Thread: Is There An Electrician In The House ?

Originally Posted by 32t

We tried some of the LED replacement tubes at work. Many in areas that are on 24/7. For example in our supply area. Fine and dandy until the power blinked. Then 2/3rd's of them didn't work. If you removed the tube and replaced them they would work. I found that out by accident and think it may have to do with resetting them.

Any way they only work with certain florescent ballasts and the older the ballast the less likely that they will be compatible.

Perhaps it was a power surge and the chip in the bulbs shut most down to protect it?
Oh! Thomas Edison! He would know!

Reckon the days of heating-up an element in a vacuum are long-gone.

Gawd! remember when they were shoving those hot-burning Halogen fixtures at us?
I still have one at either side of the bed. Hi and Low. Can you believe they make LED replacements?

Originally Posted by Cincinnatus

The ballast they use are garbage and will last a year or two. I had fixtures in my shop that I changed out the ballast with commercial rated units and they have been trouble free for the last 10 years.

The fixtures the big box stores sell are trash unless you spend the $18 on a new ballast.

Yeppers

Exactly my experience, mine lasted about 3 years, been replacing ballasts as I go

I have 5 fixtures 4 have new ballasts

I mean really, finding ballasts locally has been a pain. You and your 22. Dollars that is.
Some are the newer 'electronic' ones. The whole system works fine. I expect my use of 2 window shakers and the occasional compressor running.... Fans. Aside from the maker's obvious 'bait and switch', I cannot help but think my old lights are so guilty.
It's a thing to some. Notsomuch to me at this time. JMO

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Perhaps it was a power surge and the chip in the bulbs shut most down to protect it?
Oh! Thomas Edison! He would know!

Reckon the days of heating-up an element in a vacuum are long-gone.

Gawd! remember when they were shoving those hot-burning Halogen fixtures at us?
I still have one at either side of the bed. Hi and Low. Can you believe they make LED replacements?

A freind of mine that if I remember right has let his low voltage license lapse [at least in MN he has one in many states.] told me that he read the there is a circuit breaker on the LED board. That is why I am thinking that I reset it by removing and replacing the tube.

I don't feel bad because the registered licensed electricians were being confused by this. What I did to figure it out is when I remembered that someone else had replaced those bulbs I couldn't read the writing on the bulb so I had to remove it to read what bulb it was. 1/2 turn. Yes it is one of these new LED's. I didn't have the light cart and wasn't prepared to replace it at the moment so I put it back in to deal with it later and by gawd it relit.....

Not to mention how an event, low or high, could effect connections.
If these are retrofit bulbs on old fixtures, I could say to pop the connections with the WD40 straw and rotate them back and forth.
Less current draw will find the weak point?

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Not to mention how an event, low or high, could effect connections.
If these are retrofit bulbs on old fixtures, I could say to pop the connections with the WD40 straw and rotate them back and forth.
Less current draw will find the weak point?

They were retrofit "tubes" in a variety of fixtures.

You could see a definite line of each remodel/change of fixtures. [ballasts]

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Simple job really. Condo built in 1980. Kitchen cabinets L shape, a 6' fluorescent 2 bulb on the short leg, 8' fluorescent fixture on the long leg, not working, and I don't want that long thing up there anyway. These are laying bulbs up, on top of the cabinets.

A concrete ceiling, so I just as soon replace the long one with a 4' T8 fluorescent fixture, I don't want LED. So googling around I found an outfit called 'American Fluorescent, assembled in USA. I had gone to home depot and the lithonia made in Mexico fixture got poor reviews on amazon.

The installation instructions say that buildings before 1985 have wire rated at 60C, and this fixture needs feed wire rated at 90C. So how do I know what I have ? How much does it matter ?

I've wired outlets, ceiling fans, odds and ends. So I'm not clueless about it, and feel competent to do a simple thing like this. Any info would be appreciated.

What wire do you have? Pic, if nothing else.


I know you said you don't want LED. But, in case you didn't know, they have LED bulbs that are direct replacement for fluorescent fixture newer than 5-ish years old. Basically, any T-8 or T-12 fixture you buy off the shelf nowadays will accept LED tubes. The LED tubes are 17W vs 32W (T-8) or 40W (T-12). They are about $1.50 high than T-8 tubes, but they're worth it, IMO.

As some know, I'm building a new gun shop and I just finished wiring all of the lights (20 fixtures) and put the LED tubes in. This was the 1st time I have used them and was impressed with them. Super fast on.

So do they run on the old ballasts? Where do you get them?

Originally Posted by sharptonn

So do they run on the old ballasts? Where do you get them?

No. An electronic ballast is required.

I got mine from Menards. $99 for a 10pk. (Standard Fluorescent style T-8's run $75 for 10pk)

Originally Posted by AcesandEights

What wire do you have? Pic, if nothing else.

One of the wires is white, another is black, no green ...........

What has happened is ..... a neighbor is pretty handy. I mentioned this to him and he had two 6' bulbs brand new that he isn't going to use. Gave them to me and now that fixture is working fine.

I am still thinking of replacing the other 8' fixture with a 4' T8. I don't want to use LEDs. I've read a lot about the pros and cons, I just would rather go with the old technology.

A problem I am having is the junky fixtures available at home depot, lowes. I even tried a semi pro electrical supply, and what they carried was junk too. The old USA made fixtures I have, that were installed in 1980, are heavy duty.

I want something built like that, if it is even possible nowadays.