Bill wrote:
> The cheap ones don't work when it gets a bit chilly. I changed mine
>
I had a $10 fixture hanging in my shop. One day, after two years of
use, It started getting real hot and actually smoking. Fortunately I
was there and shut the power off, otherwise, it would've probably
burned my house down (left a black mark on the ceiling as it was).
Ever since then, I buy flouresent lights with higher quality ballasts.
I just don't trust the cheapies anymore.
bf wrote:
> Bill wrote:
> > The cheap ones don't work when it gets a bit chilly. I changed mine
> >
>
> I had a $10 fixture hanging in my shop. One day, after two years of
> use, It started getting real hot and actually smoking. Fortunately I
> was there and shut the power off, otherwise, it would've probably
> burned my house down (left a black mark on the ceiling as it was).
>
> Ever since then, I buy flouresent lights with higher quality ballasts.
> I just don't trust the cheapies anymore.
Even the expensive ones aren't so safe. My (nearing retirement age)
parents' business had a fire last spring. The building is nearly all
steel but one section of the main building has wood rafters. It's a
metal fab and welding facility so things are genereally fire resistant.
They smelled smoke one evening as they were closing up but could find
nothing. Drove 'round the neighborhood and found nothing. Next day was
also smoky smelling and mid-morning someone noticed discolored lines on
the interior ceiling metal. The rafters had been smoldering for about
a day -- never and open flame but three or four rafters were reduced to
charcoal. Judicious coordination with the fire department allowed a
minimum of water damage to be sustained. The culprit was an overheated
ballast in a fixture fastened to the ceiling. If was of course
fastened under the rafters. The fixture wasn't that old (a few years)
and the fixtures have always been on a 10 year
replace-it-even-if-it-still-works schedule. Makes one think seriously
about never fastening a fixture to the ceiling.
hex
-30-
No, the fixture was rated for direct mount (8' commercial cold-start).
As I said it's a welding shop so the interior is all lined with steel
siding. The heat was sufficient to start the rafters on the the side
of the steel smoldering.
M Berger wrote:
> Especially if it isn't specifically rated for it. Most
> fixtures aren't designed to be attached directly to a
> flammable surface. Did somebody ignore the specs?
>
> hex wrote:
>
> > Even the expensive ones aren't so safe. ...Makes one think seriously
> > about never fastening a fixture to the ceiling.
> >
> > hex
> > -30-
> >
On Tue, 25 Jul 2006 20:09:59 -0400, "Bill"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>The cheap ones don't work when it gets a bit chilly. I changed mine
I had accumulated a bunch of those cheap "shop lights"
(approx. 7-9$) that were inoperative, the remaining ones
weren't far behind so I gutted them all and put a
"replacement" ballast on the top of each fixture. I didn't
know it then, but standard replacement ballasts are often
better built than what they replace, due to the fact that
the manufacturers want to have a single ballast replace as
many standard units as possible. Therefore, they usually
built replacement ballasts beefy enough to easily replace a
wide range of unique ballasts. Mine cost about 11$ each at
HD, after wiring them in I never had any flicker or slow
starts in winter and they made the tubes last longer since
they actually shut off the starter after the bulb lights,
whereas many cheezy shop lights let the "heaters" run at a
lower current level all the time. (witness many of your
shop lights with black bands on the inside of the ends of
the tubes where the heater filament has been burning...) The
weakest link in my lights then became the "tombstones", or
the end pieces that the tubes twist in to.
Now, if I need a shop light I make it from scratch, using
replacement "tombstones" on the ends and a "replacement"
ballast, for the basic frame of the light I use a 2x4 for
the "backbone that the ballast mounts to and a 8" galvanized
exhaust duct that is made to hook together at the seam.
Mount the "unhooked" flue to the bottom of the 2x4, use 2 -
8" half rounds of mdf for end pieces and you have a
galvanized reflector housing the "tombstones" for the tubes
to mount into, suspend them from the ceiling with light
chain and screw hooks. No flicker, or buzzing just good
quality fluorescent lighting. I have even added "diffusers"
made from the "ice" pattern plastic cut to fit and clipped
to the reflector.
