The cheap flourescent shop lights are intended to hang from chains.
For clearance (height)reasons, I have surface mounted some of them
(with a 3/8 inch spacer under the light housing) up against
drywall. My thought is that if the ballast goes bad and begins to
overheat, either I should be able to smell it or it should trip the
breaker long before it gets too hot across a 3/8 in. air gap. Any
reasons that I should be concerned?

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:51:17 -0800 (PST), wrote:

The cheap flourescent shop lights are intended to hang from chains.
For clearance (height)reasons, I have surface mounted some of them
(with a 3/8 inch spacer under the light housing) up against
drywall. My thought is that if the ballast goes bad and begins to
overheat, either I should be able to smell it or it should trip the
breaker long before it gets too hot across a 3/8 in. air gap. Any
reasons that I should be concerned?


You will smell them long before the catch fire.

I dont bother with the spacer. But..each to their own.

Gunner

"Aren't cats Libertarian? They just want to be left alone.
I think our dog is a Democrat, as he is always looking for a handout"
Unknown Usnet Poster

Heh, heh, I'm pretty sure my dog is a liberal - he has no balls.
Keyton

wrote in message
...
The cheap flourescent shop lights are intended to hang from chains.
For clearance (height)reasons, I have surface mounted some of them
(with a 3/8 inch spacer under the light housing) up against
drywall. My thought is that if the ballast goes bad and begins to
overheat, either I should be able to smell it or it should trip the
breaker long before it gets too hot across a 3/8 in. air gap. Any
reasons that I should be concerned?

I always hang them so I don't have to listen to the darn things buzz the
frame of the entire building when they start to go bad.

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:51:17 -0800 (PST), wrote:

The cheap flourescent shop lights are intended to hang from chains.
For clearance (height)reasons, I have surface mounted some of them
(with a 3/8 inch spacer under the light housing) up against
drywall. My thought is that if the ballast goes bad and begins to
overheat, either I should be able to smell it or it should trip the
breaker long before it gets too hot across a 3/8 in. air gap. Any
reasons that I should be concerned?

If they're UL listed, I wouldn't worry about it.

On Nov 16, 12:13*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:51:17 -0800 (PST), wrote:
The cheap flourescent shop lights are intended to hang from chains.
For clearance (height)reasons, I have surface mounted some of them
(with a 3/8 inch spacer under the light housing) up against
drywall. * *My thought is that if the ballast goes bad and begins to
overheat, *either I should be able to smell it or it should trip the
breaker long before it gets too hot across a 3/8 in. air gap. * Any
reasons that I should be concerned?

If they're UL listed, *I wouldn't worry about it. * *

I have a question, I have those sorts of lights and after I bought
them realized that I cant drywall the ceiling due to truss spacing so
I am seriously thinking of a suspended ceiling. Can you use these
lights with a suspended ceiling? What would be the best way to mount
them?

wrote:

The cheap flourescent shop lights are intended to hang from chains.
For clearance (height)reasons, I have surface mounted some of them
(with a 3/8 inch spacer under the light housing) up against
drywall. My thought is that if the ballast goes bad and begins to
overheat, either I should be able to smell it or it should trip the
breaker long before it gets too hot across a 3/8 in. air gap. Any
reasons that I should be concerned?

Probably not. If these are electronic ballasts like most new ones are, they just die
silently. If Sunpak, really quickly.

Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:34:12 -0800 (PST), stryped
wrote:

On Nov 16, 12:13*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:51:17 -0800 (PST), wrote:
The cheap flourescent shop lights are intended to hang from chains.
For clearance (height)reasons, I have surface mounted some of them
(with a 3/8 inch spacer under the light housing) up against
drywall. * *My thought is that if the ballast goes bad and begins to
overheat, *either I should be able to smell it or it should trip the
breaker long before it gets too hot across a 3/8 in. air gap. * Any
reasons that I should be concerned?

If they're UL listed, *I wouldn't worry about it. * *

I have a question, I have those sorts of lights and after I bought
them realized that I cant drywall the ceiling due to truss spacing so
I am seriously thinking of a suspended ceiling. Can you use these
lights with a suspended ceiling? What would be the best way to mount
them?

If they are the industry standard shop lights with a real UL-Listed
ballast in them, they are thermally protected and should trip off long
before they get that hot.

The spacers are a good idea - the ballast cools by conducting heat
to the fixture sheet-metal, then by radiation. If air can get around
the back of the fixture, the ballast will run cooler and probably live
longer.

