reflectors on shop lights

[poolhound]

The only Wal-Mart fluorescents I've seen, including those I bought for around that same $8 figure, are 4' long.

Cutting off the plug and hardwiring the fixture using the existing cord won't comply with code. You would need to remove the cord completely and run a sheathed cable to the fixture, enter through a clamp, and connect the conductors to those inside the fixture. I'm not even you can do this, because IIRC the appliance cord goes straight into the electronic ballast, on the outside. Easier to just provide a ceiling outlet and plug the thing in (what I did).

I ended up getting the HD $8 variety. I realised they dont come with a pull switch, you need to get the $20+ type to be able to switch them. I bought a few pull switches for $3 and will retrofit them.

[milanuk]

I was cleaning out my subscribed threads and came across this one... thought others might benefit from a little update on the topic...

With the arrival of winter and cold weather... those $8 fixtures from Wal-Mart (now $9.81) aren't looking like such a bargain anymore. I did them in bays, as the local store never had more than 4-5 fixtures in stock at any one time. Out of the first bay of five fixtures, three have bit the dust already. I replaced the first two w/ the same fixtures (needed the light *now*), but with the third one gone and another one looking questionable, no mas.

My basement shop generally stays pretty cool (the way I like it), down in the 60-65°F range during the winter. These fixtures were the ones closest to the door to the outside, so they may have seen temperatures somewhat cooler from time to time, but not much and its certainly not like I'm trying to start them at temps below 60°F...

In talking with some folks over on another forum (Saw Mill Creek), the consensus seems to be that while these sub $10 fixtures externally look almost exactly like the ones that sell for $25-35 over at Lowes or Home Depot, the odds are the ballast is where they 'saved' the difference at. Even the HD fixtures don't seem to be well regarded by many.

So... this week I'm going to start shopping the local lighting wholesalers and see what they have in the type (and hopefully price range <$40 per fixture) that I'm looking for. Guess I'll have to start replacing these on an as-needed basis.

HTH,

Monte

[pelligrini]

If the fixture itself is OK have you considered just replacing the ballasts?

[chopnhack]

But for safety reasons, if your tool was to trip your breaker, you would end up in the dark!!

Hmmm. As I am about to re-wire I was thinking of putting some outlets in the ceiling anyway for some of the tools that get used in the middle. I dont think the current draw from a few fl tubes will impair the 20A circuit or add anything significant if running with a tool I would guess 1 Amp at most.

[JeffG78]

If the fixture itself is OK have you considered just replacing the ballasts?

When I built my basement workshop, I installed six HD ~$9 4 footers. That was about a year ago and just yesterday I had to replace one of the fixtures already. For the last month or two, it has been very flaky and would come on only if it felt like it. Sometimes it would come on right away, other times not at all and every now and again, it would come on after ten minutes or more. I went down to HD to buy a new ballast, but what I found was that the cheapest ballast they sold was more expensive than the fixture itself. I bought a new $9 fixture figuring I'd just swap the ballast out rather than replacing the main body. Even though the fixture box looked exactly like the ones I had, the ballast was shaped differently and wouldn't fit without modification. I wound up replacing the whole thing. If that is the only one that fails early, I still chose wisely, but if more fixtures fail, I will know not to buy the cheap ones again.

[dbhost]

Okay folks, my update on this issue...

I have 6 of these fixtures. All the $9 or so Lithonia jobs from Home Depot, or Wally World, or wherever they came from. 2 of them were installed more than 6 years ago, 4 were installed about March this year...

Of the old ones, 1 of them had a ballast fail this year. It simply refused to power up. I got a ballast for I don't recall how much, but it was cheap... The lamp works as well as new.

Of the new ones, one of the 4 buzzes when the temp in the shop drops below 40, which is okay, I simply run out there, turn on the heater and leave until it is warm anyway... I do somewhat expect the ballast on this one to fail much sooner than the others...

The bulbs in mine are Sunstik by Phillips (? I think Phillips made them, not sure right now.) and they toss out a LOT of light, I do however have a large object (canoe) hanging from the ceilling, and blocking a good amount of my available light... This WILL change soon... Once the fence project is done...

I have had other make, and model light fixtures. These cheapos do a good job of flooding the shop with light. I would gladly put them in another shop. Just not one that will be subject to bitter cold for long periods...

FWIW, they weathered the brutal coastal Texas summer heat just fine...

[cabinetman]

There's a big difference between the homeowners 8$ fixture and a commercially rated one. I wouldn't even consider replacing a ballast even if possible in the cheap versions.

I will say that reflectors are a great way to gather dust. The tops of them should be checked periodically for dust, just like behind that stack of whatever that hasn't been moved for months. I think reflectors can have a potential benefit if hung in an area that needs more directed light, like directly over a work bench. Without a reflector ambient lighting can be improved. Another point to consider is if the ceilings are low, a flourescent with a protective grid would be a safety factor in being protected from moving large or long items around in the shop. DAMHIKT

Speaking of safety, there are also explosion proof lights that should be used in spray booths or spray areas.
.

[dbhost]

There's a big difference between the homeowners 8$ fixture and a commercially rated one. I wouldn't even consider replacing a ballast even if possible in the cheap versions.

I will say that reflectors are a great way to gather dust. The tops of them should be checked periodically for dust, just like behind that stack of whatever that hasn't been moved for months. I think reflectors can have a potential benefit if hung in an area that needs more directed light, like directly over a work bench. Without a reflector ambient lighting can be improved. Another point to consider is if the ceilings are low, a flourescent with a protective grid would be a safety factor in being protected from moving large or long items around in the shop. DAMHIKT

Speaking of safety, there are also explosion proof lights that should be used in spray booths or spray areas.
.

It's possible. If I recall right, I got the ballast ultra cheap, like in a clearance bin or something. I would not even consider replacing a ballast at a cost of $18.00 or more on a $9.00 fixture... Doesn't make sense...

The commercially rated fixtures are MUCH higher quality units, and the reflector isn't the only improvement...

#1. Better, higher quality metal stampings.
#2. Bulb holders that actually screw into the housing instead of sliding into wiggly slots.
#3. Radically improved ballasts that can deal with weather extremes better.

You CAN, and I did use a bunch of cheap fixtures to get light into your shop for sure, and the lack of large reflectors isn't a big deal. Yes you DO need to be careful moving large materials under them as my ceilings are relatively short for a garage... The long term goal is to run proper boxes and mount commercial fixtures to the ceiling. Possibly using those protective acrylic tube sleeves to keep dummy from ramming a 2x4 into a bulb...

[LarryG]

Even the inexpensive fixtures are available with cold-weather ballasts. I paid ~$8 each for mine at Wal-Mart, and they're supposedly good down to zero degrees F. I've only tested them down to about 25F, but their T-8 daylight bulbs always light right up. (I have four older fixtures in the far reaches of the shop that don't. They use T-12 bulbs, have regular ballasts, and buzz and flicker like crazy when the temperature gets below 40F.)

EDIT: I forgot to say that the T-12 fixtures are approaching five years old and still work fine (these four, plus the three that I left in the building that previously housed my shop). With the newer T-8s, I had one bad one out of the box but the remaining 20 or so are all working fine after two years. Given my experience with the T-12s, I'm hopeful they'll continue to give good service. Brand for all of them is Lights Of America.

[dbhost]

Even the inexpensive fixtures are available with cold-weather ballasts. I paid ~$8 each for mine at Wal-Mart, and they're supposedly good down to zero degrees F. I've only tested them down to about 25F, but their T-8 daylight bulbs always light right up. (I have four older fixtures in the far reaches of the shop that don't. They use T-12 bulbs, have regular ballasts, and buzz and flicker like crazy when the temperature gets below 40F.)

EDIT: I forgot to say that the T-12 fixtures are approaching five years old and still work fine (these four, plus the three that I left in the building that previously housed my shop). With the newer T-8s, I had one bad one out of the box but the remaining 20 or so are all working fine after two years. Given my experience with the T-12s, I'm hopeful they'll continue to give good service. Brand for all of them is Lights Of America.

I took a look at those Lights of America fixtures. If they are still around when I need to replace my current ones, I am going to order from them. Nice to see USA made products.

[adrenaline_junkie_ff]

But for safety reasons, if your tool was to trip your breaker, you would end up in the dark!!

This is a very important issue. As a Hydro Power Plant Electrical Engineer, I was always trying to get through the heads of our crews that you don't want to plug power tools into the lighting circuits while down in the bowels of the dam where they use portable distribution carts. These carts plug into 480 VAC receptacles and transform the power to 208 VAC. The breaker box then feeds various receptacles for tool and lighting use on the cart. They didn't understand why it was so important to keep lights and power tools on separate breakers until one day they had a motor fault and trip the breaker. The motor was plugged into the power distribution cord that supplieed all the lighting for the work area. Do you know how much sunlight penetrates through 100 ft of concrete? They found out that absolutely none does. Good thing everyone had flashlights on them to reset the breaker. I know that our shops are not this remote from daylight but an important lesson to head. Most of our residential circuits are powering up recepticles and lights but when it comes to your shops, you should consider changing this and consider using someone who knows what they are doing.

I will be rewiring my entire shop, which is a 2+ car detatched gargare, this next summer to replace the lights and improve receptacle access. I need better lighting not only for wood working but for working on my trucks and ATVs and wrapping fishing rods.

I hope this post keeps someone out of the dark.

[sbs]

Interesting that this comes back up now, as I just replaced a few of the $7 Home Depot T8 fixtures. I installed about 25 of them in my basement four years ago, and the ballasts in 4 have failed over the last year or so.

If I was staying in this house forever I would still buy the same fixtures, and then when they die replace the ballasts with better ones. Since I'm not staying here long, I just replaced them with the same $8 (price has gone up a little) fixtures.

Haven't had any temperature-related problems with mine. Probably doesn't get below 50* down there.