Track Light Types

Defined

• An overhead ceiling light contains one bulb and one light fixture, and the light shines downward in one direction. In place of the lone overhead fixture, track lights are skinny, long and can hold a larger number of bulbs. The bulbs can be turned in different directions, since the canisters holding them are movable. The term track light has grown to include monorail lighting and cable lighting, according to Brilliant Lighting.com. But the traditional track light is the long, skinny track (or line), which comes in three types: Series H, J and L.

Track Types

• The line for your track lights can be sold separately from the fixture, much like the fact that your home already has wiring when you buy it, but you can still change out the light fixtures. So knowing which track you should use (Series H, J or L) for which light fixture option you have (hanging lights or cans) boils down to four factors, according to YLighting. You must know which track will be compatible with your home's transformer (because the transformer serves as the electrical link between your lighting wires and circuitry, and the track), and which track will work best with the light canister or pendant fixture you attach to your track.

Track Fixtures

• Track light fixtures range from the plain white or black canisters typically used in art galleries (which can feature low or high voltage), to light fixtures that hang from the ceiling track. The hanging track light fixtures are made of different materials (plastic, glass, crystals), in varying sizes, shapes and designs and come in a variety of colors. There is also a wider-shaped track light fixture, which contains fluorescent bulbs.

Significance

• One of the reasons individuals opt to use track lighting over traditional single overhead ceiling lights is track lighting's ability to illuminate areas not easily lit up by a lone bulb from the ceiling. Another reason track lighting is so popular--according to Better Homes and Gardens--is because it can function in several capacities: you can use it to spotlight wall art, accent a corner of a room, or blanket the entire room with light.