- Joined
- Jul 20, 2014
- Messages
- 182
When I got my current shop it had something like 16 dual 8ft basic florescent fixtures that hadn't been powered in 15 years. When I finally got the power ON, they buzzed and flickered, and buzzed, and didn't really give off that much light. I decided that they had to go.
For general room light, I replaced each one with a standard lamp socket and installed the largest, brightest CFL I could find. And there are some really bright ones out there now !! The silence was deafening. Basically the ballast is the weak link of the florescent system, and as was noted it's also the most expensive. However, with the CFL system every time you replace the bulb you ALSO get a brand new ballast at the same time. Goodbye buzz.
Then for specific work area light (like over the bench and lathe) I hung 4 foot florescent work lights with a reflector. I have not found a good one of these at Home Depot. I greatly prefer the work lamps from Lowes that come prewired, with a On/Off switch and reflector. Like Lowes item 420867. It worked out I needed 4 of those, which got hung at 80" off the floor.
Simple, easy, and cheap.
For general room light, I replaced each one with a standard lamp socket and installed the largest, brightest CFL I could find. And there are some really bright ones out there now !! The silence was deafening. Basically the ballast is the weak link of the florescent system, and as was noted it's also the most expensive. However, with the CFL system every time you replace the bulb you ALSO get a brand new ballast at the same time. Goodbye buzz.
Then for specific work area light (like over the bench and lathe) I hung 4 foot florescent work lights with a reflector. I have not found a good one of these at Home Depot. I greatly prefer the work lamps from Lowes that come prewired, with a On/Off switch and reflector. Like Lowes item 420867. It worked out I needed 4 of those, which got hung at 80" off the floor.
Simple, easy, and cheap.