T8 Shop light problem

"Gerald Ross" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> One of my T12 96" fixtures ballast died. I Replaced it with a T8 96"
> electronic ballast and reconfigured the wiring per the diagram. Put in T8
> bulbs and they lit but are dimmer in the center 1/3 than on the ends. Any
> ideas why this should be?
>
>
> Gerald Ross
> Cochran, GA
>
> He ended the job as he began it; fired
> with enthusiasm.
>
> Either a defective ballast or incorrect voltage taps were used or just a
> loose wire nut.
Dave



Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com

Gerald Ross wrote:
> I Replaced it with a T8 96"
> electronic ballast and reconfigured the wiring per the diagram. Put in
> T8 bulbs and they lit but are dimmer in the center 1/3 than on the ends.
>

How long have they been in service? Certain ballasts and tube
combinations seem to require a beak-in period.

Personally, I like 48" T8's. They have been the most reliable set up I
could find. They fire up in cold weather, are brighter in the cold,
last longer than T12s, work with only one tube in a 2 tube fixture,
ballasts last longer and failure is *by far*, less catastrophic. No
leaking goop or exploding cases.


Tom in KY, a licensed master electrician for many stressful years.

[email protected] wrote:

> Gerald Ross wrote:
>> I Replaced it with a T8 96"
>> electronic ballast and reconfigured the wiring per the diagram. Put in
>> T8 bulbs and they lit but are dimmer in the center 1/3 than on the ends.
>>
>
> How long have they been in service? Certain ballasts and tube
> combinations seem to require a beak-in period.
>
> Personally, I like 48" T8's. They have been the most reliable set up I
> could find. They fire up in cold weather, are brighter in the cold,
> last longer than T12s, work with only one tube in a 2 tube fixture,
> ballasts last longer and failure is *by far*, less catastrophic. No
> leaking goop or exploding cases.
>
>
> Tom in KY, a licensed master electrician for many stressful years.
>
You're right! They worked better the second day. Also I checked the
grounding and the fixtures were not grounded, so I fixed that.
As for 48", I didn't want to replace the fixtures, just the ballast as
they go out.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

He ended the job as he began it; fired
with enthusiasm.





----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

Make sure the solid state ballast is grounded well. At least one screw (or
wire) from the ballast to the metal fixture. Check the MA (milliamp) rating.
If for example the new T8 ballast is for 800ma bulbs, and the bulbs are
actually 1500ma, it can cause this type of problem.
Good luck & let us know what you find!
Lyndell


"Gerald Ross" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> One of my T12 96" fixtures ballast died. I Replaced it with a T8 96"
> electronic ballast and reconfigured the wiring per the diagram. Put in T8
> bulbs and they lit but are dimmer in the center 1/3 than on the ends. Any
> ideas why this should be?
>
>
> Gerald Ross
> Cochran, GA
>
> He ended the job as he began it; fired
> with enthusiasm.
>
>
>
>
> "
>
> ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet
> News==----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+
> Newsgroups
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
> =----