More light on T-8 fixtures

[Bruce Seidner]

I have been looking at fixtures for a low ceiling shop and I would have both more head room and a safer work space by running single tubes between my joists. The fit with the fixtures I have found are not great and as I was looking at the differences in ballasts described in other threads it occurred to me that a custom approach would better fit the space and it also appeals to my DIY inner self. I especially like the T-8 ballasts that will fire up 4x32w tubes. The wiring doesn't look like rocket surgery and the other hardware is not all that expensive.

Is there some gotcha that I am missing?

I have not read about or seen any examples of home brewed fluorescent fixtures in any of the shop tours or threads I have followed. So, either it is self evidently a simple affair unworthy of much comment or I am about to embark on the certain immolation of my home.

[James Baker SD]

I wired my kitchen ceiling lightwell with t-8s and independently purchased ballasts. A lot of running wires and twisting wire nuts, but it isn't rocket science.

[Bruce Seidner]

Ata-boy! James. I don't know if you recall the Saturday Night Live skit "More Cowbell" but I got a fever and the cure is more ballast.

[James Baker SD]

I re-used 3 of 4 metal shells from the old T12 fixtures and bought a low prices fixture at the BORG to get the metal shell, opened them up and removed the original ballasts and put in new programmed start/high output ballasts. I also added a 2nd switch to the wall and ran up another power line. I wanted to be able to turn on 2 or 6 or all 8 tubes, but I wanted the 2 to be in separate fixtures at opposite ends of the kitchen. So two center fixtures are simple with the connections internal, but the outside fixtures have ballasts that drive one tube "locally" and one tube "remotely", hence lots of wires running the full length of the lightwell. I am pretty pleased with the result and during the day (lunch or dinner in summer) 2 tubes lit is plenty.

James

[Curt Harms]

I wired my kitchen ceiling lightwell with t-8s and independently purchased ballasts. A lot of running wires and twisting wire nuts, but it isn't rocket science.

I just finished doing the same to 3 fixtures. I debated whether to upgrade or replace but after the first one I saved $5/fixture and (I hope) have better quality ballasts. The first fixture I removed the wires from the lamp holders. That was a mistake; the new wires were not gripped by the 'stab' style connectors. I was able to tinker and wound up having to replace only 1 lamp holder. On the other two fixtures I just cut the wires coming out of the lamp holders and used butt splice connectors. It was pretty simple. The 'new' fixtures do use less electricity, about .47 amps/56.4 watts for a 2 tube fixture compared to .72 amps/86.4 watts for the T12 tubes. I started out just doing one fixture just to see how it worked. I liked it well enough that I did 2 more that cover the area where good lighting is most important. I used these tubes from Home Depot
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202716470/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=phillips alto t8&storeId=10051
6500k color, 82 CRI. The space seems quite a bit brighter than it did with 'daylight' T12 tubes. The stated lumen output for the T8 is not much greater than the newer T12s but it sure seems brighter. I don't know the color temp of the old bulbs, perhaps 6500k tubes produce a 'better quality' light than the old T12s? Whatever, I thought it was worth doing.