Lighting Question

[MichaelC]

Around 32nd and Knoxville, there are a couple of apartment complexes.  In between the two complexes is a parking lot.  The building that owns the parking lot, lit it up several years ago with these unshielded cube-shaped orange lights.  They light shines directly onto the back of the other complex, pooring orange light into the bedrooms of about half the complex.  

It's been several years since this was done, is it too late to do something about it?  And where do you start in your venture to get this taken care of?

[patric]

First off, does it meet this requirement?


"Lighting used to illuminate an off-street parking area shall be so arranged as to shield and direct the light away from properties within an R District which do not contain uses for which the parking is being provided.
Shielding of such light shall be designed so as to prevent the light-producing element of the light fixture from being visible to a person standing in an R District."

(Title 42, Chapter 13, Section 1303C. DESIGN STANDARDS FOR OFF-STREET PARKING AREAS, City of Tulsa Ordinances.)

[MichaelC]

No.  They're completely unshielded.  You can see them from the street.  

I'll see if I can get a picture.

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by MichaelC

No.  They're completely unshielded.  You can see them from the street.

Keep in mind that "shielded" refers to performance (not simply the presence of something called a shield).  If you can see the source of the light (the lamp, image of the lamp in a reflector or a glowing lens) from your residential property, it isnt shielded and violates zoning.

Since you described the lights as orange Im going to guess that it's High Pressure Sodium, which is a member of the High Intensity Discharge (HID) family. It's important to distinguish the big offenders from, say, mom-and-pop's 60-watt porch light.

If you think the apartment manager is unaware of the nuisance I would contact them and see how receptive they are to a friendly complaint.  
Offering them some alternative lighting methods at this point might yield an ally instead of an adversary as often times they have no idea their "security" lighting makes an area less secure by forcing neighbors to close off windows that could have otherwise improved "natural surveillance" or assisted in a neighborhood watch.  Inviting them to look out your window at night might illuminate their thinking a bit.

If diplomacy fails, and you think you have a case, Email a photo to the Mayors Action Center at  MAC@ci.tulsa.ok.us  with a description of the problem, the address and your contact info.  Mention Title 42 Section 1303-C in your report.

Here's some handouts you might find useful in your discussion with the apartment:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1116161/kennebunkport_formula.gif
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1116161/whatis_FCO.gif

[sauerkraut]

Yeah, I hate those orange Sodium lights. I like the good old fashioned Mercury Vapor lights. We installed a few mercury vapor lights inside our home. They are great. We put in two for the Great Room and one in the kitchen above the sink and 1 large one in my basement workshop. They light up the room like daylight.

[cannon_fodder]

My first step would be to talk to the person who owns/manages the complex.  If the conversation telling them they are bothersome to the neighborhood doesn't go well, point out they are in violation of nuisance laws.  Should that not take care of it I would probably call City Enforcement and report the violation.  Should THAT not get the job done have an attorney draft a letter threatening "the obvious course of action."

Or... shoot them out with a pellet gun. (dont do that).

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

I like the good old fashioned Mercury Vapor lights.

They were banned by the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, and are supposed to be off the shelves by next January.
The good news is that nowadays most Compact Fluorescent lamps are barely distinguishable from ordinary incandescent bulbs (color-wise), so replacing Mercury Vapor with CF will give you better color rendition as well as draw less power.    
There are still a few blue-ish phosphor Compact Fluorescents out there, so keep your receipt in case you have to exchange it.

[MichaelC]

I love my Compact Fluorescents.  I only have one incandescent bulb.  And other than the obvious explanation, sloth, I don't know why.

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by MichaelC

I love my Compact Fluorescents.  I only have one incandescent bulb.  And other than the obvious explanation, sloth, I don't know why.

Yes, but those compact Fluorescent bulbs contain Mercury inside them and need to be disposed of in speical locations.

[PonderInc]

Here's some info about CFLs and mercury from Wikipedia. (Question for RecycleMichael: what do you recommend?)

Since CFLs use about a quarter of the energy of incandescent bulbs they are a key part of efforts to fight pollution.

However, CFLs contain trace amounts of mercury. The amount is not large enough to pose a hazard to users (it is about 1/5 the amount in a typical digital watch battery), but it does become a concern at landfills and trash incinerators where the mercury from many bulbs can escape and contribute to air and water pollution.

