Question for general contractor or a home inspector (houses, buy)

[Jkgourmet]

I need to replace the semi mount lighting fixture in my master closet for one that has MUCH more light. (Yes, we have tried changing the bulbs to LED's that put out the equivalent of 150 watts. It really wasn't that much better.)

I keep coming across rules/fire codes that are specific to walk in closet lighting. Here's a summary:

Keep in mind that for flush mounted closet lighting, there must be a minimum distance of 12 inches between the fixture and any items being stored. For recessed lighting, the distance must be at least 6 inches. This way, any heat output from lamps will be far enough away from flammable items like clothing. With that said, all bulbs must be fully enclosed inside a globe or other housing. Exposed or partially exposed lamps (bulbs) are no longer an acceptable method of lighting in closets or other storage areas. We also recommend avoiding light sources that give off excess heat by sticking with LEDs.

Am I being paranoid about this? Does that mean that something like this would be unacceptable because there's no housing around the bulb?

[BoBromhal]

the description says "frosted glass shade", as if all 6 tubes are shades and the light bulb is within. Which would tell me the bulbs themselves are enclosed in a housing. Unless those are actually unique bulbs you have to locate.

Signed, not a contractor or home inspector.

[MikeJaquish]

Lumens and coolness/warmness are basic to perception of light.
Warm light often comes with lower lumens.


If style is most important, I might consider that fixture with the highest lumen LEDs I could install.
If I really wanted light, I would probably go for a 4' strip light with LED strips in it. You can buy them at Lowes or HD. Or, a fluorescent fixture, removing the ballasts and installing a couple of LED 4' strips.
Cooler light rating, not warmer.
I replaced all the fluorescent tubes in my office, 4', 4 tube troffers, with 2 LED tubes each. Just as bright or brighter.

Of course, if you want natural light for selection of clothes colors, you will want to compromise with warmer output. Just get the high lumen outputs.

And, a strip with LEDs would not concern me at all in a closet. They just don't run hot like incandescent or hothothot halogen lights.

[udelslayer]

How big is the closet? I'd think one of those flat LED panel lights (like 2ft x 4ft) would produce quite a bit of light because its going to project downward. That multi-bulb fixture looks like it would be tricky. Being LED frees it from the required typical bulb (Edison?) shape. You can use 1in thick flush panels that will also give you more ceiling space. 4000 to 5000 lumens with at around a 6000k temperature should be pretty good for most closets. The lower the temperature, the more yellow the light (like 3000k) and it looks dimmer but warm. Sometimes 10k color temps are too blue because LED doesnt actually have a "white" color because of how it works. Your eyes cant tell from looking at the light, but it can change surface color perception it reflects from. It can be hard to tell in the store because of the massive space around you with the 20ft ceilings. The cheap ones produce more heat than the good ones because they're "overdriving" the LED to get the higher output. Still tho, not much of a fire hazard. They also dont pull massive wattage, so that lowers the risk too. IIRC, code says you have to have non-incandescent lighting in a closet. Keep your receipt in case you have to exchange it. You often have to replace the panel as a module instead of a bulb.

[Jkgourmet]

Udelslayer, thank you. You've given me some clear, specific things to look for. I know it sounds like I'm over the top about this closet lighting, maybe I even sound a little crazy. But my night vision is seriously diminished. I don't even drive at night anymore, and we've made other adjustments to our home for me. Before I even enter the room, it's "Alexa, turn on the bedroom light." And other accommodations. But this closet remains a problem.

The closet is a fairly standard walk-in. Not big enough for an island, but fits tons of clothes. We did custom closets when we moved in, making the 'mistake' of choosing dark laminate. The white would have been functionally better, but I don't like the way it looks.

We also put in A LOT of shelves, the contents of which are really hard for me to see.

I'll look for a 5,000 lumen led. Thank you for the suggestion.

[udelslayer]

I had a decent walk-in closet in the before time. We installed these nice custom shelves that hang off of a French cleat, but they were that simulated walnut or oak that was dark. I had to beef up the lighting from the two 4ft flouros that were in there and it worked pretty well with the panels. I wish I had installed white or light color shelves as well because it makes a big difference in that small space. I'd really like to install behind the shelf accent lighting in the next one like you see in those really fancy demos like where somebody has just an entire unit dedicated to their watches, lol.

There are also on the wall modular light panel systems I'd like to use in a future space. They vary in quality from what I understand, but they look really neat. Here's an example: https://tinyurl.com/4vn9ckdu

Sorry to hear about your vision. It may sound silly but over the past few years, I've had to rely on headlamps for working in dim areas or going outside at night like this one https://tinyurl.com/hb75j7uv

[don6170]

Originally Posted by MikeJaquish

And, a strip with LEDs would not concern me at all in a closet. They just don't run hot like incandescent or hothothot halogen lights.

I replaced an old 2x4 fluorescent fixture with an LED one. Heat is definitely not an issue and it provides a lot more light instantly. The drawback to the LED strips is there is no way to replace anything, as the strips are integral to the fixture. Hopefully, they will last a long time.

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by don6170

I replaced an old 2x4 fluorescent fixture with an LED one. Heat is definitely not an issue and it provides a lot more light instantly. The drawback to the LED strips is there is no way to replace anything, as the strips are integral to the fixture. Hopefully, they will last a long time.

And, they don't flicker at all.

I got a couple of 4' 2 tube shop light fixtures for free on craigslist. I am going to pull the ballasts on one and install 2 direct wire LED strips. Not stylin', but it's for over my workbench in the garage and will be just fine.
And, I won't have to worry about smashing a fluorescent tube.

[Sherifftruman]

Maybe I am a bad home inspector, but while I mention the bare bulb fixtures in single depth closets all the time, I wouldn't think twice about a fixture like the one in the original post in a large walk in, assuming it was away from the actual clothes or stored items. In some large houses I've seen crystal chandeliers even. The bulbs are not fully covered. And it's just a light fixture. If it becomes an issue when you sell, just put another one up.

[TheKlunk]

This doesn’t directly answer your question but will give you another lighting spec to consider: color rendering index (CRI). This is measure of how true-to-color objects will appear when illuminated with the lighting. If your new light will be situated in a closet that contains clothing you will probably want to select a light with the highest CRI possible. Cheap lighting (e.g. strip lights) are generally low CRI. Fwiw, you can find high CRI options in most color temperatures.