# Gels on house lights safe?



## techno89 (May 22, 2010)

Can i put a gel on the lights in my house, i mean a regular home bulb in high hats, they are the 120w CFLs that use 60w, can I put gels over them, theres about 3/4 to an inch space between the bulb and where i can tape the gel


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## shiben (May 22, 2010)

I wouldnt, because the lamp might cause the gel to melt. Not positive on that, but I think its the case. Also, they make colored CFLs. They do, however, make tubes of gel for the long fluorescence...


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## fredthe (May 22, 2010)

The problem is the bulb is air-cooled. The gel will block the airflow, cooking the bulb, the fixture, and the gel. It would also be a fire hazard, if the fixture isn't designed for it.

Don't do it.


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## techno89 (May 22, 2010)

shiben said:


> I wouldnt, because the lamp might cause the gel to melt. Not positive on that, but I think its the case. Also, they make colored CFLs. They do, however, make tubes of gel for the long fluorescence...



melt of set on fire? melt I dont care so much, fire would worry me


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## calkew5 (May 22, 2010)

Do CFL's really get that hot? I don't really see a problem with doing this.


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## techno89 (May 22, 2010)

i dont know but I want my room to be R74


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## WooferHound (May 22, 2010)

Gels will NOT melt or catch on fire, at the most, a gel will either burn clear or burn black with a possible hole. A fluorescent light under normal circumstances will not do any of these things to a gel.

I lit a fairly large bar for 3 years using fluorescent bulbs and gels without any problems at all. about 25 fixtures in all. Saved the owner tons of money on power.

One thing to note is that a gel will not have the same effect of color on a Fluorescent light as it does on an incandescent light. The fluorescent bulb makes spikes of color that add together to make white, the incandescent bulb is a full spectrum heater that makes a close approximation of white light.


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## shiben (May 23, 2010)

techno89 said:


> i dont know but I want my room to be R74



They sell an equivalent at Lowes thats already colored. 


> The problem is the bulb is air-cooled. The gel will block the airflow, cooking the bulb, the fixture, and the gel. It would also be a fire hazard, if the fixture isn't designed for it.



CFLs dont get any hotter than S4 at the gel frame location. However, Like anything, it will melt the gel eventually, and I believe that happens faster with contact with the heat source. Anyhow, if you want it to be R74, get some cheap ADJ PAR 16s and gel them R74, then use some lighter purple to accent things like your couch and reading table, then use a few more in AP2000 for some footlights or shinbusters.


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## Les (May 23, 2010)

shiben said:


> They sell an equivalent at Lowes thats already colored.



Yep, only $4.97 each too. Not too shabby for a CFL.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_52997-3-29861_0_?productId=1245633&Ntt=blue%20cfl&Ntk=i_products_cascade&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?newSearch=true$Ntt=blue%20cfl$y=0$x=0


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## kendal69 (May 23, 2010)

My first question is WHY? If you want different color you can get LED screw in bulbs that have remote controls and give you thousands of colors. Next they have almost every color screw in bulb you want. Yellow, green, red, blue, etc.etc.

If you use a gel it will eventually get faded and it will get brittle so using a gel is only a temporary fix.


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## shiben (May 23, 2010)

kendal69 said:


> My first question is WHY? If you want different color you can get LED screw in bulbs that have remote controls and give you thousands of colors. Next they have almost every color screw in bulb you want. Yellow, green, red, blue, etc.etc.
> 
> If you use a gel it will eventually get faded and it will get brittle so using a gel is only a temporary fix.



To be fair, when I am thinking of using a very odd combination for a show I set up a bunch of PARs in my room to see If I like the combo.


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## Lotos (May 23, 2010)

Les said:


> Yep, only $4.97 each too. Not too shabby for a CFL.
> 
> Shop SYLVANIA 13-Watt Compact Fluorescents Bulbs (CFL) at Lowes.com


 
Home Depot, at least here in Canada, sells a Philips Blue CFL that is GORGEOUS!



