Help with outdated fixture, adapters

[lostsoul01]

In my home there are these old lights which I can't stand.

The plastic is 8" square. When I moved in, each one had a 100w regular bulb in it, and they were attached to a dimmer. I replaced the dimmer with a switch, put in 26w CFLs, and put new plexiglass in there.

It used to be glass, but over the years became very ugly. The previous owner replaced the glass with plexi, but the regular bulbs melted it.

The issue is that the main room is 20 feet x 24 feet, has dark panelling, and is just so dark even with the CFLs. There are 4 lights, there used to be 5 but they replaced the center one with a fan.

I have thought of an option but don't know if the product exists. I'd like to find a bulb socket extender that is at a right angle, so I can put a bulb that faces down in there. Then I could use a floodlight, or even get a EvoLux LED bulb. It wouldn't be much better looking, but maybe would be brighter. Does such a thing exist?? I can't find one in my searches anywhere.

Other options I've thought of is replacing them with can lights, which I dislike that idea, replacing the plexi with a different type of diffuser, or getting some homemade LED fixtures in there. The last one I worry about the cost (everything x 4 lights) and the fire hazard. But I imagine the fire hazard isn't much less with these sideways CFLs trapped in there.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks in advance!

 

[ddawg16]

Remove the lights and install track lighting using the old hole as the interface to the track lighting....

Or install a ceiling fan.....

No matter what you do....get rid of the paneling.....

Oh....and you should be able to make some good money selling those old lights on Ebay....Retro seems to be in now.....

 

[jdkno]

Take them out and throw in some recessed can lights. It will be a bit more work as you will have to do some patching/re-painting of the ceiling but the results will be worth it. Also by re-painting the ceiling with a fresh coat of bright white paint you will lighten up the space.

You always could paint the paneling which again would brighten things up.

 

[blasterman]

If it were me I'd just pull the things out and patch/drywall over them. Use a track as per mentioned above.

If somebody insisted on wanting to keep the fixtures, and asked for me to help convert to LED, I'd cut some heat-sink to size and bolt a couple Bridgelux emitters on it. Stuff a power supply on top of it, screw it above the acrylic diffuser, and forget about it for a couple decades.

 

[Mr_Light]

You could mount some surface mount light fixtures to the surface of your plexiglass panels and wire them from the existing sockets. I doubt this is to code, but it would be pretty easy.

 

[jtr1962]

There was something similar in the basement of where I live when we moved in 31 years ago. The basement had dark paneling and a dark floor. On top of that, the fixtures looked like they hadn't been cleaned since they were installed. First time I turned on the lights down there I thought I was going blind. What came out of two of those fixtures was less than a night light bulb. And I think they had 100 watt lamps installed! Probably the record for world's most inefficient lighting (I doubt it managed 0.1 lumens per watt).

Obviously this setup was worthless, so I took out the fixtures and put in 4-foot linear tube fixtures (first T12s, and then a few years ago T8s), covering right over the holes, and using the existing wiring. Naturally, if you have a dimmer switch it'll need to be replaced with a regular on-off switch. If you only have four bulb-based fixtures like that, it won't be bright no matter what you do. Figure at best you'll get maybe 2000 lumens per fixture using a huge CFL. Replace each fixture with a linear tube fixture, and you can get over 10,000 lumens per fixture (assuming a 4x32W T8 fixture). IMO, if you want things seriously bright without spending a lot of time/money redoing everything, linears are the only way to go.

 

[Ken_McE]

Other options I've thought of is replacing them with can lights

I would expect the light output from cans to be similar to the existing fixtures. You might get a little more output if they have reflectorized sides, or if you can put in stronger or downward pointing bulbs.


replacing the plexi with a different type of diffuser,

A clear cover lets out the most light, but is not much to look at. I recommend buying a sheet of commercial diffuser (Normally a 4 X 8 foot sheet) and cutting out sections to sit in the opening. Lots of fun styles available.


or getting some homemade LED fixtures in there.

Pricey, and probably the most work, but has great potential.


The last one I worry about the cost (everything x 4 lights) and the fire hazard.

LEDs are not particularly hazardous, probably less than a red hot incan.


But I imagine the fire hazard isn't much less with these sideways CFLs trapped in there.

CFLs don't like being in an enclosed space. They overheat and die young.


Any thoughts or suggestions?

I was going to suggest that you mount a four foot fluorescent tube fixture over each spot, but JTR has already said everything I was going to say, only better. They are starting to come out with 4' fixtures that look nice, and you can get tubes that have a nice quality to the light. Four four-bulb T-8 fixtures would light that place up like daylight.

 

[lostsoul01]

Thanks for the replies! Short term I just bought a 3500k 26W CFL bulb just to see if it "feels" any brighter than the 2700k bulbs I have in there. I do like the whiter light. I am also going to pick up a different kind of diffuser, maybe a grate-like one which is more open and will let more light through. Being open, maybe it will make these bulbs last longer as well, since they'll have more airflow.

I think I'm definately sold on the idea of painting over the panelling. I'd like to replace it with drywall, but there's a lot of other things this house needs first! Another room already has painted over panelling, so it won't look too odd.

And in the end if it still isn't bright enough, I'm still trying to decide between the 4 foot tubes or can lights and adding more fixtures. I like the idea of the tubes the best so far!

Thanks again for all the ideas! This place needs it! I don't know what they were thinking when they designed this room, it feels dark even in the middle of the day!