Fluorescent shop light woes
 

Within the past few months I installed a new fluorescent shop light fixture
in the basement. Came from Lowe's if memory serves. This thing has been
killing bulbs ever since. Three replacements already. I've never had this
experience with a shop light in the past. Of course the fixture is made in
China. Do you think the design of the fixture is to blame or is it just a
manufacturing defect. On the other hand the bulbs could be defective, but
the ones I'm using aren't cheapos. They are made by GE, but who knows in
what country.

I'm ready to pitch the fixture and replace it with one made in America if
such a thing is still available. What do you think?

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

Have you complained to Lowes? Or GE?

I have some opinions, but as I'm not an expert on fluorescent-light
ballasts, starters, etc, I'll keep my mouth shut. However, I've never owned
fluorescent fixtures or tubes of any brand that seemed to fail prematurely.
I currently am using Sylvania tubes (from Costco) in my kitchen. They seem
to last around 5 years.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

In article , "Silver Surfer" wrote:
Within the past few months I installed a new fluorescent shop light fixture
in the basement. Came from Lowe's if memory serves. This thing has been
killing bulbs ever since. Three replacements already. I've never had this
experience with a shop light in the past. Of course the fixture is made in
China. Do you think the design of the fixture is to blame or is it just a
manufacturing defect. On the other hand the bulbs could be defective, but
the ones I'm using aren't cheapos. They are made by GE, but who knows in
what country.

I'm ready to pitch the fixture and replace it with one made in America if
such a thing is still available. What do you think?


I bought about 10 fixtures at a local building store, for
about $10 ea. One went bad. I need to change that one out.
I'm sure they are Chinese. Not bad odds.

There are also some very bright lamps these days. Look for the total
lumens output. Some 40 watters have 3300 and more.
Don't buy any less than 3000. GE Ecolux are amazing.

greg

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

On Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:43:42 -0500, "Silver Surfer"
wrote:

Within the past few months I installed a new fluorescent shop light fixture
in the basement. Came from Lowe's if memory serves. This thing has been
killing bulbs ever since. Three replacements already. I've never had this
experience with a shop light in the past. Of course the fixture is made in
China. Do you think the design of the fixture is to blame or is it just a
manufacturing defect. On the other hand the bulbs could be defective, but
the ones I'm using aren't cheapos. They are made by GE, but who knows in
what country.

I'm ready to pitch the fixture and replace it with one made in America if
such a thing is still available. What do you think?

Go with that last thought... Those cheap fixtures are not worth the
(scrap) metal they are made from.

I got 25 fixtures from a surplus supplier (used, good condition) that
was local. Price was excellent, $5 each, and only three bad ones in
the lot.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

The last batch of GE fluorescent lights I bought were all stamped,
"Made in China".

I have also found these cheapo light fixtures are eating lamps. It's
that f***ing "electronic" (a.k.a. energy saving or green) ballast.

Look for a fixture that has a real traditional ballast in it.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

I have two old flourescent shop lights in my shed in my back yard and
one old one in a room which used to be an open carport.The two in my
shed work ok, but the one in the other room, I think it needs a new
ballast.If there is an industrial supply store in your area, I think
that would be a good place to buy flourescent shop lights.
cuhulin

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

On Dec 11, 9:43 am, "Silver Surfer" wrote:
Within the past few months I installed a new fluorescent shop light fixture
in the basement. Came from Lowe's if memory serves. This thing has been
killing bulbs ever since. Three replacements already. I've never had this
experience with a shop light in the past. Of course the fixture is made in
China. Do you think the design of the fixture is to blame or is it just a
manufacturing defect. On the other hand the bulbs could be defective, but
the ones I'm using aren't cheapos. They are made by GE, but who knows in
what country.

I'm ready to pitch the fixture and replace it with one made in America if
such a thing is still available. What do you think?

Are you sure it's the bulbs that are failing?

Do you have another fixture you could try them in?

The reason I ask is that I picked up a few "el cheapo" fixtures at
HD, and they all had electronic ballasts. They all worked OK, except
the
one which I stuck in our attic, with a long extension cord.
Apparently
the voltage drop of the cord was enough to prevent the thing from
starting reliably. When it didn't start, it would hum and apparently
draw quite a bit of current. The little transformers in the end caps
overheated (notwithstanding the little thermal fuses taped against
them), I believe some windings shorted, and now the thing almost
never starts, and tubes get blackened if you leave them in it.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

"Silver Surfer" wrote in message
. ..
Within the past few months I installed a new fluorescent shop light
fixture in the basement. Came from Lowe's if memory serves. This thing
has been killing bulbs ever since. Three replacements already. I've
never had this experience with a shop light in the past. Of course the
fixture is made in China. Do you think the design of the fixture is to
blame or is it just a manufacturing defect. On the other hand the bulbs
could be defective, but the ones I'm using aren't cheapos. They are made
by GE, but who knows in what country.

