Office Lighting Upgrade

Last week I installed a new light fixture in my office at Envision Lighting Design, LLC! I removed a two-lamp 4' T12 daylight fluorescent wraparound fixture with wooden endcaps, very 1985 top-of-the-line builder's grade. The new one is a Focal Point surface mounted 3' diameter Skydome with six 2' 3000K T5 fluorescent lamps. I have always loved the way these fixtures look like skylights when they are illuminated. It adds style to the space and offers a better quality of light. The other lights pictured are MusicLites from Sylvania. (They are LED replacements with an integral speaker. Using their universal adapter and wireless remote, I can stream Pandora from my computer through my lights while I work. Oh yeah. Novelty. Fun. Perhaps they flicker when dimmed, but I pretend not to notice because they are so much fun.)

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before

after

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The most difficult part of the Skydome installation was prying the fixture open before it was installed so that I could actually do the installation. It is an intentionally tight fit, and before the fixture is installed getting leverage is impossible. Finally after two days - and help from Nate, Todd, Darin, Tony, Paul, and Ivy - I was able to get my fingers far enough in between the lens housing and the gasket to pry the front from the back plate. Crazy! (I was going to include a picture of the crease in my finger after this success, but I will spare you.) How has an electrician ever done this on a job site? To their credit, Focal Point tells me they are now looking into ways of shipping the two pieces disengaged. Three cheers for a manufacturer who is always trying to improve their customers' experiences!!! All-in-all this was a challenge for me to install, but the rest of my challenges were almost certainly due to my lack of experience. I learned a little from the process and now I have better lighting in the office. That's a win! Here are some photos of the journey:

out with the old

inside the new...had to further dismantle before installation

backplate finally mounted. this was heavy and definitely took two people.

installing lamps. almost finished!