Hi Bill,

What is an inexpensive replacement for these garage flourescent
lights? https://s13.postimg.org/7jivra81j/garage_lights.jpg
There are four of these sets of lights, each of which holds 4
flourescent bulbs, which keep flickering, burning out, and making
humming sounds. In a word, they suck.
So, instead of replacing the bulbs for the rest of my life, is there a
good but inexpensive quick and simple replacement strategy?

There's an old saying... You get what you pay for. If you want lighting
that is going to perform well and last, you will need to spend a little
more.

Decent fluorescent fixtures with T8 Bulbs and electronic ballast will cost
about $50 each (not including bulbs). But they come on instantly (even in
cold weather), don't have any flicker, and don't make any noise. One
example are these fixtures at Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-...2-Light-White-
Ballast-Ceiling-Flushmount-LB-2-32-MVOLT-MVIS/202591813


Earlier this year I upgraded the lights in my garage/shop using the
fixtures above. I have a web page and video showing the steps and methods I
used:

http://www.watsondiy.com/20160201-shoplights.htm

I had hoped to use LED lights, but LED shop lights cost twice as much and
put out less light (fewer lumens). Since I only use my garage lights
occasionally, the lower power usage wouldn't really make much difference in
the long run. So I stayed with the fluorescent fixtures.

My original T8 lights were almost 15 years old, but were still working
great. So I was able to keep those and just add more fixtures to keep costs
down.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com