this case our computer will notify us at the time of shipping. We may not be able to ship to all zip codes. It is rare but it happens.