I'm ready to pitch the fixture and replace it with one made in America if
such a thing is still available. What do you think?

It's a defective ballast, these are the ultra-cheap electronic type right?
Buy a decent fixture with a real ballast and you'll be much happier. If it's
less than about $25, it's not worth getting.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

I bought about 10 fixtures at a local building store, for
about $10 ea. One went bad. I need to change that one out.
I'm sure they are Chinese. Not bad odds.

There are also some very bright lamps these days. Look for the total
lumens output. Some 40 watters have 3300 and more.
Don't buy any less than 3000. GE Ecolux are amazing.



It's all in the phosphors. The modern trichromatic phosphors put out a lot
of light, and the color rendering is substantially better which improves
visual acuity. Some ballasts drive the lamps a lot hotter than others too,
the cheapest magnetic ballasts run a 40W lamp at about 25W, few give you a
true 40W, but some commercial ballasts are at least close.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

I have also found these cheapo light fixtures are eating lamps. It's
that f***ing "electronic" (a.k.a. energy saving or green) ballast.


They're not there because they're energy saving, they're there because
they're cheap, not only to produce, but to ship because they're light
weight.

The best ballasts you can buy in both performance and efficiency are
electronic, but you won't find them in low end fixtures. Magnetic ballasts
are middle of the road, there's only so many corners they can cut and still
have them work without catching fire.

I use T8 tubes with good quality programmed start microprocessor controlled
ballasts in most of the linear fluorescents in my house. They provide good
cold weather performance in the garage, no flicker, long lamp life, and good
efficiency. Retail is about 50 bucks a piece, but I found a deal on ebay.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

In article D5A7j.3035$xd.1922@trndny03, "James Sweet" wrote:

"Silver Surfer" wrote in message
...
Within the past few months I installed a new fluorescent shop light
fixture in the basement. Came from Lowe's if memory serves. This thing
has been killing bulbs ever since. Three replacements already. I've
never had this experience with a shop light in the past. Of course the
fixture is made in China. Do you think the design of the fixture is to
blame or is it just a manufacturing defect. On the other hand the bulbs
could be defective, but the ones I'm using aren't cheapos. They are made
by GE, but who knows in what country.

I'm ready to pitch the fixture and replace it with one made in America if
such a thing is still available. What do you think?

It's a defective ballast, these are the ultra-cheap electronic type right?
Buy a decent fixture with a real ballast and you'll be much happier. If it's
less than about $25, it's not worth getting.

The 10 I bought for $10 each had real ballasts.

I recently bought a ballast for $40, but that was a 4 tube
ballast. The two tube model was $30.
When you buy from Grainger, its not Wally World.

greg

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

The 10 I bought for $10 each had real ballasts.

I recently bought a ballast for $40, but that was a 4 tube
ballast. The two tube model was $30.
When you buy from Grainger, its not Wally World.



I don't know how Grainger manages to sell anything lighting related. They
wanted nearly $100 for a GE 400W metal halide lamp, the *same* lamp can be
had elsewhere for less than $30.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

I once saw an incandescent light bulb trick in a Popular Mechanics
magazine about fifty five years ago.Next time one of your incandescent
light bulbs burns out, remove the threaded piece from the bulb.Glue the
piece on to the top of a good light bulb opposite of the metal threaded
piece on the good bulb.Get a little box or cheap plastic bowl.Put an
electric cord (with a light bulb socket on one end of the electric cord)
through a hole near the bottom of the box or bowl, fill the box or bowl
up with some sand and screw the good bulb into the socket and plug the
other end of the cord into a wall outlet.Have it arranged so that the
glued on metal threaded piece on the good bulb is sticking straight up
or out at an angle.Fix it so that the electric cord is out of sight.
cuhulin

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

wrote in message
...
I once saw an incandescent light bulb trick in a Popular Mechanics
magazine about fifty five years ago.Next time one of your incandescent
light bulbs burns out, remove the threaded piece from the bulb.Glue the
piece on to the top of a good light bulb opposite of the metal threaded
piece on the good bulb.Get a little box or cheap plastic bowl.Put an
electric cord (with a light bulb socket on one end of the electric cord)
through a hole near the bottom of the box or bowl, fill the box or bowl
up with some sand and screw the good bulb into the socket and plug the
other end of the cord into a wall outlet.Have it arranged so that the
glued on metal threaded piece on the good bulb is sticking straight up
or out at an angle.Fix it so that the electric cord is out of sight.
cuhulin