Some manufacturers such as Philips and GE make very low mercury content CFLs[2]. Safe disposal requires storing the bulbs unbroken until they can be processed. Consumers should seek advice from local authorities. Usually, one can either:

Bring back used CFLs to where they were purchased, so the store can recycle them correctly; or
Bring used CFLs to a local recycling facility.
The first step of processing involves crushing the bulbs in a machine that uses negative pressure ventilation and a mercury-absorbing filter or cold trap to contain and treat the contaminated gases. Many municipalities are purchasing such machines. The crushed glass and metal is stored in drums, ready for shipping to recycling factories.

Note that coal power plants are the single largest source of mercury emissions into the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (when coal power is used) the mercury released from powering an incandescent bulb for five years exceeds the sum of the mercury released by powering a comparably luminous CFL for the same period and the mercury contained in the lamp.

[RecycleMichael]

I have been asked this question at least ten times this past week. I am very scared about even trace amounts of mercury, but understand the need for reduced energy usage.

I say that if it is an application where the bulb is on for many hours and you have little chance at breaking the bulb, go with compact flourescent. These applications would be like porch lights or ceiling lights.

For applications where there is any danger of breaking the bulb, use conventional bulbs. These would include bedside lamps, etc.

Residents can bring flourescent bulbs to our Fairgrounds Pollutant Collection Event being held next held on March 24th and 25th.

[Steve]

Six of one, a half dozen of another.  Until they are outlawed, no longer available, or cost prohibitive, I am sticking with old-fashioned, tried and true incandescent light bulbs for all the standard lamps and fixtures in my home.  I'll take a good old GE soft white incandescent bulb any day.

I also use flourescents in my kitchen ceiling and undercounter kitchen lighting, fixtures that were designed for flourescent bulbs.  One thing I have noticed is the packaging on my flourescent tubes says that every time you turn on the bulb is equal to 3 hours running time.  Think of how many times you turn on and off a flourescent light daily.  That 9000 hour life of a flourescent light is drastically reduced by the number of times it is turned on and off.  Maybe not the enviornmental panacea they are touted to be.

[PonderInc]

Not fluorescent...Compact Fluorescent.  It's different.  They look like this:

They last about as long as 8-15 incandescent bulbs, they don't buzz, and the color of light is decently warm.  Not kissing-under-the-light-fixture warm, but not cold-office-cubicle-white, either.  I use them in a lot of hard to reach fixtures and love it that I no long have to spend my time on a ladder changing out incandescent bulbs all the time.

[cannon_fodder]

I use them for my outside lights that stay on all night and about half the other locations in my house.  Since they seem to take 5 minutes or so to reach full intensity I dont use them everywhere.  Also, the light isnt as pleasing as some other bulbs.

On the mercury level:
Is it true that compact fluorescent light bulbs contain harmful mercury?

Compact fluorescent lights contain a very small amount of mercury, significantly less than those in fever thermometers. This small amount of mercury slowly bonds with the phosphor coating on the lamp interior as the lamp ages, prohibiting its entry into the atmosphere. Even breaking a fluorescent bulb is not a significant health risk because the amount of mercury vapor released is so small that it dissipates into the air with a minimal chance of inhalation.  
- State of Washington
http://www.ci.tacoma.wa.us/power/ResidentialServices/faq/lighting.htm

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

I use them for my outside lights that stay on all night and about half the other locations in my house.  Since they seem to take 5 minutes or so to reach full intensity I dont use them everywhere.  Also, the light isnt as pleasing as some other bulbs.

On the mercury level:
Is it true that compact fluorescent light bulbs contain harmful mercury?

Compact fluorescent lights contain a very small amount of mercury, significantly less than those in fever thermometers. This small amount of mercury slowly bonds with the phosphor coating on the lamp interior as the lamp ages, prohibiting its entry into the atmosphere. Even breaking a fluorescent bulb is not a significant health risk because the amount of mercury vapor released is so small that it dissipates into the air with a minimal chance of inhalation.  
- State of Washington
http://www.ci.tacoma.wa.us/power/ResidentialServices/faq/lighting.htm

But when they hit a landfill, it can still be an issue:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431198