Frequently Asked Questions about Norb® Products
Goodness no; you can have lighting products with equal color temperatures that radiate different light frequencies. The light components of the NorbSmile are designed to enhance your overall well-being and to look “normal” with nearly perfect color rendering.
We recommend that you request the services of a professional electrician before proceeding.
Before getting started, always disconnect all power (at the circuit breaker) to ensure that no electric current is flowing to the fixture.
Show the wiring diagram below to your electrician. Note: it does not matter if the live wire was on the left or right side of the fixture as long as the other end is neutral.
No; high intensity “happy lights” are therapeutic lighting products of relatively high intensity, with very specific usage instructions. The NorbSMILE is a sunlike-spectrum light—but of much lower intensity, designed for regular day to day use—in home or business, from morning until early evening. The spectrum is natural, unlike most lighting products which emit light spectra very different than the sun (and can cause people to feel lethargic, distracted or agitated).
There are four consideratons:
- It is a 2-pin tube (which is by far the most common type).
- It replaces 48” florescent tubes.
- It is a “hybrid” type”, which means it will work with most ballasted and non-ballasted fixtures (download a complete list of compatible ballasts). When unsure, hire an electrician to bypass the ballast (see our wiring diagram).
- It is UL approved as a T8 (T8 means 1-inch diameter tube). It may also be used in T10 and T12 fixtures (which accommodate 1.25” and 1.5“ diameter bulbs respectively), provided a UL rating for T10 or T12 is not required (by fixture or user).
No; we specifically designed NorbSMILE to imitate the sunlight’s natural spectrum with the exception of the ultra-violet (UV) frequencies. UV rays are what helps our body to produce vitamin D, but are also a source of radiation and thus may damage skin.
Many people have become familiar with full-spectrum lighting through florescent tubes or Verilux style “full spectrum” products… which have been around for decades. These are products that have generally been represented as more “natural” or more like the sun. The promise was better mood and energy and less eyestrain.
In our opinion, these were better products than traditional fluorescent tubes or incandescent desk lamps as they attempted to round out the spectrum of light, with less saturation in the red part of the spectrum and perhaps more in the blue portion.
But… such “first generation” full spectrum lights were somewhat limited… if the goal was to mimic natural light. You can only get a florescent tube to do so much, and if you were to take a light meter reading from a first generation product and compare the spectrum to the sun’s spectrum, you’d see a marked difference. Today’s full spectrum lights, based on LED technology, can be “truly sunlike” (typically minus the U.V.) as it’s possible to tune the light however you want. So, if you want your full spectrum to be like midday sun (i.e. NorbSMILE) you can do that. Or, if you want it to mimic the setting sun, you can do that as well (NorbSLEEP). Within our website, you can see graphics that illustrate this.
The benefits of such lighting, Norb Lighting, are similar to what you might have hoped for with first generation full spectrum lighting—namely to attune the body to the sun’s spectrum and normalize daily hormonal fluctuations, reduce eye strain, reduce headaches, generally to feel healthier, more energetic and productive (when you should be) and more relaxed (during the evening hours). These type of lights provide more than illumination and rather than potentially disrupt natural rhythms help to support them.
No; if you read in bed, just turn it off when you feel yourself becoming drowsy.
Goodness no; you can have lighting products with equal color temperatures that radiate different light frequencies. The light components of the NorbSLEEP are designed to enhance your ability to sleep and to look “normal” with nearly perfect color rendering.
Researchers have found that narrow green light use on a regular basis may reduce the incidence of light-induced migraines. Once a migraine has started, green light has been shown to reduce pain. Some users of NorbRELIEF have indicated that it enables them to work and read with a migraine.
Yes—it may seem a bit weird, but it’s completely normal. Purple is the opposite color of green for the human visual system. Our retina contain red, blue and green color photoreceptors. The green cones become saturated by the green light of NorbRELIEF, so momentarily only the combination of red and blue cones are able to be activated until the pigments get recycled by the green photoreceptor cones. It only takes a few minutes for this to go back to normal for most people (without retinal disease).
Yes! At 800 lumens, NorbRELIEF is bright enough to read with.
In the photo below, the page looks very green as the camera captures the full saturation of green color. Human vision is a bit different. After a very brief adjustment, the page will appear whiter and the contrast between the page and the text will be stronger.
NorbFOCUS contains a spectrum of light that researchers have found correlates with faster reading, better recall and retention. It is not a substitute for prescribed treatment of any illness or disorder, including ADHD.
NorbFOCUS assists with faster reading speed, better recall and retention; however, proper sleep is also crucial to mental performance. Because NorbFOCUS inhibits melatonin production, it is not recommended for use within a couple of hours of bed time. During those hours, we recommend winding down for a good night’s sleep with NorbSLEEP.
