How to shorten the chain on a chandelier. At what height should I hang a chandelier? What are pendant lights and how to use them

At what height should the chandelier be hung, at what distance from the floor should the lowest point of the chandelier be, what should be the distance between the chandelier and the floor? These questions periodically arise among people who are planning to purchase a ceiling pendant lamp or a classic chandelier for their home, as well as among most people when finishing interior decoration at home or when renovations in the apartment are completed. The answer is not as simple as it might seem. It all depends on the height of the ceilings, the area of ​​the room, the purpose of the room in the house, and also on what material the ceilings in your house are made of, no matter how strange it may sound.

If a chandelier is purchased for a living room, office, living room or bedroom, where the ceiling height is 2.5 - 3 meters, then it is recommended to hang the chandelier so that approximately 2 - 2.2 meters remain from the floor to the ceiling lamp. There are not very many people with a height of 2 meters and above. By hanging the chandelier at a distance of 2 meters from the floor, you can be sure that no one will accidentally touch it with their head or hand. People rarely raise their hands above their heads when they are at home. The exception is when a person makes his bed, puts on a T-shirt or sweater, or does exercises.

If possible hang the chandelier closer to the ceiling and away from the floor, then hang it as close to the ceiling as possible. This recommendation Suitable only for rooms with low ceilings, where you need to visually increase the space between the floor and ceiling. This recommendation is especially relevant for rooms that have a large area and small ceiling heights. In this option, a chandelier that is wide and at the same time short in length is ideal.

The recommendation to “hang the chandelier as close to the ceiling as possible” is relevant if this is a corridor in front of the front door or a hall where there are built-in wardrobes with high hinged doors, high Entrance door, high doors rooms that may hit the chandelier when opening. It should also be noted that in the hallway of the house people take off and put on outerwear, comb their hair, and manipulate hats and umbrellas. That is why in such rooms the chandelier must be placed as close to the ceiling as possible, or at such a distance from the floor that it will not be accidentally hit by a person or a door.

The statement “hang the chandelier as close to the ceiling as possible” is relevant for bathrooms, since in these rooms there is a risk of not only touching the chandelier when washing or wiping with a towel, but also accidentally filling it with water. The higher the chandelier hangs in the bathroom, the safer it is for itself and for humans. It is best to hang a ceiling chandelier in the bathroom, where the lamp is completely hidden by the shade, which will prevent drops of water from falling on the light bulb. It is drops of water that fall on the lamp that often cause the light bulb to split and fall down. Again, if the ceiling height in the bathroom is high, then you can hang a classic chandelier. In this case, you must adhere to one rule: the chandelier should be at arm's length of the person standing in the full height.

If your living space has high ceilings, where the distance from floor to ceiling is more than 3 meters, then the height of the chandelier suspension depends more on aesthetic considerations than on practical purposes. The area of ​​the room, the diameter of the chandelier and the purpose of a particular room play a big role. Only one thing can be said with certainty: if the height of the ceilings allows, then place the chandelier so that it can be reached with the tips of the fingers if a person stretches his hand up. But at the same time, there is no need to specially shorten the chandelier to fit this statement. First of all, you should pay attention to the aesthetics of the interior at a given chandelier height.

Sometimes a pendant light or chandelier is located in an area that is not intended for full-length people to walk around in. Such a zone can form above dining table or above the work table in the kitchen. At the same time, it is necessary that this area is well lit. There are options when in such places a pendant lamp or chandelier is hung very low. With this arrangement of the chandelier, it is difficult to recommend the height at which it should be above the floor or above the table. The only thing I can recommend is to hang the chandelier so that it does not shine into your eyes when eating or preparing food.

Majority classic chandeliers have a chain that connects the main part of the chandelier with the lamps and ceiling mount lamp A chain, as a rule, can be easily reduced by removing excess links from it. Having bought a chandelier with a long chain, you can always make it shorter. By adjusting the chain length, you will achieve optimal location chandeliers between the floor and ceiling.

