What are track lights, how to choose them, and how to install them?

ByAmeliaLiam

Good lighting will help to successfully submit the interior, which does not attract the attention of visitors. Track lighting systems have been developed specifically for such tasks.

To illuminate large commercial or exhibition spaces, a specific lighting technique is needed. Good lighting will help to successfully submit the interior, which does not attract the attention of visitors. Track lighting systems have been developed specifically for such tasks. These are lighting devices fixed on the busbar that can be directed in the right direction.

 

Where is track lighting used?

The main scope of application is the lighting of trading floors and art platforms for the exhibition of art objects. In such rooms, you need to focus on certain items that can often move. Track lights are better suited for this than any type of lighting.

There is a tendency to use such systems in residential buildings. Practical and stylish lighting devices will emphasize the design subtleties of the interior, provide good light, and allow you to change the general mood of the room by changing the direction of the lamps.

Track lights are also used in public areas:

  • Bars;
  • Office centers.
  • Libraries;
  • Restaurants;

The nuances of choosing fixtures

For home use, in order not to waste extra time, it is recommended to buy complete systems. The following components must be present:

  • Bus connectors;
  • busbar of the required length;
  • Lighting devices;
  • Plugs and mounting brackets.
  • Adapters for fixtures;

To find out how to choose a track light track, browse the forums and lighting installation. Guides. So, when buying, you need to pay attention to the number of busbar phases. The possibility of combining lamps into groups for separate inclusion depends on this.

Important Features

First, you need to determine which bulbs to install in the device:

  • The least expensive are incandescent lamps. But such lighting produces a lot of heat and consumes more energy than others.
  • Good color rendering. Able to heat up.
  • Metal halide. As they are used, they give a greenish light.
  • LED – despite the price, the best choice, because they do not heat up and consume 8 times less energy than others. The service life of such lamps is also long.

Pay attention to the base type:

  • Threaded can include classic, fluorescent, and diode lamps.
  • The pin only works with halogen and LED fixtures.

Color temperature affects the comfort of a person in a room.

Busbar trucking made of alloys of metal, aluminum, plastic is usually used. If the lighting will be installed outdoors, you should choose models with protection IP44 and higher.

Most slatted luminaires are presented in a modern design. But connoisseurs have the opportunity to buy classic or retro lamps.

Lighting installation: what you need to know

Usually, the kit includes instructions on how to mount track lights. But there are some nuances:

  • The first step should be planning and calculating the mass of the future structure. No more than 5 lamps weighing 5 kg each should be installed in one meter of the bus duct. It is recommended to keep 0.2 m between them. Hangers should be at a distance of 80 cm from the ceiling and no further than 1 m from each other.
  • Only 10 kg of the load falls on 1 adapter, otherwise, the lamp will simply fall.
  • No more than 16 A of load should fall on 1 phase. If in the current configuration the value is greater than the allowable value, then you will have to break the fixtures into separate groups, where each will have its own power cable.

Sequence of work

The suspension system is assembled on the floor, and only after that does it begin to rise to the place of attachment. Overhead and recessed track lighting systems can be assembled at the same time as installation.

Before starting work, be sure to turn off the electricity.

Such work is carried out for a single-phase circuit:

  1. Power off. Assembling the rail system with connectors.
  2. Fixing the frame in the right place with staples or hanging fixtures
  3. Bringing electrical cables to the points of contact with the busbar.
  4. Connection of wires, insulation of bare conductors.
  5. Fixing the adapter in the appropriate place on the track – a characteristic sound of a snapping mechanism should be heard.
  6. Light direction adjustment.

There is nothing difficult in how LED Track Lights are connected, but it is better to entrust this work to professional electricians.

Installation of lighting should be carried out by at least 2 people – this will ensure the quality of work.

An important role is played by lamps and lamps that are used in them. Their choice depends on the efficiency, cost-effectiveness of track lighting, and reliability.