I recently swapped out backstage running lights over from Blue Incandescent 40w bulbs to these...
The light output change was instantly noticeable... These are bright as hell, but they sit in that lovely blue colour that is completely held backstage.
And these shouldn't burn the colour to greeny/bluey/amber like incandescents do eventually... Requiring a change long before the useful life of the bulb itself has come to an end...

They're supposedly good for '7 years' (at 4 hours a day)... So if you're looking for running lights, and you can get your hands on these guys, I heartily recommend it.


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## Sony (May 23, 2010)

kendal69 said:


> My first question is WHY? If you want different color you can get LED screw in bulbs that have remote controls and give you thousands of colors. Next they have almost every color screw in bulb you want. Yellow, green, red, blue, etc.etc.
> 
> If you use a gel it will eventually get faded and it will get brittle so using a gel is only a temporary fix.



You realize that those LED Light bulbs are very dim and cost $30 a piece right? CFL's cost a couple dollars and last I checked, Rosco gel's cost about $7 a sheet, and one sheet could do probably 8 lights minimum. Not everyone has money flying at them from every direction. Also while home depot may have lamps with lots of colors, I doubt they have exactly Rosco 385 or Rosco 39 and that does matter to some people. 

CFL's stay relatively cool, especially compared to the Gel slot in a S4. As long as the gel isn't in direct contact with the lamp I believe it should be fine, and if a gel can last for months in a S4 then I bet you it will last WAY longer in a CFL.


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## shiben (May 23, 2010)

Lotos said:


> Home Depot, at least here in Canada, sells a Philips Blue CFL that is GORGEOUS!
> 
> 
> I recently swapped out backstage running lights over from Blue Incandescent 40w bulbs to these...
> ...



These are the thing! I love them. I have one in my room on when Im sleeping, so as I dont trip if I get up at night to hit the head or something. Dim enough that its not annoying to sleep with, bright enough you can see stuff happen.


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## Pie4Weebl (May 23, 2010)

I've tapped gels right over CFLs in my house before and never had any issues, aside from color quality due to it being a CFL...


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## gafftapegreenia (May 23, 2010)

I've seen Rosco laid directly on PAR38's (highschool-dark times) that did not melt. I'm certain gel a few inches from a CFL will be fine.


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## zuixro (May 23, 2010)

Lotos said:


> Home Depot, at least here in Canada, sells a Philips Blue CFL that is GORGEOUS!
> 
> 
> I recently swapped out backstage running lights over from Blue Incandescent 40w bulbs to these...
> ...



We use those for running lights too. I love them so much that I bought my own to use in my room. It's so bright, but it's also really dark. It's weird. It's like you can see a lot, but there's not that much light.


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## MarshallPope (May 23, 2010)

I'm going to have to get one of those for next semester. I like to have a blue light in my dorm room so that I can study and let my roommate sleep. Last semester I made a pendant light out of a Walmart $8 clamp light minus the clip, hung by command hooks. It worked well. Maybe I should upgrade to CFL from incandescent.


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## shiben (May 23, 2010)

Pie4Weebl said:


> I've tapped gels right over CFLs in my house before and never had any issues, aside from color quality due to it being a CFL...



This is a very good point: to the OP, your room wont be R74 (well, it might actually, but that would be one of about 2 colors that a CFL would have no issues with).


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## photoatdv (May 23, 2010)

I've done this before... the gel will be fine (at least from the not cause a fire standpoint). I'd be careful with however you attach it though. 

On the other hand I've seen people but colored paper over lights to make colors... that one's a bad idea. Got one place to ban putting anything over lights (I found this out because I was going to use gels on outdoor lights a a promo thing for an upcoming show and was told in no uncertain terms NO!!!).


