Florcesant covers on or off?

thedarksyde · 11-30-04, 06:44

I have 3 florcesant fixtures on my celing in the garage...1 without a cover 2 with them on, I was thinking that I should remove the covers on the other 2, for maximum light, is there any reason why I should not do this? Or would this be a good idea?

kgb · 11-30-04, 06:51

I don't have covers on mine but covers are good if you have a low ceiling and there is a poltential that you can smack the bulbs with a broom handle, ladder, or something fo the sort.

Accumulator · 11-30-04, 07:34

I have bare bulbs in my garage (all but one fixture), but I wonder if the covers would cut down on any harmful emissions like UV rays

Oh...the spelling " FLUORESCENT "

Not sure why that matters to me this morning

Pondscum · 11-30-04, 09:01

If you prefer to run them without the covers, you can get clear tubular covers that go right over the bulb. This will usually prevent the stray broom handle from breaking them. UV is not an issue unless you're directly underneath them (within 1 ft) for extended periods of time.

Accumulator · 11-30-04, 09:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Pondscum
UV is not an issue unless you're directly underneath them (within 1 ft) for extended periods of time.

That's good to hear, though I *am* beside the wall-mounted ones a good bit...not within a foot though.

Jimmy Buffit · 12-05-04, 06:19

I really like the bare bulbs for paint evaluation In addition to halogens...

Jim

Chubs · 12-06-04, 12:05

I'm not sure which is better. currently I have four eight foot twin bulb fixtures with no covers in my two car garage. I do know the reason for the covers is to Disperse the light better into the room. It can get quite technical on which cover, what type of bulb, and what fixture to use. Then your ceiling height and spacing of the lights will determine what you need. along if your walls are painted and what color and gloss. If you want try and find a lighting electrical store near and stop by. Tell thing what you are trying to achieve and what youâ€™re doing in there. They will be able to give you the best options and might even send a sales rep out to really determine what you need. I work maintenance for a school dist. So Iâ€™m in contact with my lighting co. quite a bit. I asked them about my garage, saying I want it brighter than what I have. They said I could go High output fixtures with full spectrum bulbs. The high output would be 95 or 105 watts compared to 40 you usually see at Home Depot. The full spectrum enables you to see colors in their truer form without that yellow hue giving off by other bulbs.

Hope this helps,
Chubs