In addition, it seems that the "whiter" light (4000 Kelvin)
puts out a more usable light than the "soft whites", but
they cost a buck or two more. I really notice a difference
so That is all I use. Hope this helps, regards, Joe.
"R. Pierce Butler" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> What happened to the fluorescent lamp market? Fixtures have at least
> doubled since I last bought them.
Gas prices. They're charging more for everything.
> I am looking for some 4 foot fluorescent fixtures for my shop and they
> are rather pricey these days. Are there any cheap suppliers?
Have you tried Walmart? They seem to be the only ones who haven't raised
every price yet.
> THanks!
>
> Pierce
>
>
>
--
www.uncreativelabs.net
Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we
still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a
particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind
ourselves of what we once had.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
On Mon, 29 May 2006 06:49:30 GMT, "R. Pierce Butler"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>What happened to the fluorescent lamp market? Fixtures have at least doubled
>since I last bought them.
>
>I am looking for some 4 foot fluorescent fixtures for my shop and they are
>rather pricey these days. Are there any cheap suppliers?
>
>THanks!
>
>Pierce
>
Given the failure rates of the cheap ballasts, the cheap brittle
plastic of the sockets that breaks the first time you have to change a
bulb, and the inevitable annoying buzz of a cheap fixture, you might
consider another way. In my 2 car garage I 've put up 5 warehouse type
lamps (at about ten bucks apiece) and put screw-in flourescent "bulbs"
into them. The "bulbs" are the 100W incandescent equivalent that use
about 25W each, and they illuminate the entire space very well. I got
a 5-pack from Sam's Club for (I think) about 12 bucks. To illuminate
the area as well with the long tubes I'd need at least two fixtures
and be consuming more energy at 80W per fixture. There's no buzz
either.
Cliff
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:opyxg.103773$IZ2.3523@dukeread07...
> The cheap ones don't work when it gets a bit chilly. I changed mine
>
I put what I consider to be cheap ones in my garage and I live in upstate NY
where it gets plenty cold in the winter. My garage really never drops below
40 degrees, as I have a furnace out there, but 40 is too cold for a normal
fluorescent. The 0 degree fixtures I put in came from Lowes and were just
under $20 for a 4 footer. I put 15 of them in my garage and they work just
fine.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
Puckdropper <[email protected]> wrote in news:447ab45c$0$16431$892e7fe2
@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net:
> "R. Pierce Butler" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>> What happened to the fluorescent lamp market? Fixtures have at least
>> doubled since I last bought them.
>
> Gas prices. They're charging more for everything.
Actually it appears that the USG has something to do with it.
http://www.advancetransformer.com/resources/index.jsp?cid=16
"bf" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Bill wrote:
>> The cheap ones don't work when it gets a bit chilly. I changed mine
>>
>
> I had a $10 fixture hanging in my shop. One day, after two years of
> use, It started getting real hot and actually smoking. Fortunately I
> was there and shut the power off, otherwise, it would've probably
> burned my house down (left a black mark on the ceiling as it was).
>
> Ever since then, I buy flouresent lights with higher quality ballasts.
> I just don't trust the cheapies anymore.
>
I moved into a house with big eight foot recycled flourescent fixtures all
over the basement. I noticed a little dripping from one of the fixtures one
day. It was the varnish melting off the copper wires in the ballast. And
it was quite hot too. I shut down the lights and went and bought a
replacement ballast.
I looked over the other fixtures and come to the conclusion that this
recycling effort was done with highly defective (or worn out) ballasts. I
went to a reputable elctrical supplier and bought all new ballasts. I
replaced all of them. At least half of them were warming up to a fire.
I found out later that the bastards who sold the house to me actually knew
about this ahead of time. Laws have been passed since that time that would
have severely penalized them for this stunt. Although I was upset, I was
much more interested in my own personal safety. I fixed it and it was taken
care of.
"Joe Brophy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Now, if I need a shop light I make it from scratch, using
> replacement "tombstones" on the ends and a "replacement"
> ballast, for the basic frame of the light I use a 2x4 for
> the "backbone that the ballast mounts to and a 8" galvanized
> exhaust duct that is made to hook together at the seam.
