Table Light Height

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DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am having my basement remodeled and then i am going to have my Gold Crown IV moved down there from my upstairs apartment above my garage. The floor joists are only 7 feet high down in the basement.

Anyway, I am thinking about having a pool table light installed over the GCIV and was wondering what the recommended height above the playing surface is for a table light?

I dont know if it makes a difference but i thought someone said taller players usually want it up an exta 3-4 inches. For what its worth i am 6'2".

DCP
 
There really isn't a set height from the slate. It varies depending on the type of light and table size. It's best to test by raising the light until you get the best coverage and least amount of shadows.

Ie. My GC3's is 41" to bottom of light and my valley 7' is 32".

Just my 2 cents...

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Put it on chains, then you can adjust it up or down as needed. As stated above, every light is different. I don't think there is a best answer.

I'm 6-3, and have banged my head several times over the years at some pool halls. On my home table, I put my light on chains, and found it looked and worked the best as close to the ceiling as the chains allowed.
 
+1 for chains and light coverage depends on the type of lighting fixture.

Fluorescent tubes can be hung higher and cover more area.
Incandescent bulbs can be pretty weak depending on wattage and distance and how many you use.

Cheers.
 
Is it possible to get it too high where a player will have to deal with the glare of the bulbs?

And since my ceiling is 7 feet and the playing surface is 3 feet high, i think at the bottom of the ceiling will be a good place to hang it. That will make it about 3.5 feet above the table.

DCP
 
When I was building my Room I researched the light height and everything I found stated 30". Just to make sure whenever I would visit Pool Halls I would always measure the lights. This was easily done using my shaft which is 29". And sure enough, all the lights were always about an inch higher making it 30"s. I set both my lights at 30"s and they are at the perfect height.
Hope this helps.
 
It's actually the opposite. The higher you go the more it's out of your peripheral vision.

You're going to have to play with the height for best results. Lighting the most surface with the least amount of shadowing is the main goal. Once that happens, all three bases will be covered :thumbup:

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purchase light / lights with parabolic louvers. This will eliminate glare and focus the light where you need it( no shadows). They are available at Lowes and Home Depot. My lights are 46 inches above my table.
 
For various reasons we could only get my light 34" above the table. It is what it is i guess. It will just have to do.

Mike
 
Mine are at 37" for now, but I have plenty of extra chain to go up or down. I am using GE CFL Reveal flood lamps, so the light goes primarily in a downward direction rather than being omnidirectional. There is still a little glare, but plenty of headroom. It's a tradeoff for the sake of more even lighting.

The GE lamps each put out 1150 lumens of very pleasant light with only 26W of power usage. Plus, they are very cool compared to incandescents. They have a rare earth filter in them (I think it's didymium) to cut out the yellows, and this makes the light color warmer without tending toward dinginess. Some of the balls look a wee bit different in color, but the contrast of the lighting overall is excellent and the balls seem to "pop" more.

BTW the color in the photo isn't quite accurate to real life since I used a pro flash unit to take the shot.
 

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At Super Billiards Expo the light in the convention center are about 30' up. So far, no major complaints about illumination or shadows.


DrCue'sProtege said:
Is it possible to get it too high where a player will have to deal with the glare of the bulbs?

And since my ceiling is 7 feet and the playing surface is 3 feet high, i think at the bottom of the ceiling will be a good place to hang it. That will make it about 3.5 feet above the table.

DCP
Click to expand...
 
I let the light itself dictate its position. I raised it up until the light that it cast reached the outside edge of the rails.
 
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