Thread: Is There An Electrician In The House ?

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Hook it up and roll with it!

I just got done reading another PDF installation guide from another manufacturer. Both said use minimum 90C rated feed wire. I don't know what the heck I have. Running the old standard 2 bulb fluorescents. One fixture 6 ft bulbs, the other, that I want to replace 8 ft bulbs. Maybe I'll just get some 8' bulbs for the longer one and forget it.

From what I'm reading of reviews on the fixtures @ home depot, amazon, lowes, they are all mostly disposable junk now. The ones I've got, USA made, have been in this dump for over 30 years ! That's progress Clinton style. NAFTA strikes again.

Ya, the old T-12 and similar 1 1/2 inch diameter bulbs are being phased out to the skinnys.
If they are truly more efficient, it seems that less current would be part of that.
Copper wiring to handle the old should be more than adequate to handle the new.

Like refrigerants, they are simply creating a new, expanded market.

Greedy bastiges!

I am a registered unlicensed electrician.........

In MN we need to pay them another $20 a year to be a maintenance man.

I would personally go to LED if I was going to change the fixture. T-8's are dang near obsolete now.

Originally Posted by 32t

I am a registered unlicensed electrician.........

In MN we need to pay them another $20 a year to be a maintenance man.

I would personally go to LED if I was going to change the fixture. T-8's are dang near obsolete now.

I think that tube led replacements are not too far off in affordability and operation.
A few years?
For now, I am not impressed by the cost and lighting choices. High and None.
Remember the fabulous CFL's? High dollar LED bulbs which were unlikable?

Regular LED bulbs are now getting affordable and come in some nice, pleasant light.
The tubes will be better in a few years. Until then, I am buying hi-dollar ballasts and old school bulbs and staying the course.

I can see no benefit to 'upgrading' to last years fad. Just me..

Just did a Fluorescent light count. 36 in all. 8 and 4-footers.
One thing I cannot stand is a light which does not work.
Ballasts are getting hard to find, for me.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I think that tube led replacements are not too far off in affordability and operation.
For now, I am not impressed by the cost and lighting choices. High and None.
Remember the fabulous CFL's? High dollar LED bulbs which were unlikable?

Regular LED bulbs are now getting affordable and come in some nice, pleasant light.
The tubes will be better in a few years. Until then, I am buying hi-dollar ballasts and old school bulbs and staying the course.

I can see no benefit to 'upgrading' to last years fad. Just me..

Just did a Fluorescent light count. 36 in all. 8 and 4-footers.
One thing I cannot stand is a light which does not work.
Ballasts are getting hard to find, for me.

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.

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 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.....

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

From what I'm reading of reviews on the fixtures @ home depot, amazon, lowes, they are all mostly disposable junk now. The ones I've got, USA made, have been in this dump for over 30 years ! That's progress Clinton style. NAFTA strikes again.

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.

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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