NorbBUG LITE is not a bug repellent (no light is). It reduces the number of insects in a space as it leaves out the light spectrum that draws them in.
Ordinary bulbs include light colors that attract insects. You may still see a few bugs when using your NorbBUG LITE, but you should see far fewer of these pesky invaders compared to other light bulbs.
Yes, this bulb will fit into E26/E27 sockets—typically referred to as a “medium” or “standard” base. This is the most common size in which you’ll find lamps and fixtures.
A PAR38 bulb is 4.75″ wide, so ensure that hooded fixtures—as are typical in track lighting cans—have sufficiently large openings to fit the bulb. It’s best to check the fixture specifications to see if it is recommended for a PAR38 bulb.
Plants need a dark period to rest and prevent metabolic fatigue. Therefore, grow lights should only be run 12-15 hours maximum per day—typically from 7 AM to 8 or 9 PM (to mimic light conditions in tropical regions). The rest of the time, they should be in darkness, or near darkness.
Do not light your plants with NorbBOTANIC for more than 15 hours per day.
Norb bulbs are only for use on 120 Volt, 60 Hz circuits.
We developed two options for NorbBOTANIC PAR38 in response to a need for even lighting across a vertical garden surface (through our sister company, LiveWall).
A wide beam angle spreads the light out horizontally but not as far vertically from the lamp. A narrow beam angle allows the light to travel further. Thus, we use the 30 degree beam angle bulbs to light the upper rows of a living wall and the 15 degree beam angle bulbs are used to light the lower rows of plants.
The same priniciples apply to how far your plants are distanced from your lamp. Use the wider beam angle (30 degrees) to illuminate plants that are 3′ – 5′ from the lamp. Use the narrower beam angle (15 degrees) in fixtures mounted 5′ – 10′ from the plant canopy.
We ship orders within one business day. You will receive a notification when your order has shipped. Products are typically shipped by USPS or UPS ground, and transit times are typically 3-7 business days. Transit times are not guaranteed by Norb Lighting, LLC.
We do not ship on Saturdays, Sundays, and the following US holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, and Christmas Day. If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, we will not ship on the prior Friday and/or following Monday.
Ground shipping by USPS or UPS is included in the price of the product. If you return the product within 30 days of purchase for any reason, our cost to ship the product to you will be deducted from the amount returned to you.
Returns
Our policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have gone by since your purchase, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging. Send returns to 16880 148th Ave, Ste C, Spring Lake, MI 49456.
To complete your return, we require a receipt or proof of purchase. Please use our Returns & Exchanges form as the starting point for all returns, exchanges, and warranty claims.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)
– Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
– Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery
Refunds (if applicable)
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund.
If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.
Late or missing refunds (if applicable)
If you haven’t received a refund yet, first check your bank account again.
Then contact your credit card company, it may take some time before your refund is officially posted.
Next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before a refund is posted.
If you’ve done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at info@norb-light.com.
Exchanges (if applicable)
We only replace items if they are defective or damaged. If you need to exchange it for the same item, send us an email at info@norb-light.com and send your item to: 16880 148th Avenue, Ste C, Spring Lake, MI 49456, United States.
Gifts
If the item was marked as a gift when purchased and shipped directly to you, you’ll receive a gift credit for the value of your return. Once the returned item is received, a gift certificate will be mailed to you.
If the item wasn’t marked as a gift when purchased, or the gift giver had the order shipped to themselves to give to you later, we will send a refund to the gift giver and he will find out about your return.
Shipping
To return your product, you should mail your product to: 16880 148th Avenue, Ste C, Nunica MI 49448, United States.
You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of initial and return shipping will be deducted from your refund.
Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.
If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.
Most LED lights, unless uniquely designed, have “invisible” flicker, typically 60 impulses per second, which the human eye cannot see. But, this can be picked up when you use a mirrorless, DSLR, or phone camera for recording, especially slow motion recording. The “invisible” flicker of LED lights is due to frequency of electricity (60 Hz), which means that it switches on and off 60 times per second (in the U.S. and Canada) and the fact that the diodes of LED lights cool off very quickly, following the electrical impulses (which heat them up). For this reason, LED lighting may not be the best for photography. On the other hand, Metal Halide and Tungsten lights tend to burn very hot and take a long time to cool between electrical impulses, and therefore while they also invisibly flicker, their flicker is undetectable to a camera, even in slow motion.
Note: Invisible flicker is not to be confused with visible flicker. If you can see flicker with your naked eye (where it is blinking on and off) then the bulb is probably failing or there is a defect or interruption in your power supply. At Norb, when we receive returns for bulbs that visibly flicker, about 95 % of them test out ok. As much as we’d like to think that our power supply in North America is perfect, it has imperfections that sometimes show up with LED technology.