For rooms with stretch ceilings There are slightly different rules for placing the chandelier between the floor and the ceiling. The weak point of suspended ceilings is their susceptibility to heat from the chandelier. Stretch ceilings do not like temperatures that exceed 50-65 degrees Celsius. It is at this temperature that the ceiling is installed, after which it cools and stretches like the skin of a drum. A chandelier can negatively affect a suspended ceiling if incandescent lamps are located too close to it. Negative Impact can provide ceiling chandeliers, where the lamps are placed very close to the ceiling, and air ventilation internal space lamps is insignificant. Minimum distance incandescent lamps, the power of which is 60 watts, from the stretch ceiling - 0.4 meters. But still, suspended ceilings are different and it is best to find out such distances from the craftsmen who installed the ceilings or from the manufacturer of the film for your ceiling.

It is best to play it safe and buy a chandelier with shades that look vertically down or down and slightly to the side. In such a chandelier, heat accumulates mainly on the lampshades, from which it is successfully dissipated. In such chandeliers there is no direct hot air flow from the incandescent lamp to the ceiling. The second way to secure a suspended ceiling is hanging chandeliers with LED lamps.

Things get more complicated when the chandelier should be hung on two or even three floors. Here, as a rule, they select a chandelier that looks equally good from all floors. A cascade of crystal, a chandelier with shades in several tiers, or a screw chandelier consisting of several pendant lamps that hang on different heights from the ceiling. The distance of the lower point of the chandelier from the floor, in this case, is selected in exactly the same way as in a regular room with high ceilings. The chandelier is placed at arm's length of a person standing at full height or higher, it all depends on the configuration of the space in which the interfloor chandelier hangs.

It should be noted that today during construction or renovation, little attention is paid to the strength of hooks for chandeliers and lamps. Buyers often ask: “Will my hook hold a heavy chandelier?” The question often arises when purchasing expensive heavy chandeliers made of brass, Murano glass, or wrought iron. Strong hooks are necessary if you are going to hang a large chandelier in several tiers or even a small but heavy lamp. There is such a document as PUE - Rules for the Construction of Electrical Installations. PUE is the main document for safe operation and installation of electrical installations in the Russian Federation and some CIS countries. The document states the following. “The ceiling hook or device for hanging a chandelier must be able to withstand five times the weight of the lamp within 10 minutes. After the load is removed, there should be no deformed areas or visible damage on the hook. If you plan to hang a chandelier weighing 25 kilograms or more, then a load equal to twice the weight of the lamp plus another 80 kilograms is applied to the hook.” Before hanging an expensive and heavy chandelier, it is best to exercise caution and make sure the ceiling hook is strong.

To summarize our opus we must say that the height at which the chandelier is located in the room, is not calculated using any formulas or tables. Everyone decides for themselves how to hang a chandelier. First of all, we must rely on common sense and logic and only secondarily on the aesthetics of the interior, given a particular distance of the chandelier from the floor.

Tell me how to shorten the chain on this chandelier? and got the best answer

Answer from Ѐostovchanka[guru]
The link does not open...

Answer from Vladimir Ageev[guru]
Show me which one - we'll think about it
So, I opened the link with grief - it was broken from the very beginning.
Which chain links are soldered or bent? How is the chain attached at the top and bottom?


Answer from Sergey Dmitriev[guru]
What is the problem? Bend the link (with two pliers) - shorten the chain - wire to the ceiling or trim it a little


Answer from Guy from the Future...[guru]
That's it.. . Remove unnecessary links and all shortening... .
Either cut the wire or push it into a hole in the ceiling....


Answer from Lommaster Honored[guru]
cut the wires


Answer from Elena Pyatakova[newbie]
It’s too late, of course, the chain has probably already been straightened by your pliers. But I’m writing for everything. case The design of the chandelier - this became clear while solving the same problem - involves complete removal of the chain... it is screwed on both sides. Then, using the resulting “spare parts,” the top of the chandelier is reassembled. I also had the following problem: because it became impossible to lower the “cup”, “glass” or whatever it is called, and it became inconvenient to hang it on the hook (I’m silent about the wires). I had to screw on a small one instead of a ring. diameter is another, large one, which held the chain (now I had to bend it! :)) - it also fits, I hope it will hold. The distance between the cup and the ceiling is, naturally, greater, but it is easier to put on the hook, and the wires together with the terminal stake. shove. While it's hanging... :))


Answer from 3 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Tell me how to shorten the chain on this chandelier?

Now it remains to consider a slightly less rare installation option with a connection hanging type lamps that are attached to the ceiling using various types suspensions.

