Kitchen lighting help (pools, appliance, ceiling, installing)

[momule]

I replaced an old cheap looking candle type chandelier with a high quality fixture with five 40 watt lights arranged in a ring. These are centered 32 inches high over kitchen table and are pointed down. This is the only light in the breakfast room. The lights are too bright on the table. I find it very annoying to sit at the table and see this bright balls above my eyes. The biggest problem is that the rest of the room is almost pitch black. All the light is on the table and very bright. I think I need to scrap this light and replace with another light but I am not sure what to get that will light the whole breakfast room. I am thinking I should have purchased up light chandelier. I am not sure if I have the capacity to add can lights to the circuit. Looks like I have made an expensive mistake.

In addition to this problem I replaced three 30 year old fluorescent under counter lights with new ones. The plastic cover and the switches on the old ones was falling apart. The new ones are installed and buzz very loudly. The old ones were very quiet. The buzz is so loud I think we need to replace with led lights. The buzz may be a vibration.

Can some one help me with suggestions for any of this.

[golfgal]

Try different lightbulbs for the fixture over the table. There are new globe style florescent lights that might work for this. We just replaced our lights in our bathroom with these because the regular light bulbs were too bright. It REALLY helps.

[chet everett]

The situation you are is not uncommon. I think it is a big reason that so many people buy dimmers! Most lighting stores do a terrible job of showing lights in the kind of real world settings that most people ought to be able to try 'em out.

I do not think replacing the regular 40 watt incandescent lights with cfl bulbs will help. I think you need to seek out a light that will, as you guess, throw more light toward the ceiling so the rest of the kitchen is not a "black hole". Style matters a lot too, so shop carefully. If you think about how easy to clean the fixture at is an important consideration for a kitchen too...


As far as the under cabinet lights I do support getting LEDs for that. Some of the nicest setups I have seen are also the cheapest. The big Swedish retailer, IKEA, has prices that blow away any other LED for under cabinet use, they have good light output, acceptable whiteness, slick mounting options. You might have to work a bit to hide the wall wart style transformer, but there are ways around that too ...

[lifelongMOgal]

For kitchen lighting it is important to have lighting at your workplaces and at major appliances. While I'm not a fan of tracklighting it does have it's benefits in the kitchen when one doesn't wish to go to the expense of tearing out the ceiling and installing canned lighting while also giving the homeowner a bit more control of directional lighting.

IMO, keep the breakfast room fixture and look at changing bulb wattage, or installing a dimmer switch. Any chance the lighting store will allow you to return and replace with something else?

[K'ledgeBldr]

Pictures would really help.
But, if your table fixture has globes that surround/cover the bulb (and are white on the underside) I suggest using clear silver bowl bulbs or, white bowl bulbs. They direct the light "down", or toward the base. They do not allow light to emit from the crown. They give off a warm indirect/reflective light.Those, along with a dimmer and you're in business.
I only recommend xenon lights for under cabinet lighting. They are the closest thing to "true light", LED give off terrible color- it's the price you pay for "low voltage consumption".

[Lovegun]

Did you change just the lights or the fixtures? Did you replace the ballast as well ?
Ballast may be cause of the hum.

[momule]

I replaced the entire fixture. I think something inside the case is vibrating in all three fixtures. If I squeeze the mounted fixture the noise is less noticeable. When I took fixtures out of box and plugged them in to wall socket and there was very loud vibrating noise. When I laid them on the carpet the loud buzzing stopped. The fixtures came with plugs(not indicated on box) which the installer clipped for a direct wire installation. I sent an email to GE and am still waiting for response from them.

[momule]

[Jukesgrrl]

What a beautiful kitchen! The chandelier is such a good design choice with the rest of the room, it would be a shame to lose it.

I've had several bad experiences with down-light chandeliers over tables. They, indeed, do little except create pools of shine on a wood table. Before you replace the fixture, you might try a bowl lightbulb. The bowl on the end forces the light to go upward and cuts glare. They come with silvery bowls, mirror bowls, and also just frosted bowls, although that might not be enough of a change to suit your need. You can get traditionally shaped bulbs or the round kind, also shown below, in a variety of wattages.

I know a modern-design person who has these kind of bulbs totally exposed in sconces; you can look right at the bulb and there is no glare -- the light is completely diffused, washed onto the wall. Using them in your fixture should shoot the light up toward the ceiling instead of onto your table. Since they're usually less than $5, it might be worth giving one a try to see if it makes a difference.

Silver above, mirror below:



100 Watts
E26 Base



100 Watts
E26 Base

[momule]

Jukesgrrl, thanks for the bowl light suggestion. I have never heard of them. I might give this a try. I went to a lighting store yesterday and they suggested I try dimmable cfl bulbs at $11 per bulb. I am pretty sure we are keeping the light and use brighter bulbs with a dimmer.

When I purchased this fixture, I was going on looks and not thinking about functionality which is unusual for me. It was an impulse buy.

I am still working on the buzzing under cabinet lights. I will have to replace these if I am not able to resolve.