The Squash Court shall be lit by artificial light.
The basic requirement for court lighting is the provision of the following:
1. The recommended minimum standard of 400 lux when measured at 1000mm above the floor. The floor should have a minimum reflectance value of 50 +/-10%.
2. Light fittings able to withstand ball impact.
3. Lighting to be free of stroboscopic effects.
EXISTING COURTS
Natural lighting in the form of windows and/or roof lights is not acceptable.
Tungsten fittings in the form of a large diameter metal reflector with a screw in or bayonet pattern lamps are not recommended as being suitable for lighting a squash court. They also have the disadvantage of being expensive to run.
When it becomes necessary to replace lighting on squash courts with tungsten fittings or earlier pattern fluorescent fittings with bayonet type end caps, please note that these are now obsolete. It will therefore be necessary to install new fittings as described below.The majority of existing courts will have the conventional twin tube 1800mm long (6ft) fittings using the 38mm diameter Argon filled 75/85W tubes. Replacement tubes and fittings for this type are available. Later fittings use the Krypton filled 1800mm 70W tubes. Fluorescent halophosphate 50HZ tubes lose their efficiency on the basis of 2% - 6% reduction in light output for every 1000 hours they are in use. This coupled with inefficient cleaning can reduce the light level by as much as 25% over a period of time. For example, after 4000 hours the output may have reduced by up to 20%. Tubes failing during the first 100 hours (approx) of use should be replaced.
It is essential to renew all the tubes when one or more fittings have a faulty tube. The life of a fluorescent tube is estimated to be approximately 6000 - 7000 hours. It will be evident that if a court is in use for 10 hours (approx) per day over a 2 year period, the tubes will be near the end of their useful life. It then becomes economic to replace the tube as the cost of the Replacement tube is less than the cost of the wasted energy. In order to provide a more efficient form of lighting combined with savings in running costs, typically 20% to 30%, consideration should be given to using high frequency lamps and control gear. This type of lighting works at 28000HZ (cycles per second) and completely eliminates the strobe effect. This type of fitting, when used in new projects, will comply with Building Regulation L.I, (energy saving only). For the standard layouts for court lighting please see the following pages. Using 6 twin 70W tri-phosphor 4000K lamps will achieve an average of 400 lux measured 1000mm above the floor. This figure is subject to the reflectance of the ceiling, walls and floor and a maintenance factor of 0.85 based on a white playing surface. Increasing the number of fittings from 2 to 3 parallel to the front wall will improve the lighting at high level at the front of the court. When a court has a height above (say) 7m, there is little light reflectance from the underside of the roof or ceiling. Additional lighting may be necessary to offset the dark void above the court as players would find it difficult to sight the ball against this dark background.
Where coloured wall surfaces are used, the average lux will be reduced and an allowance, based on the reflectance value of the wall surfaces, may require an increase in the number of fittings to be used. Where enclosed surface mounted fittings are to be used, specify prismatic diffusers as these emit light in all directions. In order to provide even illumination to the side walls, open ended, angled reflectors should be used for the fittings parallel to the front wall and all reflectors should have slotted top sections to allow the light to reflect on to a light coloured ceiling finish. Light fittings which run parallel to the side walls give better illumination on the side walls than fittings which are set across the width of the court. It is advisable to have wire guards fitted to all fittings where the tubes are exposed. An alternative method of lighting a court where a suspended ceiling is installed consists of recessed type fittings with polycarbonate diffusers that project below the ceiling line with the light spreading from the side of the fitting on to the surrounding ceiling surface. As there will be a reduction in the output using this type of fitting, additional fittings will be required and you are advised to seek advice from the manufacturers.
Where a glass back wall is used, with either fixed or removable seating, the lighting levels in these areas outside the court should be provided to the same standard as the courts. If the lighting is of a lower standard to the spectator side of the glass wall, the back wall will act as a mirror for the players. For this reason, the walls and ceiling surfaces outside the court should be painted a light colour. The floor surface for a distance of 900mm behind the glass back wall should be the same colour or lighter than the floor of the court. The provision of a suitable dimmer switch on the light fittings in the spectator areas will allow the lighting to be reduced, but care should be taken not to allow the glass wall, when viewed from inside the court, to act as a mirror.
All types of light fittings require regular cleaning to remove the build-up of dust and dirt, which are inevitable in a squash court. Changing tubes and cleaning fittings is a task that should be carried out on a regular basis. If fittings have been in use for some considerable time and faults occur, e.g. The fittings become noisy, then consideration should be given to replacing the complete fitting/s.
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