Shop Lighting

[papermaker]

I use 4' fluorescent tube shop lights in my unheated garage for lighting. The fixtures don't seem to last very long. I was wondering if someone could explain why? What is a better product to use.

 

[Sharky]

Re: Sop Lighting

I feel your frustration, seems like I'm changing out 4' shop light fixtures more often than changing the bulbs.

Today's 4' shop lights don't last like the old ones. The biggest thing to remember about the fluorescent lights is that the ballast doesn't like cold and does not like to be turned on and off frequently. I have 1 that stays lit in my shop 24 hours a day and that fixture lasts forever compared to the ones that get turned on/off. I haven't tried the newer T-8 type fixtures, so I don't know if they are better.

I am seeing more LED bulbs and conversions for the 4' shop lights but they haven't come down to my price range yet. The cheapest conversions are still $75.00 per bulb last time I looked, but as the price comes down that may be something to look for. LED's don't have a problem with cold temps and draw no power by comparison.

Maybe someone here has a good source for LED shop lights?

 

[itsme_Bernie]

I use painter's lights pointed directly at machines I am working on. I use power strips with switches to turn them on instead of going to each fixture.

I then got these remote switches to turn on the power strips, which I hang by the room light switch.


Bernie

 

[Richard King]

My neighbor is a Master Electrician and works in new buildings construction and i was telling him my fluorescent lights were always going out only after a 100 hours or so. He told me I probably did not wire it right. Something about the black and while wires reversed...I am no electrician and he fixed it for me. He also told me to buy the ballast starters from Grainger and not home Depot. Rich

 

[Bill C.]

I use 4' fluorescent tube shop lights in my unheated garage for lighting. The fixtures don't seem to last very long. I was wondering if someone could explain why? What is a better product to use.

Between the temperature and humidity changes we had the engery saving light bulbs burn out early too. Like someone else pointed out the lights that stay on last the longest.

 

[samthedog]

Forget fluorescent lights in non-heated garages. I found that they had trouble starting and burned out early before I insulated and heated my garage. Now they turn on instantly in winter and I have had the same tubes for nearly 2 years. I don't know why the temperature affects them but they struggled badly in our Norwegian winters.

Paul.

 

[R2.0]

Hmmm...LED rope lighting is about $2/ft. I'm wondering if one could gut a fluorescent fixture of the ballast and lamp holders and string 8' +/- of rope lighting in place of the tubes. Cheaper than $31 for drop-in T8 LED replacements at $31 ea.

 

[thomas s]

Hmmm...LED rope lighting is about $2/ft. I'm wondering if one could gut a fluorescent fixture of the ballast and lamp holders and string 8' +/- of rope lighting in place of the tubes. Cheaper than $31 for drop-in T8 LED replacements at $31 ea.

I replaced shop lights about 4 years ago with t-8 4' fixtures very happy with them

 

[Hawkeye]

If you're still using T12 fluorescents, they could be magnetic ballasts, which don't do well in cold. Around here, you can't buy a new fluorescent fixture with magnetic ballasts (or T12, for that matter). They all have electronic ballasts, which use a bit less power and work better in cold.

 

[papermaker]

I think that I will start replacing the fixtures with the T-8 fixtures. I have about fourteen 4 footers and about a third of those are dead.