Browse Forums Lighting + Lighting Design 1 Jun 12, 2008 8:04 pm My new apartment has standard-looking oyster ceiling lights. Just the oval shaped ones with the small clam-type clasps (3 of them). I want to replace them with more modern oyster lights, mostly oval (square in bathrooms and a different light all together in the kitchen), but with the more angular sort of curved/long clasps.
Do you think these different oysters will have the same types of fittings? I've been pleasantly surprised by the not too expensive price of these lights, but don't want to be shocked by how much trouble and difficulty and thus expense an electrician would have to go through to fit them if they're different fittings. Also, the existing kitchen light is a round light but more fluoro. How hard would this be to replace with a light that's a panel attached flat to the ceiling with 2 or 3 directional spotlight type lights coming down from the panel? Thank you! How the hell did I become a senior member!? I know nothing! Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 2Jun 12, 2008 8:41 pm Just check that they are DIY....should be labeled on the box....or open the box and have a look.
I just bought a sensor light which was DIY (thanks Paula) and it hangs off the batten light...these things... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ ....and had a separate connector which plugged into the standard batten light fitting to power the sensor and the light. I noticed that they had stacks of decory type lights which were previously "electrician only" but are now DIY because of the way they wire it. Depends on how heavy the light is it may need to be secured into the ceiling with separate toggles....this sort of thing.... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ ....because it may be too heavy for the batten fitting....you'll see that on the light itself it will have holes for the extra screws. Hope this helps....you've got a few odd jobs on your to_do_list ..... mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 3Jun 12, 2008 8:51 pm Oyster lights don't have fittings. They are hard wired in. Therefore any oyster light can be (electrically) replaced with another. The bigger problem is the footprint. If the new oyster light is smaller then you may need to repaint around the smaller light. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 4Jun 12, 2008 9:21 pm Casa2 Oyster lights don't have fittings. They are hard wired in. Therefore any oyster light can be (electrically) replaced with another. The bigger problem is the footprint. If the new oyster light is smaller then you may need to repaint around the smaller light. The light I bought was like this Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ maybe they have their terminology wrong but this was definitely DIY, and I saw some "non-sensor" ones which were also DIY which were a bit more classy. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 5Jun 12, 2008 9:47 pm I think I now understand what is happening here.
DIY means that it fits into an existing light fitting (no electrician required) Other oyster lights are wired in. I don't think an electrician would charge much. I did two in about 30 minutes. An electrician should be able to do it in half the time. I would go for the hard wired option since you have more choice and the light is more slimline. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 6Jun 12, 2008 10:03 pm Just to clarify what the thing looks like inside I took the cover off.....
There would be a limit to the slimness of the fitting, as Casa mentioned, and I'd be worried about the extra cable casting a shadow, although with the diffuser on it and a low energy globe the light is not very sharp and you can barely make out the cable. Also you would be limited in the footprint for the light fitting as there's a lot of gear to squeeze in to a small space. As an indication we had one hardwire light done for $25, but that was part of a whole days electrical work.....probably absorbs the call out costs. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 7Jun 12, 2008 10:22 pm While on oyster lights, my favourite, which we have, is to get the ones with a build in ballast. You can then plug in two 11W compact fluorescent tubes. This should give the equivalent of two 75 W incandescent lights of illumination.
The other advantage of the fixed ballast and replacement lights is that you pay less for the replacement light. Even better, replace the supplied magnetic ballast with an electronic one. The advantage of this is that there is less loss. I haven't done this, but would like to. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 8Jun 13, 2008 3:29 pm UGH, I replied to this post hours ago but obviously despite it telling me my post had been submitted, it hasn't worked, so now I must waste time repeating myself *grumpy goat*
Anyway, what I said was thanks all for your advice. I am a bit confused about how to know whether I should buy DIY lights or not. That photo of the oyster with its cover removed is exactly what my ones would look like. So if I just go to a light shop and get oyster lights from there, would they fit on? I doubt they'd be DIY ones though...does this matter? Also, say my existing lights only have 1 fitting and the ones I want have 2, does this work or would it be very annoying to alter to accommodate 2? Oh, and the existing ones would be the same size or smaller than any new ones I'd get. How the hell did I become a senior member!? I know nothing! Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 9Jun 13, 2008 3:30 pm What the hell is a balast? lol How the hell did I become a senior member!? I know nothing! Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 10Jun 13, 2008 3:38 pm Just check that they are DIY and ask to take the light out of the box (or just do it) and see if you think you can install....or go into *grumpy goat* mode.....
And even if they are DIY...please...please...please...turn the power off to the lights at the fusebox....spikey hair really wouldn't suit you. If you have a few electricals to do around the flat you may just be better off buying the lights you really want (DIY or not) and get the sparky to do it whilst they are changing other things around.....once they are there the marginal cost of extra work is probably minimal mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 11Jun 13, 2008 4:16 pm Well, I DO want these lights, so...I mean, I'm not one to settle at all. I fully intend for an electrician to come out and fit everything. I just wanted to know if anything I buy was DIY just for my own reference...it's not a preference. How the hell did I become a senior member!? I know nothing! Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 12Jun 13, 2008 6:21 pm grace_slick What the hell is a balast? lol Short answer: A ballast is a device to drop the voltage for fluorescent lights. Long Answer: Incandescent lights can operate at 240 V and can be directly connected to the 240 V mains supply. Fluorescent lights on the other hand operate at 90 V so they need something to drop the voltage. Such a device is a ballast. When you buy a CFL, which operates directly off 240 V, it includes a ballast as well as the light. So everytime the light wears out (approx. 8000 hours) you throw away the fluorescent light and the ballast. You can get compact fluorescent lights without a ballast and these work with a light fitting that has a fixed ballast. The old fashioned fluorescent lights always had a separate ballast (and a starter). Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 13Jun 14, 2008 8:26 pm When you refer to a CFL are you talking about a compact fluorescent light?
The ones I have plug straight into a standard batten holder, there is no ballast needed? Marlin Re: Do all oyster lights have the same fittings? 14Jun 14, 2008 9:13 pm Marlin When you refer to a CFL are you talking about a compact fluorescent light? The ones I have plug straight into a standard batten holder, there is no ballast needed? Marlin Yes, CFL stands for compact fluorescent light. For the CFLs that plug straight into a standard light fitting, the ballast is in the base of the light (it would fit into a 2 cm x 2m x 2 cm cube. Some light fittings have a ballast and then the light fitting is smaller and the base is very small. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Oyster Lights 15Jun 17, 2008 11:18 pm Hi there Grace_slick,
DIY or not! CFL or not! Electrician or not! Ballast or not! etc, etc, etc. Personally, i think that you will always have more options, if you buy the light fitting that is aesthetically appealing to you. Then worry about the installation. It's not as if you need to settle for something, that's not what you like. So I'm just reading up on this ecosystem of lights. I'm planning on putting deck lights along the outside edge of a large deck. Will need about 3 packs (18 lights) plus… 0 23016 A question. Im in Queensland and building a new home. We managed to reach practical completion 6 weeks ago but we haven't heard any date for handover yet. Who should we… 0 5800 This is one of the reasons I decided to go overseas for my double glazed windows. As the builder indicated, he's worked on many upmarket builds, these were the most well… 13 19080 |