INTERIOR LIGHTING 10-21

installations some attempt is made to schedule the procedure, to reduce the

labor cost, and to provide less interference with other operations in the
room. The system may be based on a periodic check and replacement, or
on a scheduled replacement of all lamps in a particular area regardless of
their operating or appearance status. The latter is termed group replace-
ment and is based on the premise that the saving in cost of replacing lamps is
greater than the value of the remaining light output in a large group of
lamps after a certain number of hours of operation. This "smash point"
usually is considered as falling between 60 and 80 per cent of rated lamp
life. Generally it is assumed that the relatively few early failures that occur
can be ignored, since they will not appreciably affect the average illumina-
tion level.
Fluorescent-Lamp-Luminaire Maintenance
Fluorescent-lamp luminaires present problems similar to those of the
incandescent-lamp type, although certain differences are noteworthy.
First of all, the rated lamp life usually is longer, although usually there are
many more lamps used in a given area because of the relatively low lumen
output per lamp. Second, when luminaires are above head height, it is
very difficult to replace lamps without lowering the luminaire or elevating
the maintenance man. Third, the required circuit ballast and starting
accessories, which must be maintained also, often are responsible for the
inoperative lamp. Group replacement is feasible and highly desirable
for many types of fluorescent installations. Cut-out starters are recom-
mended for preheat-starting circuits, particularly those maintained on a
group basis, since otherwise the constant on-and-off flashing characteristic
of many early fluorescent lamp failures may not only be annoying to
persons in the area but also harmful to ballasts. The larger the area
lighted by a single tube or lamp, the more important it is to have a re-
placement immediately.
Depreciation
Dirt depreciation is a function of the following variables:
1. Room occupancy: some types of surroundings are dirtier than others.
2. Luminaire design: particularly the dirt-collecting characteristics of
reflecting and transmitting surfaces.
3. Air movements in the room and in the luminaire.
4. Nature of the dirt in the area.
Dirt is a cause of poor appearance and poor sanitation as well as of
inefficiency. To justify its cost, removing dirt should result (and usually
does result) in improvements of equal or greater economical consequence.
Figure 10-17 shows details that were calculated for a specific luminaire
installation and fixed operating conditions. For any luminaire and ap-
plication condition similar graphs can be prepared in which the loss of light
caused by a particular percentage of dirt is evaluated in terms of over-all
operating costs and the cost of each cleaning. If in a given time the loss of