Ideabank – Bathroom & Sauna lighting
When it comes to sauna lighting, the most typical question is : “Won’t it be too bright ?”
Applicable products:
By using LED lights designed for the sauna, the light output is not too high. If you want a lot of light sources, adding a dimmer is simple and doesn’t cost much. The LED lights in the sauna are so-called. heater lenses, whose design protects the lenses from the worst of the heat. In addition, a properly designed current limiter will size the LED to operate below its rated wattage. This makes the lifespan of LEDs easily 6-8 years, even longer, and when installed correctly, they are easy to maintain. That’s why heat-protected LEDs are by far the most popular option for saunas. They can be mounted behind the backrest or on the ceiling to provide indirect light. It is recommended to install the LEDs that light the heater at a slight angle from the heater area towards the viewer, i.e. towards the ceiling, so that the light is reflected from the side of the steam droplets and not only from the top of the droplet, which has a poorly reflecting surface.The number of LEDs can be 6-8 in very small saunas, 10-16 in normal-sized saunas and 12 or more in saunas larger than 4-5 square metres. The shade of the paneling has a big effect, with darker panels requiring more light sources and black requiring twice as many as the lighter ones.
A new favourite is finally available
the starry sky of the sauna
, a fibre-optic system with discreetly small, heat-resistant lenses. The new generation of LED projectors can even produce stars of different shades of white at the same time. The wind action is carried out without moving parts. The basic package offers 96 stars.
The atmospheric light in the sauna easily creates the need for a so-called cleaning light. This can easily be achieved with an LED strip mounted at the bottom of the backrest or under the ceiling. If the strip is installed with a dimmer, it can also be used as a sauna light at low power. Even a low-power LED strip is so bright that, in my experience, it normally takes about. 10% efficiency. At low power, a properly selected tape will not heat itself up to virtually nothing, so it can withstand short hot spells at relatively low installation heights.
Bathroom lighting
The lighting in a washroom varies greatly depending on the type of washroom in the house or apartment.
Example products:
A spacious washroom may have several different light sources, ceiling lights, indirect lighting, starry skies, target or accent lights. When aiming at a target light, the beam angle is usually less than 50 degrees. For a larger area, they are needed quite densely, e.g. every metre. This is suitable for approx. 3 watt spots.A small washroom may only need one general light, and the White Line, which provides almost 180 degrees of light, is ideal.
Small accent lights can be used for mood lighting or to illuminate e.g. a detail (used, for example, to illuminate a soap box embedded in a wall, etc.). The product is the same as the heat-protected LEDs with glass lens used in saunas.
Indirect light, now popular, is obtained from behind a suitable trim or from a recessed LED strip. Light output can be as low as 4.8 W/m for light general lighting or 13-14 W/m for decent light. At least the more powerful ribbons always need an aluminium heat sink, but even low-power ribbons usually have one to make installation easier.
The starry sky can be installed over the entire roof area or limited to e.g. in the middle of the roof, on top of the shower or typically above the bathtub. When installed in a small area, the density of stars should be higher than the density of stars over the whole roof area.
An interesting addition is the use of a new lighting profile at the joint in the tiling. The strip of light flush with the tile surface can be white or coloured (RGB). The profile has IP67 moisture protection, so it can be installed in e.g. vertically on the wall or on the floor.