To suspend the lamp body, cables, pipes are used, or the most common option since Soviet times is to hang the lamp on a reinforced electric cable.

Main advantages This type of luminaires is easy to install with the choice of any required installation height and subsequent maintenance.

Remember that you should not install below 2 meters, so as not to accidentally touch your head.

Scope of application.
Pendant lamps are simply irreplaceable in rooms with high ceilings. Using a suspension, they are installed at the required height, ensuring required amount light, and also simplifies the process of subsequent cleaning and replacement of lamps in them. Pendant lamps are irreplaceable in manufacturing, shopping centers, etc. Often they help to effectively solve the problem of bright lighting and in individual houses and apartments. For example, a billiard table or a kitchen...

Basic suspension designs.

The lamp is suspended from the ceiling using a power supply electric cable, the insulation of which is specially reinforced in order to withstand the weight of the lamp for a long time without damage or stretching (Figure 1).

The lamp can also hang on a metal chain, and the cable will be intertwined with it or hang next to it without any weight load (Figure 2).

There are designs from 2 to 10 lamps, which are suspended using cables from the ceiling (Figure 3), and there are models with the simultaneous suspension of several identical lamps (Figure 4). Figure No. 5 shows a lamp with one shade, which hangs on three ropes. There are still quite a few variations, but almost all of them are installed in the same way.

The device of a pendant lamp.
The luminaire consists of a base with a mounting strip, which is attached directly to the ceiling. The second main detail is a lampshade with a shade. And the third part is the suspension (cable, chain, cable itself, etc.) The design of the lamp provides a terminal block for connecting it to the power supply and, of course.

Installation and connection of the lamp.

1. Turn off the switch and check the absence of an indicator screwdriver on the electrical cable to which we will connect. If the phase is not missing, it means it is not wired correctly junction box(see the correct one) and you need to turn off the corresponding machine!

2. We disassemble the lamp. Remove the lampshade and fasten it securely mounting strip to the ceiling along with the outlet of the electrical cable or wires.

See how to attach to the ceiling.

3. We adjust the height to the required value; to do this, unscrew the bolts on the clamp and shorten the cable and cable to the required length. As a rule, the lamp comes from the factory with the maximum suspension length set.

After completing the adjustment, cut off the excess cable and cable, if it is not possible to hide too much remaining stock in the base of the lamp.

4. Connect the lamp.

To make the lamp literally pleasing to the eye, when purchasing, pay attention not only to the design. Be sure to consider the method of mounting the lamp, the type and number of lamps, the material from which the diffuser is made, and much more.

With a huge variety of models ceiling lamps the choice is ultimately limited to three main types. Lamps are suspended, surface-mounted and recessed (this type is used only in combination with suspended or suspended ceilings). Pendant lamps, in turn, can be single-lamp or multi-lamp. Among the latter, chandeliers occupy a special place.

In limbo

The most traditional and popular are pendant lamps. The light source in them is located at some distance from the ceiling and is attached to it using a special suspension - a cord, chain, or leg. Surface-mounted luminaires do not have a suspension: lampshades and panels are installed directly on the ceiling, as if pressed against it. Both types are good in their own way, but pendant lamps “eat up” the height of the room, so in apartments with low ceilings they should be used with caution. Can be guided simple calculation: if there is less than 2 meters left from the floor to the bottom point of the pendant lamp, it is better to refuse the purchase in favor of a near-surface lamp.

Criteria for selecting lamps

1. Installation locations. If you plan to create several illuminated areas in a room or install 2-3 single-lamp lamps in a row, installation locations must be determined before starting finishing works: the walls and ceiling will have to be tapped to hide the electrical wiring.
2. Possibility of replacing lamps. For the same base they produce different types lamps, but the design and dimensions of the diffuser do not always allow such a replacement. When purchasing, take into account all the parameters of the lamp, so that later you have maximum opportunities for replacing one type of lamp with another.
3. Method for replacing lamps. When buying closed near-surface lamps, remember that it is quite difficult to change the lamps in them - first you need to dismantle the lampshade, and there is always a risk of breaking it.

Just lightly

So you've decided to buy a pendant lamp. First of all, pay attention to the design of the suspension. The simplest option is a wire through which current flows to the lamp. The wire can withstand only a small load, so this suspension is used exclusively in lightweight single-lamp lamps. The length of the wire, as a rule, has a small margin, allowing the lamp to be mounted at different heights. But if you later want to raise or lower it, the cord will have to be changed.