Is this to make it appear that the light bulb is working without any power?
Thats the only thing I can gather from your explanation, because it
certainly won't do anything electrically from my somewhat vague
understanding of your explanation. Sounds like a good brain teaser for house
guests.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

"Michael Kennedy" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
I once saw an incandescent light bulb trick in a Popular Mechanics
magazine about fifty five years ago.Next time one of your incandescent
light bulbs burns out, remove the threaded piece from the bulb.Glue the
piece on to the top of a good light bulb opposite of the metal threaded
piece on the good bulb.Get a little box or cheap plastic bowl.Put an
electric cord (with a light bulb socket on one end of the electric cord)
through a hole near the bottom of the box or bowl, fill the box or bowl
up with some sand and screw the good bulb into the socket and plug the
other end of the cord into a wall outlet.Have it arranged so that the
glued on metal threaded piece on the good bulb is sticking straight up
or out at an angle.Fix it so that the electric cord is out of sight.

Is this to make it appear that the light bulb is working without any
power?
Thats the only thing I can gather from your explanation, because it
certainly won't do anything electrically from my somewhat vague
understanding of your explanation. Sounds like a good brain teaser for
house guests.

If it's a "trick", I don't know whom it would fool, as the base of an
incandescent bulb normally comes out the tapered end.

Could this have been a "Wordless Workshop" project Popular Science rejected?
(Roy Doty is still alive and working, by the way. He does cartoons for
MAKE:.).

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

I sure am glad that Roy Doty is still alive and kicking.I used to read
his real good articles every month.Maybe it was in Popular Science where
I read that article so many years ago about the light bulb trick.I used
to read Science And Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated magazines too,
untill they went belly up.

Check out the January 2008 Popular Mechanics magazine on page
105.Popular Mechanics Shop Notes.Complete Series from 1905 to
1930.$129.00.I am thinking I will buy a set of those reprint books.The
ad in the magazine also mentions www.leevalley.com

One time when I was on vacation in Florida, I stopped off at a junk shop
in Pensacola near the U.S.Navy Base.The elderly guy there had two
cardboard boxes of old, old Popular Mechanics and Popular Science
magazines for sale, $10.00 each box.Needless to say, I bought both boxes
of the magazines.Some of those magazines date all the way back to
1911.The magazines are still in good condition too.
cuhulin

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

In article ,
wrote:

Check out the January 2008 Popular Mechanics magazine on page
105.Popular Mechanics Shop Notes.Complete Series from 1905 to
1930.$129.00.I am thinking I will buy a set of those reprint books.The
ad in the magazine also mentions www.leevalley.com

Lee Valley has been selling those reprints for a couple of years, at
least, and some longer (they were reprinting a few a year until they got
to 1930). They also have some other reprinted books along the same
lines--the four original "boy mechanic" books, the three volume Knight's
American Mechanical Dictionary (which is really an encyclopedia of
nearly all technological advancement through the mid 1800's), and some
others.

They're one of those crafty retailers that manages to extract money from
unsuspecting persons like me by having interesting products, fair
prices, and good customer service. It's well worth checking out, and
doubly so if you need some new knobs for your spare parts cabinet.

(No affiliation beyond a happy customer, of course.)

--
Andrew Erickson

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot
lose." -- Jim Elliot

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

From my experience, I found that some of the cheaply made ballasts and lamps
used in the low end fixtures don't last very long.

Personaly, I would get a good quality fixture, preferably something made in
America. I only use made in America products whenever possible.

--

JANA
_____


"Silver Surfer" wrote in message
. ..
Within the past few months I installed a new fluorescent shop light fixture
in the basement. Came from Lowe's if memory serves. This thing has been
killing bulbs ever since. Three replacements already. I've never had this
experience with a shop light in the past. Of course the fixture is made in
China. Do you think the design of the fixture is to blame or is it just a
manufacturing defect. On the other hand the bulbs could be defective, but
the ones I'm using aren't cheapos. They are made by GE, but who knows in
what country.

I'm ready to pitch the fixture and replace it with one made in America if
such a thing is still available. What do you think?

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

"JANA" wrote in message
...
From my experience, I found that some of the cheaply made ballasts and
lamps
used in the low end fixtures don't last very long.

Personaly, I would get a good quality fixture, preferably something made
in
America. I only use made in America products whenever possible.


