Downlights

[Biz]

Interested to know if anyone has a lot of these in their IP and how you find it in terms of electrician call outs?

We have a lot of them in our home and I regularly have to change out the bulbs which would be no problem (but wouldn't surprise me) for a tenant but what about the transformers and wire in between that often goes? In a year I reckon I replace at least 2 or 3 transformers and a few of those wires too. No biggie, I just switch the power off and do it but the cost would add up for an IP i imagine.

I'm looking at a possible IP at the moment with them but it is turning me off...no pun intended.

 

[nww]

Interested to know if anyone has a lot of these in their IP and how you find it in terms of electrician call outs?

We have a lot of them in our home and I regularly have to change out the bulbs which would be no problem (but wouldn't surprise me) for a tenant but what about the transformers and wire in between that often goes? In a year I reckon I replace at least 2 or 3 transformers and a few of those wires too. No biggie, I just switch the power off and do it but the cost would add up for an IP i imagine.

I'm looking at a possible IP at the moment with them but it is turning me off...no pun intended.

Stopped having to change one or two every few months when I converted them to LED.
You may get away with just changing from halogen to LED if you buy a decent brand and not have to replace the transformer but cheaper range usually require
new transformer to stop surging , which then makes it cheaper to buy a complete new downlight.

 

[Biz]

Stopped having to change one or two every few months when I converted them to LED.
You may get away with just changing from halogen to LED if you buy a decent brand and not have to replace the transformer but cheaper range usually require
new transformer to stop surging , which then makes it cheaper to buy a complete new downlight.

I have been looking at the LED option for our home actually. How do you find them for light compared to the old ones though? I find they do give off the same level of brightness compared to the old power suckers.

 

[wylie]

I have been looking at the LED option for our home actually. How do you find them for light compared to the old ones though? I find they do give off the same level of brightness compared to the old power suckers.

We've swapped out our kitchen and eating area dichroic lights for LED lights. Same with our back patio, and made them dimmable.

Initially I missed the old light where the downlight threw a pool of light onto our bench. We had one light over the sink, two over the island and one over the counter where the toaster and kettle sat.

The replacement LED we chose had a diffuser and so it throws off a less "directional" light and lights up the whole room more as opposed to throwing a pool of light. The kitchen initially felt generally much brighter (not particularly in a good way) but we soon got used to it.

We are lovers of task lighting, and don't often put on overhead lights, love the pool of light from standard lamps, like a strong spot of light directed at ceiling or floor to light up our house, and use mostly lamps, so this "wash" of light in the kitchen was very different to the pool of light at first.

But I wouldn't go back now. Running cost is cheaper.

 

[nww]

I have been looking at the LED option for our home actually. How do you find them for light compared to the old ones though? I find they do give off the same level of brightness compared to the old power suckers.

Go to bunnings and pickup some LED globes , make sure they are easy to open
and replace so you can return them , select a few types and see if they
will work in your old halogen set up with the transformer.

I tried a few of their cheaper range but they kept surging , took back and tried
the phillips which are much dearer and they worked fine , don't think there
is much difference between the old halogen and new I put in for brightness.

 

[Salvatore1]

Don't enjoy down lights with tenants and owners. Tenants always have difficulties changing the globes and when they need an electrician as not a globe issue always a transformer issue and each transform is $70 + callout fee + labor + GST!!! Hate them for my owners.

 

[boeman]

LED.

Buy some with a transformer (buy local, chinese ones often don't comply).

20 000 hours is the norm. Light is as good, if not better, than standard.

Allow $100 per point supplied and installed.

 

[depreciator]

I will never again put a downlight in any property I own.

It's ceiling mounted lights for me from now on.