Flouorscent Lights in the cold

[FJ Shepley & JM Pfohl]

What brand of fluorescent lights work best in the cold? My garage would be unheated until the morning I plan go to out. Are some brand/type of fixtures and lights better for these conditions?

Thanks, Frank.

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

Cold weather fixtures.

Really! Ask for them at an electrical supplier.

Barry

[Guy]

I used high output fluorescent fixtures and tubes in my garage in Ottawa, Canada and they worked even when it was very cold. You can't use HO tubes in a standard fixture or vise versa; you need to get both.

[bummster]

i put shop lights in an unheated, uninsulated garage in chicago, but they haven't had it cold yet. from what i read, you need T8 ballast and bars. at least i hope so. :)

-danny

[Silvan]

Depends on how cold cold is. I live in southwestern Virginia, USDA zone 6b, and it doesn't get below 0 F very often. I have regular cheapass $5 shop lights with regular cheapass GE bulbs. If I go out there on a cold day the lights take a moment to start, and flicker for quite some time, but they eventually level out and perform normally.

Actually, that was true of my old lights, before I blew them out with a really stupid electrical blunder that fed them 220. I have no idea how the new, even more crappy cheapass shop lights will fare.

I'm going to miss my shop soon. :( I don't know how long it's been since I picked this up as my current thing to do, but I've been out there several hours a day, every chance I get, for a good long time now. It's hard for me to consider how that's all about to be taken away, but I can't afford to buy a heater, so that's that. :(

I hate winter. :(

[Mark Jerde]

I live in MD and use my unheated shop in the winter. I grew up in South Dakota and learned some things about staying warm. One thing that really helps is layered clothing. You don't want to have loose & floppy clothing in the shop, but multiple layers of tee shirts work well. 3 tee shirts under a shirt and a vest are quite warm.

-- Mark

[Michael Daly]

My local Borg sells them. If you live in a cold winter area, your Borg probably does as well. I don't remember seeing cold weather versions of the T8s though. If you're starting from scratch, go for the T8s - they'll be cheaper in the long run. But you'll have to look for the cold weather versions.

My understanding is that they are little more than regular fixtures with a different ballast. Electronic or magnetic or something. They cost a lot more unfortunately.

Mike

[Silvan]

What part of MD? If you live somewhere around D.C.-ish that's one thing, but if you live nearer to Cumberland, that's another matter entirely. :)

Problem is with fingers. I can't do anything in gloves, and when it's bitterly cold, my fingers don't want to move. I'd also be mildly concerned about frozen carbide teeth fracturing and such like.

I might try it and see though. I have more projects in progress than I have warm days left. I guess I'll know it's too cold when I decide I'd rather drink hot chocolate than make a whatever.

I can handle the layering thing you speak of. I'm a truck driver, and I have to tailgate the freight. I go from a heated cab to freezing weather, and then I work up a sweat. I have to put things on and take things off constantly, depending on where I am, and my activity level. I'm more worried about my poor widdle fingers, and problems with cold steel.

Finishing becomes a problem too.

[George M. Kazaka]

What part of MD Guys, I was in the Gaithersburg area fro 28 years, Worked in Thurmont, and Hagerstown also. Also you cannot afford not to have heat, it can get cold enough to affect your glue your finishing and the wood itself. You do not need a lot of heat but you need some.

And that finger thing is true whatever you are doing with your hands forget about what skill you posses it will become a little redundent.

Even here in Mesa AZ, 103 degree's yesterday, not a typo 103 friggin degree's. Come Dec & Jan and sometimes into Feb Morning Temps will be about 40 degree's, A heatwave by many standards as i grew up in Boston , and was stationed in Maine for 3-1/2 years

But at 40 with the humidity at about 15 you absolutely shiver your ass of till about 10 am when it will get to be about 60

I still have a snow shovel from when i was back east. I use it to shovel sawdust in the shop, It has shoveled a lot of sawdust in the past 9 years I also use it to shovel that damned sunshine off my walk.

George

[Bob Kuphal]

[Mark Jerde]

Bowie, which is halfway between D.C. and Annapolis.

I sometimes use those brown, lightweight cloth gloves when it's cold in the shop.

Long or short haul? I've had this romantic notion about doing long haul 18 wheeler for a year or so. The way the market is for computer programmers I may get the chance... ;-)

ACK.

-- Mark

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I have some cheapies., When first turned on, they are a bit dull, but as the fixture and the shop heat up, they brighten to normal. If it is too cold for the lights, it is too cold for me so it has not been a problem.

They do have a fixture for cold climates, but they are expensive. Mostly they are used in reefers and walk in boxes that are cold all the time. I'd at least try a couple of standard fixtures before spending big bucks for an upgrade. Cold temperature fixtures (-20 degrees) start at about $80. You can get the same light for about $20 from a standard fixture once you hit 50 degrees. Ed

[George M. Kazaka]

Bowie MD, sort of knew it well at one time . Built all the Cabinets for a Beauty Salon, and also did the entire store front it Diagonal oak panels Was back in the late 70's do not not if it is still there or not, It was in a open shopping center across from the Bowie Mall Heard that the closed it in, Don't know for sure I do miss Annopolis I could easily become a wharf rat there, Just can't afford it

George

[ELAhrens]

I live in the foothills of the Cascades and it can get down to 20'F here for a few weeks a year. When the temperature in the shop (garage) gets below

35'F, I leave my lights on all night. Florescent lights use very little electricity. I have four Lithonia T8 4-tube fixtures I got at the Borg for $60 each. I would guesstimate it would take 5-6 seasons to recover the cost of the 0-Degree fixtures not including the additional cost of the tubes.

Erik

[Mark Jerde]

Does the name "Free State Mall" ring a bell?

Yup. Bring money.

-- Mark

[Donnie Vazquez]

Last year I bought one of those ceramic element heaters that you mount on a propane tank and that seemed to help alot. I don't think I paid more than about $30 for it. There is an issue with ventilation but my unfinished garage/shop is far from airtight.

[Donnie Vazquez]

That sounds like "Market Place" with the diagonal oak motif. I moved from Bowie to Calvert county (God's Country) :-) 3 years ago. It's getting awful crowded up there. We'll probably see you down here eventually, everyone moves down sooner or later :-) A father of a kid on my sons football team told me that 90% of his subdivision is comprised of Bowie/Crofton transplants.

[George M. Kazaka]

Don't remember but will e-mail the customer that I built it for, He has become a personal freind and still lives in Gaithersburg, I designed and built probably about 30 Beauty salons for him over the years I know he does not own this one anymore.

I think it used to be called Bowie shoping center and was right on the 450 ??

George

[Mark Jerde]

There are three of them close together on 450, "Marketplace," "Free State" and "Hilltop." I've been here about 10 years, the names could have changed before. Like many strips & small malls around the U.S. these have vacancies. "Marketplace" in particular is almost completely empty, just a Safeway & a few small stores left. There's been a lot of new development along 50 & 301. Target, Borders, ..., Lowe's, Borg, ..., Sears, ...

-- Mark

[Morgans]

the feel, with minnimal heat loss.