> Mount the "unhooked" flue to the bottom of the 2x4, use 2 -
> 8" half rounds of mdf for end pieces and you have a
> galvanized reflector housing the "tombstones" for the tubes
> to mount into, suspend them from the ceiling with light
> chain and screw hooks. No flicker, or buzzing just good
> quality fluorescent lighting. I have even added "diffusers"
> made from the "ice" pattern plastic cut to fit and clipped
> to the reflector.
>
Interesting. Post some pics over on the binary site or post a link of some
pics Joe.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
"R. Pierce Butler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What happened to the fluorescent lamp market? Fixtures have at least
> doubled
> since I last bought them.
>
> I am looking for some 4 foot fluorescent fixtures for my shop and they are
> rather pricey these days. Are there any cheap suppliers?
>
Define cheap. Define pricey. Last year I bought a couple in Home Depot for
$15. I thought that was cheap. Lowes lists two models for less than $20.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=133982-57299-8055SS&lpage=none
Especially if it isn't specifically rated for it. Most
fixtures aren't designed to be attached directly to a
flammable surface. Did somebody ignore the specs?
hex wrote:
> Even the expensive ones aren't so safe. ...Makes one think seriously
> about never fastening a fixture to the ceiling.
>
> hex
> -30-
>
The cheap ones don't work when it gets a bit chilly. I changed mine
--
Bill
"Puckdropper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "R. Pierce Butler" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>> What happened to the fluorescent lamp market? Fixtures have at least
>> doubled since I last bought them.
>
> Gas prices. They're charging more for everything.
>
>> I am looking for some 4 foot fluorescent fixtures for my shop and they
>> are rather pricey these days. Are there any cheap suppliers?
>
> Have you tried Walmart? They seem to be the only ones who haven't raised
> every price yet.
>
>> THanks!
>>
>> Pierce
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> www.uncreativelabs.net
>
> Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we
> still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a
> particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind
> ourselves of what we once had.
>
> To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
On Mon, 29 May 2006 06:49:30 GMT, "R. Pierce Butler"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>What happened to the fluorescent lamp market? Fixtures have at least doubled
>since I last bought them.
>
>I am looking for some 4 foot fluorescent fixtures for my shop and they are
>rather pricey these days. Are there any cheap suppliers?
Menard's has them for as low as $6, but I wish I hadn't have bought
them. Had the things in my shop for less than a year, and over half
the ballasts have failed.
Probably not the best idea to go cheap, I'm now in the process of
slowly and painfully replacing the cheap crap with the good ones I
should have gotten in the first place.
Just my $.02.
On Mon, 29 May 2006 07:49:30 +0000, R. Pierce Butler wrote:
> What happened to the fluorescent lamp market? Fixtures have at least doubled
> since I last bought them.
>
> I am looking for some 4 foot fluorescent fixtures for my shop and they are
> rather pricey these days. Are there any cheap suppliers?
>
> THanks!
>
> Pierce
You could try www.freecycle.org a web based movement for people to give
stuff to other interested parties rather than sending stuff to the
landfill.
Thrift stores sometimes have them also, especially Habitat for Humanity
stores if there is one near you. Although I have helped Habitat strip a
few houses that were to be bulldozed for saleable items and Habitat spurns
fluorescents cause they don't sell well at their stores. I was able to
snag several since Habitat didn't want them.
Neal
R. Pierce Butler <[email protected]> wrote:
> I am looking for some 4 foot fluorescent fixtures for my shop and they
> are rather pricey these days. Are there any cheap suppliers?
I don't know if this is what you're looking for or if this too much,
but here goes . . .
I recently installed a few 4' florescent "shop lights". These are
the type that handle two 4' bulbs (T12 I believe they're called)
come with a small length of chain, are designed to be hung via
hooks, and have a cord with a standard 3 prong 110/120 VAC plug.
I got these at Home Depot for about $8 and some change. These come
with the chain, but you have to supply your own hooks for the
ceiling. What I didn't realize, until after I got one of them hung,
was they have no switch. A second trip back to HD and I purchased
a couple of pull string switches (about $3 and some change) and then
wired those into the shop lights. So, the total cost for each shop
light wound up being about $12 each.