Choose wisely

Lamp type Ceiling type Room type
Multi-lamp pendant/chandelierLiving room, bedroom
Single lamp pendantPainted, stretched, suspended. Height - above 2.5 mAll rooms except the bathroom
Surface lamp/shadeAll rooms, bathroom - waterproof
Surface Light/PanelCeilings with any finish of any height
Built-in spotSuspended ceilings of any heightAll rooms except the bathroom

Solid character

A multi-lamp luminaire must have a pendant that can support significant weight, such as wood or metal. A fixed suspension is a rigid rod with a wire running inside it. The name speaks for itself: it will be almost impossible to shorten or lengthen such a suspension; it’s easier to buy another model. Decorative pendants (most often a metal chain) are a little more flexible in use. In this case, the wire hangs parallel to the suspension or wraps around it. The height of the decorative pendant can be slightly adjusted, for example, removing one or two chain links.

Counting light bulbs

When choosing between one powerful or several low-power lamps, it is better to choose the second option. This way you can adjust the level of light in the room. And in this sense, chandeliers are preferable to single-lamp lamps. Optimal quantity lamps depends on their power and type, the area of ​​the room and the nature of its decoration.
. For a room of 10 square meters. m, decided in light colors, 2 incandescent lamps with a power of 40 W are quite enough.
. If the decoration is dark and the room is overloaded with furniture, the number of lamps will have to be increased to 5.
. To illuminate a room of 20 square meters. m with light wallpaper with a small amount of furniture, 4 lamps of 40 W are enough for dark room similar sizes, but with dark wallpaper, you may need 8 lamps of the same power.

Studying the markings

The characteristics of each lamp are indicated using letters and numbers that are easy to find on the label. The labeling principle is described in GOST, which is used by everyone domestic producers. Legally imported imported lamps are also marked in the same way. First letter The marking contains information about the type of light source used. Incandescent lamps general purpose are indicated by the letter N, halogen - AND, linear luminescent - L, figured fluorescent - F. Second letter indicates the installation method of the luminaire: WITH(hanging), P(ceiling), IN(built-in), D(built-in), B(wall-mounted), etc. Third letter determines the main purpose of the lamp. Letter B means that the lamp is intended for residential premises, ABOUT- for public. Fourth positiontwo-digit number, indicating the series number. Fifth there is a number indicating the number of lamps in the luminaire (for single-lamp models, the number 1 is not indicated). In sixth place- a number indicating the power of the lamps in watts. Seventh (three digit number) — modification number. Last letter talks about the use of the lamp in various climatic zones: U(regions with a temperate climate), T(with dry and wet tropical), ABOUT(any except very cold ones). Last digit contains information about the category of placement of the lamp: from 1(operation on outdoors) up to 4(for closed heated rooms). Number 5 indicates that the luminaire can be installed in damp rooms.

Choosing a lampshade

The diffuser plays an important role in the lamp (in everyday life it is called a lampshade or lampshade). It covers the light bulb and ensures even distribution of light. Diffusers are either fully closed or partially open. The light from a device with a closed diffuser does not dazzle the eyes, it is more comfortable. Paper, plastic and glass transmit light best, fabric is worse. Glass lampshades are also easier to maintain, more durable than plastic, and more fireproof than paper or fabric. Metal does not diffuse light at all; only partially open directional light fixtures, such as kitchen ones, are made from it. If the lamp does not have a diffuser at all, an ordinary frosted light bulb can successfully play its role.


Where to shine?

The light flux can be diffused, reflected or directed. A lamp completely covered by a diffuser produces soft light that evenly fills the entire space. If the diffuser is open at the top, the light is directed to the ceiling and, reflected from it, is scattered throughout the room. This type of lighting is also pleasing to the eye. When the lampshade is open from below, only small area strictly under the lamp. In this case, the ceiling or far corners are unlit, and too direct rays form contrasting shadows. In this case, to provide more comfortable lighting rooms, additional lighting will be required - desk lamp, sconces, floor lamps, etc.


You may also be interested “Light for your home!” on the website of the magazine “My Favorite Dacha” Ldacha.ru