Fluorescent lighting Replacement Shop

[Curt Harms]

Well yeah I would use LEDs or CFLs in em, but cost is about 3 bucks a piece per fixture vs 20+

I haven't done the math but LED bulbs seem like an interesting alternative to fluorescent. Benefits of LED over fluorescent I think:

- Life is not reduced by frequent on/off cycles. This is an issue for me with a basement shop. I may turn the lights off/on several times a day some days.

- I don't know that light output decreases with age as it does with fluorescent

- No need for the lamps to warm up in cold locations for light output to reach normal.

[David Ragan]

My electrician friend says that he never replaces the ballast. He is right. Too much trouble. Now, i replace the entire fixture.

And, several years ago, I read that incandescent bulbs burn out from time that they are lit.

However, fluorescent bulbs burn out from the on/off cycle. Seems to be the case. If anyone know diffo pls advise.

[Frank Pratt]

If you have any need to compare stains or paints for color matching or just for general color accuracy then you want to pay attention to the color rendering index (CRI) of the light source you choose.

Cheaper LEDs can be pretty horrible as are standard fluorescent lamps. A CRI of over 90 is what you want. You'll probably have to go to the manufacturer's website to get that info. If it's not available, then you can assume that it's low.

[Ole Anderson]

Well yeah I would use LEDs or CFLs in em, but cost is about 3 bucks a piece per fixture vs 20+

Yes, the short term cost will bite you, but long term you are way further ahead to go LED or CFL, just read their packaging. Often a 2 or 3 year payback, depending on how many hours per week they are turned on.

[Frank Pratt]

Curt : LEDs do, in fact get dimmer with age. They don't actually burn out (except for occasional random failures) they gradually get dimmer. An LED's life rating of, say 50,000 hours, means that at that point it will put out 70% of the lumens that it did when new. Some of the dodgy makers will use a 50% figure, or none at all.

[Curt Harms]

Curt : LEDs do, in fact get dimmer with age. They don't actually burn out (except for occasional random failures) they gradually get dimmer. An LED's life rating of, say 50,000 hours, means that at that point it will put out 70% of the lumens that it did when new. Some of the dodgy makers will use a 50% figure, or none at all.

Thanks. I'm not surprised but still prefer them over CFLs if the $ are within reason. For accurate color, would separately switched halogens make sense? Use the cooler, cheaper running, longer lasting LED/CFL most of the time and halogens when working with colors? You may not need double lights throughout the entire space, just the finishing area. As I understand it the CRI of halogen bulbs is 100.

[Jim Andrew]

I have a few halogen lights in my shop, but avoid using them for long periods because of the heat they produce.

[Curt Harms]

I have a few halogen lights in my shop, but avoid using them for long periods because of the heat they produce.

This time of year in the north country that's not a bad thing but yeah. I seem to recall that the majority of energy put into an incandescent or halogen bulb creates heat, light is a useful byproduct.

[John Sanford]

This time of year in the north country that's not a bad thing but yeah. I seem to recall that the majority of energy put into an incandescent or halogen bulb creates heat, light is a useful byproduct.

That was the thinking behind the original E-Z-Bake Oven.

[Chris Garratt]

I went to a bunch of plastic screw in bases with 26 watt cfl bulbs. even illumination and when I attack them with a board, I don't complain (low ceilings) I wired them with a pigtail that plugs into a switch operated outlet. No permanent wire changes that way.

[Jerome Hanby]

I bought a bunch of old 4 bulb T12 fxtures for next to nothing off of craigslist, found a big bag of replacement sockets (figured if i was stripping down all these lights might as well have new sockets) off ebay for $10, and bought these 4 packs of 4 bulb T8 ballasts from HD for about $55 a pack.

[David Castor]

With an 8 foot ceiling height, T5HO may be too bright. You end up with a wide ratio of bright to dark. T8 fluorescents are probably going to be the most economical option - both initial and operating cost. There is a lot of information (and opinions) on shop lighting in the archives and elsewhere online.

[roger wiegand]

With an 8 foot ceiling height, T5HO may be too bright. You end up with a wide ratio of bright to dark. T8 fluorescents are probably going to be the most economical option - both initial and operating cost. There is a lot of information (and opinions) on shop lighting in the archives and elsewhere online.

I've got 9 of them (T5HO two bulb with diffuser) on ~10 ft spacing (5-6 ft out from the walls) in a 34x36' space with about an 8'8" height. The corners are a little dark, but across the rest of the space the lighting seems very uniform (I think the diffusers help a lot with this, the bare bulb fixtures are hard to look at.) People remark on how bright the shop is, but its definitely not too bright for me (but then I'm old). I have two more fixtures to add over my two benches that are positioned in the corners of the space. I also have a track light with three halogen spot lights over the lathe, plus an intensely bright gooseneck surgical lamp for detail lighting on the lathe. I've found I need a lot more light as I get older.

T8's are definitely cheaper to buy, but you need twice as many of them to achieve the same initial brightness. Lumens per watt and lifetimes are roughly the same.

[Lee Reep]

This won't be a cheaper alternative, but I have converted all my lighting to LED, and love it. Just make sure you get the warm white, because the "bright" white and "daylight" are hideous blue-white. The warm white is very nice- just like an incandescent bulb. Look for something in the range of 2700 kelvin. I've saved a ton of money converting to LED's but I live in a place with the second highest electricity rates in the world, so for me the savings are quicker to see.

Remember, there are always two opinions (actually a lot more, when it comes to lighting.) I worked for an LED company for a couple years and Daylight were the most popular when people saw all the choices. Warm white were popular for blending into mixed lighting environments, where incandescents were still in use.

Personally, I absolutely hate warm white, and put in Daylight LEDs (5000K), in home and shop. For me, I perceive them as brighter, and I would not consider the newest Daylight LEDs to be blue-white. But that is me.

I'd recommend going to Home Depot and look at the displays of each color temperature. Only you can decide which is best for you. I still have some T8 troffers in the shop, and put Daylight tubes in to complement the LEDs. Mixing cool white fluorescents and daylight LEDs just bugged me. The LED tubes for flourescent fixtures are still pretty pricey, so mixing the two is not a bad choice.

Regardless of your preference for color temperature, there really is no reason to not start the conversion to LED. The bulbs consume less power, and last very long. I've also got some great deals on non-dimmable LED bulbs recently. Some places I guess don't want to continue carrying them when prices for dimmable versions aren't too much more. I see no reason to have "mood" lighting in my shop, so non-dimmable works for me.

[Jack Lemley]

+1 Lithonia, and added the T8 daylight bulbs. I replaced all in my shop over a couple of years as the old ones went out. Built shop 25+ years ago so got plenty of use out of the original fixtures.

Jack

I suggest the Lithonia T8 Model 3348 at HD. They are around 20 bucks a piece. Mine have lasted 6 years and counting. I had to replace 2 of them lately, but the price is very reasonable if you need more than a few.