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## JD (May 23, 2010)

I would be somewhat blown away if a gel couldn't handle a CFL, after all, most do just fine on a Q1000 par bulb! HOWEVER, it may indeed cause problems with the CLF lamp. The high frequency electronic ballast for these lamps is mounted in the base of the lamp. As with all electronics, confining the air flow may cause spot overheating in the components of that ballast. 

Still amazes me that a discharge lamp with an electronic ballast can be RETAILED for about a buck!


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## zmb (May 23, 2010)

I'm not sure how much heat a CFL will put out or what the max temp is on the ballast, but you could try to pounce a sheet of gel to let some heat out.

Rosco and Apollo also sell fluorscent sleeves that go directly over the lamp, however they are only available for certain linear lamps or through custom order.


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## chris325 (May 23, 2010)

Those colored CFLs come in red, green, and blue, leading me to believe that if they are produced in different wattages, one could create several different colors by experimenting with different wattages of different colors.

Even with a red, a green, and a blue cfl, one should be able to create cyan, yellow, and magenta.

Just a thought.


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## techno89 (May 23, 2010)

alright I gelled them, this turned into a super thread, ill let you know how it goes


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## Les (May 23, 2010)

I know that Lowe's sells the red, green and blue CFL's as well as in yellow and blacklight colors. The yellow _may_ be marketed as a bug light bulb, but for all intensive purposes, it is the same thing. There may also be a dedicated yellow 'non-bug light' bulb. Not sure about that one though, I'll check tomorrow. 

In stores, you are likely to only find 13w (~60w) bulbs. Others will need to be special ordered or ordered online.


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## derekleffew (May 23, 2010)

I saw these at Menard's a while ago.



http://www.blinkerboys.com/Products/Bulbs/CompactFluorescent.asp

Ima gonna hafta get me o' these: http://www.blinkerboys.com/Products/Bulbs/LEDSpotlights.asp.


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## MNicolai (May 24, 2010)

If you're gelling incandescent bulbs, the lack of air flow will cause the filaments to burn up faster. Expect your bulbs to not last as long but otherwise not cause problems.

CFL's are another mess. They have capacitors and other electronic components in them that will burn up under intense heat. Without that air flow, these capacitors can die rather quickly. I've seen CFL's die in a similar manner that result in the bases getting heated to a brown color with the plastic shell around them melting and deforming. I'd be really careful gelling high(er) wattage CFL's.


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## WooferHound (May 25, 2010)

Fluorescent lights will NOT make gel fade or become brittle.

If you want to color your room Blue then use Fluorescent lights that are colored Daylight. They are more blue and will give you a much brighter color blue than florescent that are colored incandescent.


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## kendal69 (May 25, 2010)

> You realize that those LED Light bulbs are very dim and cost $30 a piece right? CFL's cost a couple dollars and last I checked, Rosco gel's cost about $7 a sheet, and one sheet could do probably 8 lights minimum. Not everyone has money flying at them from every direction. Also while home depot may have lamps with lots of colors, I doubt they have exactly Rosco 385 or Rosco 39 and that does matter to some people.
> 
> CFL's stay relatively cool, especially compared to the Gel slot in a S4. As long as the gel isn't in direct contact with the lamp I believe it should be fine, and if a gel can last for months in a S4 then I bet you it will last WAY longer in a CFL.



Do you realize the Op said nothing about price? Do you realize the OP could be Bill Gates?
Do you realize the OP was seeking advice and ideas and one would expect some posters to think outside the box - you know with led's. Do you realize the OP did not mention and EXACT color so if the OP did not mention Rosco 385 or Rosco 39 or any other color for that matter the one would only surmise the OP is one of those people that it did not matter to. Do you also realize a great board exists with people having many, many ideas and other members not taking the opportunity to castigate.
Right you do realize THAT?


