Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - Halogen bulb or normal?

For an exterior light i'm designing, should i use halogen or normal bulbs? And should it be a tube light or a normal bulb? Or are all options ok? I'm a novice so if anyone could spare me a bit of advice or point me in the right direction i would be very grateful. Thanks. Ben

All will work. Normal bulbs will be cheapest. Fluorescent lights will be most economical to operate, but may not work well in cold weather.

You didn't say what this light will be used for, so it's difficult to say more. You also didn't say why you are "designing" this light rather than just buying one that is ready to install.

For an exterior light i'm designing, should i use halogen or normal bulbs? And should it be a tube light or a normal bulb? Or are all options ok? I'm a novice so if anyone could spare me a bit of advice or point me in the right direction i would be very grateful. Thanks. Ben

I'd avoid any "tube" type halogen bulbs - the type with a contact on each end. The sockets generally burn up fairly quickly and the whole fixture has to be replaced. They also put out a remarkable amount of heat, which would require you to be extra careful about ventilation.

If you are using a screw-type bulb, then halogens should work fine.

Thanks Cheyenps, thats helpful. Well its for a school Design & Technology project where i must design and produce an exterior light. I'm thinking of putting a semi-transparent polycarbon case around the tube bulb (if thats what bulb I use) to prevent uncomfortable glare. I suppose a halogen bulb might affect this casing if it's too close? But I've taken both pieces of advice and I'm going to stick with normal tube bulbs! At the moment my idea is that the product is 2meters tall and quite thin, what's the maximum length for tube bulbs?

At the moment my idea is that the product is 2meters tall and quite thin, what's the maximum length for tube bulbs?

A polycarbonate case will never survive if you use halogen lamps. Yours is the perfect application for fluorescents.

You're calling out the size in meters, which makes me think you are not in the US. No matter, I'm sure there are sizes roughly equal available worldwide. In inch sizes, you might consider either a 60" or a 72" lamp for your project. Neither of those sizes are particularly common, but they are available. More common are 48" and 96". 30" lamps are also fairly common, and you might look in to using a pair of them end-to-end.

Note that fluorescent lamps require a ballast, so you'll have to allow space for it in your design. I think what I would do is to buy a basic fluorescent light fixture factory-made, and strip it for the parts. If you do it that way, you will already have the correct ballast and sockets, you'll be able to easily determine the proper spacing for the sockets and it will come pre-wired.

If the fixture is to be used outdoors, make sure you use an electronic ballast for reliable starting in low temps.

Post a picture when you get it done?