We often find there is a lot of confusion between Lumens and Foot Candles and Lux. And even more confusing is how some represent conversion from traditional light sources like Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium in terms of watts, and not lumens. So why all the confusion. Well, it may be because those who represent this conversion are trying to avoid letting you know about the efficiency of the LED lights, so they claim you can replace X watts of Metal Halide with X watts of LED. What they should really say is that you can replace a 400W Metal Halide with X lumens, and their lights only need Y watts to produce these lumens. We’ll dive into this a little later, but lets first talk about lumens vs foot candles vs lux.

What is a lumen? A lumen is a measurement of light related to (1) fixture or bulb. So when we talk about lumens, we say that a fixture or bulb creates (X) lumens. These lumens are determined by sophisticated measurement equipment.

What is a foot candle? A foot candle is a unit of measurement at a specific location in a room or outdoor location that is created by 1 to many lights. It is a cumulative reading of 1 to many light sources at a specific location. It is both real and calculated. Real in the sense that you can take a light meter and walk to any location in a room or outdoor location and take a reading that represents the amount of light recorded from all contributing lights or fixtures. Calculated in the sense that you can use software to predict the foot candles of a space based on the placement of lights within the simulation.

What is lux? Lux is identical to foot candles. It is a measurement of real or calculated light, but it is done on a different scale. As a rough estimate, 1 foot candle = 10 lux.

So, simply stated, lights produces lumens, and the cumulative lumens of all lights are then determine the foot candle or lux measurement of light at a specific point in an indoor or outdoor space.

We all like using lights that we have collected over the years, but along with this also comes a great deal of responsibility. Please check any Christmas lights or decorations, such as wreaths, that light up for before they are used. The plastic or glass that surrounds the light should be intact, and should not contain any cracks or breaks. Please inspect the wires for tears fraying or damage.

If lights are being plugged in outside on the trees, roof top, doors, or driveway make sure you have enough electrical outlets. Do not overload your outlets and use only ground fault outlets as this will help to keep your lights and yourself safe, as they will most likely be exposed to wetness and moisture. Also make sure your extension cords do not become a tripping hazard.

When choosing a real tree, make sure it’s not too dry and not close to any candles. Christmas lights can be used to decorate real and synthetic Christmas trees. Lights should be in their best condition before being placed on the tree. Turn all Christmas lights and decorations off when you leave the house or go to bed to avoid electrical fire. Don’t use electrically powered ornaments or lights on metal decorative trees or decorations as the sharp edges may cut the cord and cause a shock and fire hazard. Due to heat danger keep your tree 3-4 feet away from fireplaces, electric heaters and floor registers.

4. Christmas “bubble” lights were popular in the 1950’s and contain coloured liquid. These should be kept away from children, as the covering of the lights can be broken, and children may attempt to drink the liquid inside. Strings of lights should be kept tucked away or taped to walls so that children cannot easily pull the cords and injure themselves or damage furniture.

5. LED’s are much more energy efficient and give off almost no heat. LED lights help protect from overloading outlets they are much safer and you can use more of them with the same available power source so your home will look like a Christmas wonderland!

When facility managers or building owners first start the search for new replacement lighting fixtures in their facility, it can seem like a long road ahead.

From all of the read this post where we talk all about what it is. From there, you can come back to this post and continue, it will really help you keep up! Now, let’s get into when high bay lighting is practical in both broad terms and specific applications it is best used in.

In broader terms, the most appropriate time to use a high bay lighting fixture is for ceiling heights that are between 20 to 40 feet high. For heights between 15 to 20, you typically are going to go with a low bay fixture, but that’s for an entirely different post. For anything lower, you will typically be dealing with tubes and panels lights, most often found in offices, hallways, and other similar type environments.

So for commercial and industrial type environments in which the ceiling height is 20 to 40 feet tall, a high bay lighting fixture is commonly the most chosen lighting fixture to install. That is the broad definition of when high bay fixtures are going to be used at the most optimal rates.

So, what types of high bays are often used and fit the purpose perfectly. Although these applications are highly relevant, there are some we have not listed and may have missed, but these are just a few of many very practical applications that high bays work perfectly in:

Gymnasiums

Think about your school gym, or even your warehouses often have tall ceilings due to storage space requirements, this need for space vertically makes their ceilings the perfect height for high bay fixtures.

Factories

Similarly to a warehouse, factories and production facilities need proper lighting to keep things safe and consistent. With proper lighting through installation of high quality high bays (such as with LED technology), you opt-in for better safety standards and higher consistency in your production efforts.

Airplane Hangars

Large airplanes call for large ceilings in the hangars and a proper lighting system is a must for this environment. When maintenance is required, you need clear and proper light to contact one of our professionals.

There are some real benefits to owning a portable generator. Many people use them during a power outage. This allows the home to have some basic essentials like a few lights and maybe a refrigerator powered during the outage. Portable generators are ideal because they can be taken out when needed and quickly stored away when they are not.

There are plenty of different sizes of generators for you to choose from. Many people find the portable variety a better option over the hard-wired generators that are typically installed by an electrician. Pasadena residents can call The Electric Connection to find out more about the home generators that provide power within seconds of the power going out.

One of the benefits of the portable variety is the ability to take the generator with you on camping trips or on day outings. These tend to be the smaller wattage generators that will only produce enough power to run a couple of small appliances.

Although portable generators have the added mobility benefit, they can be cumbersome and in some cases, quite loud. Typically, the larger generators will have wheels to aid in movement, but they are still quite heavy and not very portable. Another benefit to the hard-wired generators is the fact they are enclosed in a box that muffles the sound. This is ideal when you are in a neighborhood or at night when you are trying to sleep.

Your electrician in Pasadena can help you weigh your options and provide you with the information you need to make the best generator choice. One of the deciding factors will be how much you want to spend. Portable generators are less expensive. If you have more questions and want to get an estimate for a generator installation, give The Electric Connection a call today to schedule an appointment.