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## techno89 (May 25, 2010)

kendal69 said:


> Do you realize the Op said nothing about price? Do you realize the OP could be Bill Gates?
> Do you realize the OP was seeking advice and ideas and one would expect some posters to think outside the box - you know with led's. Do you realize the OP did not mention and EXACT color so if the OP did not mention Rosco 385 or Rosco 39 or any other color for that matter the one would only surmise the OP is one of those people that it did not matter to. Do you also realize a great board exists with people having many, many ideas and other members not taking the opportunity to castigate.
> Right you do realize THAT?




Thank You,

I obviously did not want to go out and buy them, I had these gels and figured why not, I was just curious if it was a hazard, for the record I'm using R74 . I did put them on and everything is fine so far. 

Thanks Guys

And I didnt do the RGB leds because they are not bright enough


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## Les (May 25, 2010)

Hah. I probably would have thrown it on and called it a day without starting this whole controversial thread in the first place .


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## photoatdv (May 25, 2010)

That's what I did... involved a friend complaining she wanted her dorm to look more interesting, sleep deprivation (I think we did this at like 3am), some gels I had laying around at home, and liberal application of gaff... oh, and me nearly falling off the furniture I was standing on due to my friend throwing stuff at me because I had the wrong color purple (or something like that). For some reason all of this actually sounded logical at the time...


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## Les (May 25, 2010)

photoatdv said:


> That's what I did... involved a friend complaining she wanted her dorm to look more interesting, sleep deprivation (I think we did this at like 3am), some gels I had laying around at home, and liberal application of gaff... oh, and me nearly falling off the furniture I was standing on due to my friend throwing stuff at me because I had the wrong color purple (or something like that). For some reason all of this actually sounded logical at the time...



At 3am, ANYTHING sounds logical 

I just hope that you were properly clipped in using an approved harness, lanyard and attachment point, and signed off on all equipment.


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## photoatdv (May 26, 2010)

"At 3am, ANYTHING sounds logical "

That is quite true... did an overnight gig (I want to say like 30 hours, coming off of not much sleep the night before) a couple of years ago (I was the whole overnight crew) and by morning I had the day shift crew scratching heads at a few of my more creative solutions to problems...

Oh yes, and of course I tied off to the the lamp on the dresser ;-D...


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## shiben (May 26, 2010)

photoatdv said:


> "At 3am, ANYTHING sounds logical "
> 
> That is quite true... did an overnight gig (I want to say like 30 hours, coming off of not much sleep the night before) a couple of years ago (I was the whole overnight crew) and by morning I had the day shift crew scratching heads at a few of my more creative solutions to problems...
> 
> Oh yes, and of course I tied off to the the lamp on the dresser ;-D...



It could fall... 


> I just hope that you were properly clipped in using an approved harness, lanyard and attachment point, and signed off on all equipment.



And who doesnt have a 5,000 lb rated harness point in their room?


> That's what I did... involved a friend complaining she wanted her dorm to look more interesting, sleep deprivation (I think we did this at like 3am), some gels I had laying around at home, and liberal application of gaff... oh, and me nearly falling off the furniture I was standing on due to my friend throwing stuff at me because I had the wrong color purple (or something like that). For some reason all of this actually sounded logical at the time...



And this takes sleep deprivation to go there?


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## techno89 (May 26, 2010)

Just an update its working perfectly and my room is a wonderful blue, im so surprised this became a super thread


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## zuixro (May 26, 2010)

techno89 said:


> Just an update its working perfectly and my room is a wonderful blue, im so surprised this became a super thread



Sweet. Now just throw in some X10 control and you'll be set!


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## Les (May 26, 2010)

Nah, here's a super thread:
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/general-advice/72-techie-sayings-40.html

(It's really too bad that one of our longest running threads in CB history has the word 'techie' in it  )

Edit:At 94 pages, the show pics thread has really exploded since the last time I saw it!
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...ght-we-could-share-pictures-our-shows-94.html


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## Anvilx (May 27, 2010)

kendal69 said:


> Do you realize the Op said nothing about price? Do you realize the OP could be Bill Gates?
> Do you realize the OP was seeking advice and ideas and one would expect some posters to think outside the box - you know with led's. Do you realize the OP did not mention and EXACT color so if the OP did not mention Rosco 385 or Rosco 39 or any other color for that matter the one would only surmise the OP is one of those people that it did not matter to. Do you also realize a great board exists with people having many, many ideas and other members not taking the opportunity to castigate.
> Right you do realize THAT?



Chill out! Nobody is attacking you.

FYI: The OP said "i dont know but I want my room to be R74".

I know if I were bill gates and wanted my room blue I would bring in a generator and a handle full of DL3s and maybe a GrandMA to drive it...


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## derekleffew (May 27, 2010)

Anvilx said:


> ... I know if I were bill gates and wanted my room blue I would bring in a generator and a handle full of DL3s and maybe a GrandMA to drive it. ...



Nah, just use "R74 screen of death".

Read recently: "If Bill Gates had a nickel for each time Windows crashed, he'd be a billionaire."


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## gafftapegreenia (May 27, 2010)

I light my (bed)room blue with the soft glow of a single ceramic-coated incandescent medium screw base S11.


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## shiben (May 27, 2010)

Well if we want to discuss how our rooms are lit: 

I have some awesome ceiling draperies stolen from a recent show (crushed voile in Red, which we had a bunch of goombas distress with wire brushes then attacked with blow torches and spray paint, then fireproofed), with some PAR20s in R27 overhead bounced off of the ceiling, for a nice, red light, wash. There are some gaps in the drapes, so through those i have some PAR16s in some sort of CTB focused on the various places where I might be reading at any given time (sofa, bed, beanbag chair. Underneath all the furniture, I have some PAR16s with tough diffusion going down with R99 for a brown under-glow to everything. I wanted to put in a hazer, but that made the fire alarm go off. I need to re-paint the walls soonish, because I re-painted them flat black when i moved in, with Brick Red crown moulding and foot boards and chair rails. Looking for some mini-profiles to thow gobos onto the floor, but the S4 Jrs I "borrowed" were way too hot and hanging them was too much of a pain (I have 14' ceilings in my house, so I can do stuff like this).


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## zuixro (May 27, 2010)

shiben said:


> Well if we want to discuss how our rooms are lit:
> 
> I have some awesome ceiling draperies stolen from a recent show (crushed voile in Red, which we had a bunch of goombas distress with wire brushes then attacked with blow torches and spray paint, then fireproofed), with some PAR20s in R27 overhead bounced off of the ceiling, for a nice, red light, wash. There are some gaps in the drapes, so through those i have some PAR16s in some sort of CTB focused on the various places where I might be reading at any given time (sofa, bed, beanbag chair. Underneath all the furniture, I have some PAR16s with tough diffusion going down with R99 for a brown under-glow to everything. I wanted to put in a hazer, but that made the fire alarm go off. I need to re-paint the walls soonish, because I re-painted them flat black when i moved in, with Brick Red crown moulding and foot boards and chair rails. Looking for some mini-profiles to thow gobos onto the floor, but the S4 Jrs I "borrowed" were way too hot and hanging them was too much of a pain (I have 14' ceilings in my house, so I can do stuff like this).



Very nice.

I'm working on some RGB LED track lighting (Based on these: MegaBrite ) with webpage control. I've written the code, just waiting on monies to actually build it.


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## shiben (May 27, 2010)

zuixro said:


> Very nice.
> 
> I'm working on some RGB LED track lighting (Based on these: MegaBrite ) with webpage control. I've written the code, just waiting on monies to actually build it.



35 lumens, and its not out of most price ranges to get maybe 20 (still like 200 bucks, but for a color changing LED room that would be acceptable, in my book. I wish I had LEDs, because all my PARs rip through gels really fast at full, I can use a full sheet of gel (combined various colors) a week.


