# Valance fluorescent lighting Question



## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I have a 10 x 10 room without any overhead lighting and I’m getting really tired of tripping over the lamp cord from the Switched outlet.
I know there are other forms of lighting, but I already have materials to do it all in fluorescent lighting and want to hear some pros and cons of fluorescent Valance lighting before abandoning the idea.
I already know how to make the wood valance with the lights, but I’m just not sure about the effectiveness of mounting it on the wall to flood the wall and ceiling or hang it on the ceiling farther away from the wall changing the angle of the reflected light off the wall.
I will be using single tube T8 fluorescent lighting so I’m not exactly sure how much light is going to reflected, but it’s got to be better than a single incandescent light in the center of the room.:smile:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*consider track lighting*

Flourescent lights sometimes have an annoying flicker or vibration which makes it difficult to read by etc. The new LED lights run cooler and cheaper and brighter. I would consider running a wire inside the studs to a ceiling or wall outlet above the switch to make the run shorter and easier if ceiling access is not possible...... drill a hole, drop the wire, fish it out, wire it to the switch...etc. 

I'd stay a way from the florescents, personally.

Track lights have a million possibilities for aiming floods, spots etc. and you can add runs easily either straight or at 90 degrees.


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## madmantrapper (Feb 6, 2013)

I don't mind the CFLs and I don't notice the flicker. LEDs are great if the initial cost don't hurt you.


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## madmantrapper (Feb 6, 2013)

Valence lighting sucks. Bouncing light off walls does not work well usually, depending on the wall color and gloss.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Thanks Bill, years ago I was adding ceiling fans to a couple of bedrooms next to this room and pushed a wire down to the switch and left the other end above the center room while I was in the crawlspace above. It would be just a matter of cutting a hole in the center of the room to grab that end of the wire and cut a second hole on the wall to put in another switch box.
I thought about track lights, but they are pricy and I already have the fluorescent. If I don’t do the fluorescent s then I guess I could go ahead and mount a center ceiling light or even a ceiling fan light.
I just watched this video using LED rope lights. I’m not user if that’s going to be enough light for me.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8CsXiJKNo4


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## madmantrapper (Feb 6, 2013)

LED rope lights illuminate nothing.


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## Anguspapa (May 4, 2013)

I am electrician and I have to agree with Woodnthings. LED lights are becoming cheaper and cheaper everyday. They ate more energy efficient and last longer. There is no warm-up time with LED lights. On the fluorescent lights in my garage which is my workshop , go out they will be switched with LEDs. They also make an LED T8 lightbulb put into an existing fluorescent fixture. I've seen them on displays but never use them I have my question about them. Because of, Title 24, fluorescent lights will be taken off the market, sooner or later. I also like the idea about the track lighting, the put LEDs in. That would give me direct light and areas i.e. router table.

I also get quite extraordinary with my lighting and wiring. Depending on the size of the shop, I would have the lighting on at least two switches and staggered.

Thanks, Eric A.KA. Anguspapa


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The only problem I've had with fluorescent fixtures is heat from the ballast. I had a ballast overheat and charred a piece of wood it was mounted to. Since then I put a spacer under the fixtures I install to put air between the fixture and any wood.


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## Anguspapa (May 4, 2013)

Steve Neul said:


> The only problem I've had with fluorescent fixtures is heat from the ballast. I had a ballast overheat and charred a piece of wood it was mounted to. Since then I put a spacer under the fixtures I install to put air between the fixture and any wood.


With today's electronic ballasts, they don't produce ant heat. Unless they are left on 24 / 7 / 365 days a year.

Thanks, Eric A.KA. Anguspapa


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

A few years back I was changing out all the fluorescent ballasts in my shop and kitchen to T8s and was a little short on my order. I ordered 6 more, but by the time they arrived I was already involved in another project and put them up until I could get back to them. And then when I was ready to start again, I couldn’t find them anywhere. I was convinced that I must have thrown them out by mistake and ordered more.
Well I finally found them, but they had been placed in a paper shopping bag which I saw but assumed it was my wife’s stuff because I never use paper bags. Anyway a year had passed since I first bought them and I discovered that they were the wrong ones anyway. I had bought single tube ballasts by mistake and figured that’s since it was too late to return I would make something for single tube lights.
So now this room lighting thing has come up and I thought I might use them since I had then already. 

Well I'm still undecided and I guess it would be a lot easier to just use a regular ceiling light. Maybe I see what I can find that's cheap and has enough light. One of the things I forgot about is that I also want to be able to dim the lights.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I think I’m going to change my mind on the fluorescent lights and I’m now looking at Mini Pendant lights instead, but I’m going to build a hanging wood box instead of cutting 6 holes in the ceiling. :smile:
I guess I should have mentioned that the room is going to be a hobby room with counters on both sides for my wife’s sewing and my model building. 
I really don’t care much for center ceiling lights and I want the light to be more over the workspace.
Anyway I just saw a package of 3 Mini Pendant lights at Home depot for $40 and I’ll need two sets, one for each side on the room.


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