Shop lighting

[katy]

I have not had stellar luck with electronic ballasts for T8 or T12 florescent units.

An electronic ballast in this identical application lasts about 5 years

and the new electronic ballast's seem to be junk.

FWIW, I redid the fluorescent lighting in my shop to electronic ballasts and T8 lamps 11 years ago and they're still going strong with lots of use. 10 4 foot fixtures w/4 lamps each.

[Joe K]

Originally Posted by katy

FWIW, I redid the fluorescent lighting in my shop to electronic ballasts and T8 lamps 11 years ago and they're still going strong with lots of use. 10 4 foot fixtures w/4 lamps each.

Not disputing and welcome alternate experience.

It may be a matter of "source." The big-box stores carry a limited selection of replacement ballasts - generally only for those lines which they normally carry - and the quality on those is not rated.

Part of the issue may be the fixtures themselves. Ever frugal, I tend to buy the cheapest possible with a rationalization I can always upgrade later if forced to. The laundry room light is one of those bought cheap and forced to.

The first failure of one bulb was remedied by replacing the "Phillips" brand bulbs ( have green ends) These came with the fixture and hey, a fluorescent bulb is a fluorescent bulb is it not?

Well it is not. With another of those Phillips bulbs (I assumed it was the bulb) I squeezed out another year. And then one of them, same positional one, went on the fritz.

So I replaced it with a GE bulb of higher price but seemingly of higher quality overall (one could see differences in how the end treatment was improved.)

The GE bulb/Phillips combination lasted another two years and then that GE bulb went. Always the same bulb in relative position in the light.

I concluded the light was "defective" in a fundamental way in the ballast - so rather than re-ballast, I replaced the entire lamp (the cost is not much different.)

This time a more expensive fixture with the "grille" over the front and generally improved structurally.

This one is still soldiering along with now TWO GE bulbs, but I see again one of the bulbs is now "out." A twiddle with the fingers got that bad boy going again, but is it a bad fixture contact, or is it some flaw again on a ballast sourced from repeat source and the interruption/twiddle serves as signal to "start" - even though running continuous option may be flawed?

Not much is made in this country anymore - and electronics seems to be the "transfer to the pacific rim" technology of choice.

Maybe instead of buying the whole fixture, like you I should have replaced only the ballast? Might be a completely different manufacturer.

Maybe a higher quality American manufacturer? Naw, not probable and certainly not proven.

For certain things the Pacific Rim does quite well. Others not so much.

Joe K