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## chris325 (May 27, 2010)

shiben said:


> Looking for some mini-profiles to thow gobos onto the floor, but the S4 Jrs I "borrowed" were way too hot and hanging them was too much of a pain (I have 14' ceilings in my house, so I can do stuff like this).



Um, would using Source 4s (Jr or not) indoors residentially be a good/safe idea, even with 14 foot ceilings? I mean, they're certainly cooler (heat) than Colortran 5/50s, but they still get hot enough to be a fire hazard if used incorrectly.

So, what do you guys think about a lighting person transforming his/her room like this? Personally, it's something I'd like to try. I'm kind of tired of a few CFLs lighting my room, and it would be interesting to try something in that direction.

Sorry in advance about the offtopicness.


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## zmb (May 27, 2010)

chris325 said:


> Um, would using Source 4s (Jr or not) indoors residentially be a good/safe idea, even with 14 foot ceilings? I mean, they're certainly cooler (heat) than Colortran 5/50s, but they still get hot enough to be a fire hazard if used incorrectly.
> 
> So, what do you guys think about a lighting person transforming his/her room like this? Personally, it's something I'd like to try. I'm kind of tired of a few CFLs lighting my room, and it would be interesting to try something in that direction.
> 
> Sorry in advance about the offtopicness.


 
Note that the warning label on the yoke says "Not for Residential Use".
Would be neat to have though.


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## shiben (May 27, 2010)

zmb said:


> Note that the warning label on the yoke says "Not for Residential Use".
> Would be neat to have though.



Yeah, it also turns out they are nearly impossible to hang without extensive amounts of rigging hardware and blasting a hole in the ceiling to get at the structural elements of the attic, and then getting enough power for them is a PITA. Abandoned the idea when I discovered I would have to do a new power run, which would require a contractor and permission of the landlord... Didnt really notice that warning label, got mine from people tossing them, so the labels were mostly gone. However, the PAR16 and 20s are ok, and work really nicely. If anyone has leads on LED lamps for decently inexpensive for them, I would be interested (I have both MR-16 and screw base PAR16 ones). I do have a couple older modified ERSs tho, that cut bigger holes in the reflector, replaced the lamp socket with one that uses CFLs or 40W globes, just chilling out, waiting to get a bigger room so they can go into interesting places for reading lights and whatnot.


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## zuixro (May 28, 2010)

shiben said:


> 35 lumens, and its not out of most price ranges to get maybe 20 (still like 200 bucks, but for a color changing LED room that would be acceptable, in my book. I wish I had LEDs, because all my PARs rip through gels really fast at full, I can use a full sheet of gel (combined various colors) a week.



I never noticed the lumens rating. I was just going to get one and try it. It will mostly for eyecandy when the main lights are out, so brightness isn't a huge deal. My 36 lumen mini flashlight puts out just about the right amount of light for what I want. (it has a narrower angle though.)

I'm guessing that rating is with all LED's at full though...


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## techno89 (May 28, 2010)

yeah i wanted to try RGB LEDs but they cant even come close to matching the 650 lumens my cfls put out


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## shiben (May 28, 2010)

techno89 said:


> yeah i wanted to try RGB LEDs but they cant even come close to matching the 650 lumens my cfls put out



Some different applications is what your actually needing here. LEDs would be great for making walls cool colors, not so great for task lighting. Also, 650 lumens of often terrible light is no deal imo... (I hate CFLs, and only use ones with significant color correction)


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## erosing (May 28, 2010)

shiben said:


> (I hate CFLs, and only use ones with significant color correction)



Color correction bugs me too, the noise however drives my s/o insane (which in turn drives me insane), I'm not allowed to use them anymore, unless I buy the encased globes, because those ones make less noise.

I'm working on transitioning to LED's in my new apartment. But that means that I need to buy 26 to replace everything in my current supply plus the 10-15 that are currently in the new apartment. It's going to be a slow transition.


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