If they are the $12 Specials from the Junk Purveyors (IMHO) "Lights
Of America" all bets are off. They probably still have some of the
simple reactive ballast fixtures in the sales stream (with a FS-2
style starter bulb hidden inside permanently wired in...) and those
could easily catch fire first - "Thermally protected? What's that?"

And anything LOA makes with an 'electronic ballast' that lives more
than a few months (before a simple transient kills it) might blow the
breaker before it catches fire - but with your luck...

-- Bruce --

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:34:12 -0800 (PST), stryped
wrote:

On Nov 16, 12:13*am, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:51:17 -0800 (PST), wrote:
The cheap flourescent shop lights are intended to hang from chains.
For clearance (height)reasons, I have surface mounted some of them
(with a 3/8 inch spacer under the light housing) up against
drywall. * *My thought is that if the ballast goes bad and begins to
overheat, *either I should be able to smell it or it should trip the
breaker long before it gets too hot across a 3/8 in. air gap. * Any
reasons that I should be concerned?

If they're UL listed, *I wouldn't worry about it. * *

I have a question, I have those sorts of lights and after I bought
them realized that I cant drywall the ceiling due to truss spacing so
I am seriously thinking of a suspended ceiling. Can you use these
lights with a suspended ceiling? What would be the best way to mount
them?

Hang them from chains.

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:59:47 -0800, Bruce L. Bergman
wrote:


The spacers are a good idea - the ballast cools by conducting heat
to the fixture sheet-metal, then by radiation. If air can get around
the back of the fixture, the ballast will run cooler and probably live
longer.

Oooh! Id not thought about that. Indeed the spacers would be a good
idea!

Gunner

"Aren't cats Libertarian? They just want to be left alone.
I think our dog is a Democrat, as he is always looking for a handout"
Unknown Usnet Poster

Heh, heh, I'm pretty sure my dog is a liberal - he has no balls.
Keyton

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:01:45 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:59:47 -0800, Bruce L. Bergman
wrote:


The spacers are a good idea - the ballast cools by conducting heat
to the fixture sheet-metal, then by radiation. If air can get around
the back of the fixture, the ballast will run cooler and probably live
longer.

Oooh! Id not thought about that. Indeed the spacers would be a good
idea!

Gunner

Only thing you have to think about is keeping the sparks corralled if
there is a wiring fault. If you are on a drywall ceiling and space
the fixture out from the finished ceiling, you also have to fill the
gap beteen the box/mud ring and the top of the fixture.

They don't make open back pancake boxes - but they should. This would
be a perfect spot for a 3/4" extension.

If you are feeding direct with flex or MC Cable, this isn't a problem.

-- Bruce --

Thanks for the replys. These shop lights range in age from new T12 w/
electronic ballasts to $7.99 specials that I bought 21 years ago when
I built the garage.
All of these lights have a power cord that plugs into outlets in the
ceiling

Don: Your thoughts as to why I should hang them from chains (as they
were designed to be installed)? I have clearance issues due to a
light duty crane that I have built into the garage that covers most of
one bay. In the same bay I have just bumped a pocket up the ceiling
in order to be able to put a car up on a hoist (again minimun
clearances).

On Nov 17, 1:01*am, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:59:47 -0800, Bruce L. Bergman

wrote:

*The spacers are a good idea - the ballast cools by conducting heat
to the fixture sheet-metal, then by radiation. *If air can get around
the back of the fixture, the ballast will run cooler and probably live
longer.

Oooh! *Id not thought about that. Indeed the spacers would be a good
idea!

Gunner

"Aren't cats Libertarian? They just want to be left alone.
I think our dog is a Democrat, as he is always looking for a handout"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Unknown Usnet Poster

Heh, heh, I'm pretty sure my dog is a liberal - he has no balls.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Keyton

I'm too lazy for spacers- I take off the center cover, and run 3-inch
drywall screws through the chain holes, and stop driving them when
there's about an inch between the ceiling and the light.


Dave

On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:46:39 -0800 (PST), wrote:


Thanks for the replys. These shop lights range in age from new T12 w/
electronic ballasts to $7.99 specials that I bought 21 years ago when
I built the garage.
All of these lights have a power cord that plugs into outlets in the
ceiling

My shop lights came from a demolition contractor 45 years ago. I have
refurbished the ?brass? contact fingers and replaced the ballasts as
required over the years. The light over the SB "A" is so loaded with
magnets that the porcelainized shade has a 30 deg. tilt.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada