Fluorescent Base ID Please

[Mike OMelia]

Btw, Lowes had no idea T12s were being phased out. HD was well aware of it. But still selling the fixtures. I realize they have to recoup their costs. But to knowingly sell things that will soon be obsolete and therefore expensive to maintain just seems wrong.

Mike

[Mike OMelia]

I've gone back and studied Jack's calculator. Entered precise room measurements and the lumen ratings for the bulbs. I know, I estimated room size from memory and had it wrong. Never the less, the one variable that is totally subjective is the 50 or 100 factor based on age. I have one fixture up, and it's bright! If I add 3 more, I'm right in the ballpark using the 50 factor. I can't begin to believe I'd need much more than that.

So, what's the lesson? Use the calculator to get a estimate started. Put up one fixture and judge for yourself whether u should go with 50 or 100. Regardless, it's a good indicator of what u will need within a factor of two.

Mike

[Rick Fisher]

T-12 fixtures where already phased out in my part of Canada. The replacement up here is T-8 and T-5.

The bulbs are smaller, but bright .. they use less power but don't seem to offer less performance, and they do cost more ..

[Mike OMelia]

Yes Rick, it's on schedule down here starting this month. One Lowes guy told me he had no warning from corporate that this was happening. He said that bill had been "nixed". But I doubt that. For me, it's no bother. The fixtures costed a bit less, the bulbs are about 20% more. But that's the way it goes when regulations direct the way forward.

Mike

[Alan Lightstone]

I just finished installing enough fixtures that I should be around the 100fc level. And I'm 50-something. And like bright light in working areas.

All that being said, it seems a little too bright to me. I'm kinda looking forward to them losing some of their brightness over time.

I agree that Lowe's is pretty useless for shop fixtures. I had to go to HD to get those 4' T-8 fixtures.

[Mike OMelia]

Yeah. I went with 50 FC and I'm old enough to go with 100. But it just was looking too bright for me. Additionally, I installed pull switches on most of them so I can turn some off if I feel the need.

Mike

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I designed mine around Jack's article from 10 years ago for 100 fc. In my 60's I like it.

But that's what he stated.....it's subjective......what's right for me may not be right for you and visa/versa......there is no right or wrong......it's a matter of personal preference.

[Mike OMelia]

Ya know, the makers of these Fixtures are definitely working on maximizing their profits. I don't blame them. After all, it's about the ballast and the bulb connectors. The rest is just support. But they are making this stuff now out of the thinnest, softest sheet metal. Wear gloves or u will end up cut up like Edward Scissor Hands got after you.

Mike

[Mike OMelia]

Btw, all my whining aside, I found Jack's article and SawmillCreek in general extremely helpful in this project. Thanks! You guys are the best.

Mike

[Barry Mabery]

Indeed they are. July 2012 is the manufacturer's cutoff date for all but a very few F96T12 HO lamps. Philips lists the F96T12/DX/HO/EW 95 watt Daylight Delux 6500K, F96T12/DX/HO 110 watt Daylight Delux 6500K and two HO-O lamps for low temperature applications (think inside freezers and coolers) as surviving the hit list. I would suspect these would be about as costly as leaded premium gasoline (were it available) in the near future.

A better choice, in my opinion, would be an enclosed fixture using a 0* or -20* electronic ballast driving F32T8 lamps. It will take a short while for them to come up to reasonably full output. But, more importantly, why would you be concerned in Huntsville, AL about low temp operation? I use open industrial 4 ft. fixtures (F32T8) in my unheated garage in New Jersey and only when the ambient is significantly below freezing does it take more than a minute or two for them to come up to full output.