Good luck. I prefer to buy American or European products but the classic
name brands build all this sort of stuff in China, Mexico, Malaysia, or
various third world countries. Very few mass produced products are built
here anymore and it's less all the time.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

"James Sweet" wrote in message
news:2Qq8j.5400$W27.3270@trndny09...

"JANA" wrote in message
...
From my experience, I found that some of the cheaply made ballasts and
lamps
used in the low end fixtures don't last very long.

Personaly, I would get a good quality fixture, preferably something made
in
America. I only use made in America products whenever possible.


Good luck. I prefer to buy American or European products but the classic
name brands build all this sort of stuff in China, Mexico, Malaysia, or
various third world countries. Very few mass produced products are built
here anymore and it's less all the time.


Honestly I'm starting to wonder if we make anything here anymore other than
mag lites and craftsman tools. It won't be long before those are out of
business or being made overseas.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

And the best part is that every dollar we spend on Chinese products helps
them build up their military and technological capabilities. The US's
technology lead could soon disappear. Maybe then all those short sighted
American companies that shared their valuable expertise with our Chinese
"friends" for the sake of a profit now will realize what a horrible mistake
it was.

Buy American while you still can. This poster tries hard to do that, but as
others have pointed out certain American products no longer exist. For
example I'm still looking for a set of American made automotive jack stands.
The last time I looked there was one genuine Made in America set of stands
out there for a price that was at least four times the price charged for the
ubiquitous Chinese types, Craftsman being a good example. Holy cow. Sad to
say, but there is a financial limit to my patriotism. Still looking though.
Have not bought the Chinese jack stands yet and have no intention of doing
so.

"Michael Kennedy" wrote in message
. ..

"James Sweet" wrote in message
news:2Qq8j.5400$W27.3270@trndny09...

"JANA" wrote in message
...
From my experience, I found that some of the cheaply made ballasts and
lamps
used in the low end fixtures don't last very long.

Personaly, I would get a good quality fixture, preferably something made
in
America. I only use made in America products whenever possible.


Good luck. I prefer to buy American or European products but the classic
name brands build all this sort of stuff in China, Mexico, Malaysia, or
various third world countries. Very few mass produced products are built
here anymore and it's less all the time.


Honestly I'm starting to wonder if we make anything here anymore other
than mag lites and craftsman tools. It won't be long before those are out
of business or being made overseas.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

I have three flourescent screw in light bulbs in my house.One in my
kitchen and two in the light fixture above the medicine cabinet in my
bathroom.I never turn them off.Lights of America, I think is the brand
name of them, I bought them at the Wal Mart store.Back in the 1970s, a
W.T.Grant store was going out of business and closing that store
down.They had a lot of stuff on sale.One of the on sale items I bought
was a made in Nederlands flourescent thingy.When I installed that light
in my bathroom, I wrote the day and date on it with a ball point
pen.That light lasted for about fourteen and a half years untill the
plug in glass bulb itself finally gave up the ghost.If I can find
another plug in light bulb like the old one, I will give it another go.
cuhulin

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

wrote in message
...
I have three flourescent screw in light bulbs in my house.One in my
kitchen and two in the light fixture above the medicine cabinet in my
bathroom.I never turn them off.Lights of America, I think is the brand
name of them, I bought them at the Wal Mart store.Back in the 1970s, a
W.T.Grant store was going out of business and closing that store
down.They had a lot of stuff on sale.One of the on sale items I bought
was a made in Nederlands flourescent thingy.When I installed that light
in my bathroom, I wrote the day and date on it with a ball point
pen.That light lasted for about fourteen and a half years untill the
plug in glass bulb itself finally gave up the ghost.If I can find
another plug in light bulb like the old one, I will give it another go.
cuhulin


Lights of America products are, ironically, made in China using mostly
Japanese fluorescent tubes. They're also well known to make some of the
worst quality lighting products in existence. You get lucky once in a while,
but I only have two LOA products that still function, one is an early 1980s
circline retrofit with a magnetic choke ballast in the rarely used storage
closet light, and the other is fluorescent wall pack out back.

Historically, the tubes themselves have been quite good quality, but LOA
engineers either can't design a ballast that's worth a crap, or and forced
to cheap out by the bean counters.

Fluorescent shop light woes
 

Lights of America products are, ironically, made in China using mostly
Japanese fluorescent tubes. They're also well known to make some of the
worst quality lighting products in existence. You get lucky once in a
while,
but I only have two LOA products that still function, one is an early
1980s
circline retrofit with a magnetic choke ballast in the rarely used storage
closet light, and the other is fluorescent wall pack out back.

CU has reported that LOA CFLs have relatively short lives.