Home Forums Sign Making Discussions Neon, LED, Lighting More lighting advice needed please?

  • More lighting advice needed please?

    Posted by magpie on 6 March 2005 at 18:56

    Hi everyone,

    I’m after some more guidance with regard to trough lighting please.
    Thanks to feedback from Carrie in an earlier posts I’ve obtained some prices for llighting
    supplied with a sign frame. However I’ve just been looking through this months sign
    update and come across ads for trough systems from Portland lighting (Signlux system)
    and Insight sign systems (Highlight budget T5 system). My question is which system
    would you recommend for illuminating a 915mm tall sign with built up elements
    (40mm returns).

    Also as I havent installed lighting previously is there anything I should be wary of or
    forewarned about (I’ve already told the client he must get an electrician to make the final
    hook up to the mains supply).

    Thanks, Peter.

    magpie replied 20 years, 7 months ago 6 Members · 7 Replies
  • 7 Replies
  • Bill Dewison

    Member
    6 March 2005 at 23:35

    If this is the sign we were talking about the other day Pete, its a very long sign as well isn’t it? Over 30ft anyway, don’t know whether that’d make a difference to lighting options or not? 🙄

    Cheers, Dewi

  • John Singh

    Member
    6 March 2005 at 23:43

    Trough lighting is the standard type tube lighting encased
    I like this kind of lighting as it is uniform distribution
    However the only drawback is the intensity of light
    It isn’t that brilliant (no pun intended) when it come to luminosity
    as opposed to the high intensity floodlights

    This certainly needs to be pointed out to the customer in case he is expecting the 4th of July effect

    I had an electrician do the last one simply because he fitted a timer on it

    The brackets are fairly simple to fix to the wall

    John

  • Martin Pearson

    Member
    6 March 2005 at 23:55

    Peter, my advice would be to ring Portland and ask them, I use Portland for trough lighting and have always found them to be very helpful and the prices are reasonable to. Only other thing I would say is that you may need to bring the light a bit further out than usual as 915mm is quite a deep facia and dont site the light to close to the top of the sign. They are dead easy to install and the electrical work is easy to, but if you have told the customer he needs an electrician thats even better. On that note if the lighting is being fed directly into a fuse box then I would do all the work myself but get an electrician to make the final conection to the box as you need to hold a sixteen edition certificate to touch fuse boxes and I dont hold one yet.

  • magpie

    Member
    10 March 2005 at 13:14

    Thanks for the feedback guys, yep thats the job Dewi.

    John I think I’m covered on this as the client insisted on trough lighting.

    Martin, spoke to Portland and Insight both helpful thanks.

    While we’re discussing the electrical side of things, whats the usual way of
    getting the cable into the shop. Obviously a hole need drilling through, but
    what stops the rain getting in along the cable?

    Also is it usual to put up the lights before the sign frame?

    Finally for now, should the client have planning permission for the lighting?

    Thanks, Peter

  • Simon Clayton

    Member
    10 March 2005 at 16:44

    Just drill hole put wire through and silicon around it, you can also get grommets like the cable TV companies use.
    As said, using trough lighting you will end up with shadows and poor light coverage, they will have to be spaced off quite a bit to get even light.. or maybe one top and bottom. Portland do some nice bullet shaped spot lights, which can be mounted on long stalks, and they look good

    Simon

  • Kev Mayger

    Member
    10 March 2005 at 16:46

    Hello Mate

    Put the sign up first followed by the lighting. Feed the cable into the building. If you can go through the edge of the window frame it will make the job a whole lot easier. Then seal around the cable, inside as well as outside with a silicon based filler. Job done, happy days.

  • magpie

    Member
    10 March 2005 at 17:07

    Thanks guys :thanks2:

    I had all sorts of complex solutions trying to force themselves
    on me.

    Oh yeah, any thoughts on the planning permission side of things?

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