Finding Outdoor Fluorescent Lighting for your home

Finding outdoor fluorescent lighting should never be a problem since you can go into any home superstore and find everything you would ever need to get started on your project.

But what types of fluorescent lighting are available for outdoors?

Your in for a treat as you will see that fluorescent lighting comes in many shapes and sizes.

Lets look at how you can make your home's outdoors stand out and really take advantages of all that outdoor fluorescent lighting can do for it.

Making it interesting is the key ingredient here. Don't ever believe that what you see is what you get with fluorescent lighting. Make it your own, dramatize it, make it special for you and your guests.

Here are a few ideas I can share with you that maybe will inspire you.

Since fluorescent lights are linear in shape and usually found in the form of a long tube. Why not use that as a backlight to highlight some of your beautifully decorated stained glass or any transparent colored glass for that matter.

Throwing a party for your little one's? Make it even more special with a backlit sign expressing your appreciation for them being in your lives.

How about using compact fluorescent lights with a color filter mounted on the fixture's lens to dramatize your landscape for special events or holidays.

But before you get in your car and drive to the local superstore there are a few things you need to know about outdoor fluorescent lighting.

Advantages of Outdoor Fluorescent Lighting

Since fluorescent lamps have such a long lamp life, maintenance needed in replacing the bulbs does not have to be as frequent making them an excellent choice for out of reach areas.

Compared to incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps give off significantly more light output per watt. It is not uncommon for fluorescent lamps to produce three to five times the amount of light of incandescent lamps.

Fluorescent lamps give off much less heat than incandescent lamps. They are less likely to create problems due to heat damage and are less of a fire hazard.

Outdoor fluorescent lighting requires a ballast. A ballast powers fluorescent lamps by controlling the amount of electricity supplied to the lamp. It also provides a jolt of extra power to ignite the lamp when it is turned on.

Disadvantages of Outdoor Fluorescent Lighting

Some older fluorescent lights may produce an annoying humming sound which can easily be fixed by replacing the ballast.

Most fluorescent lamps due to their larger sizes make it difficult to direct light precisely. Although compact fluorescent lamps have made it easier to direct their light output, they are still significantly larger than some of the smaller incandescent models.

Outdoor fluorescent lighting's major downfall is the difficulty in lighting them in very cold or windy environments.

When lighting them in colder temperatures it may take time for the lamp to warm up in order to produce their full light output. If its too cold, they may not ignite at all.

Fluorescent lighting is not the most pleasing to human skin tones. The white light they produce is a bit cold and may not be too popular with some people. But thats all personal preference.

Fluorescent Lighting Solutions for the Harsh Outdoors

Jacketed lamps named after a glass jacket that protects the fluorescent lamp from the outside air, helps to protect from wind and retains heat to keep the fluorescent lamp operating at the proper temperature.

These jackets help but you may still need to install a low temperature ballast in a addition to the jacketed lamps in order to avoid future problems.

You may be searching for a simple solution for your existing outdoor lighting that will produce more light output but is able to integrate into your existing outdoor lighting design.

Thats when compact fluorescent lamps come in handy. Some compact fluorescent lamps mimic the style of incandescent lamps you may already be using.

Some of the more commonly used for outdoor lamps are the reflector and aperture lamps. These lamps look like the incandescent equivalents but are really fluorescent lamps made to look alike.

Not only are they longer lasting and more energy efficient, but they provide fluorescent lighting with a controlled beamspread.

Getting creative with your outdoor lighting scheme and saving energy can now be achieved.

No matter what you want to do for your outdoor lighting project, incorporating fluorescent lighting in your design can be a great idea.

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