Replacing fluorescent fixtures

The cheapos are magnetic ballists. Buy the ones with solid state ballists which are more efficient, run cooler and last a lifetime. OR you can replace the ones in your existing fixtures with the solid state ballists which cost about $20 CAN.

Things are looking up in your neighborhood

Are you sure?

If you are serious, find a good industrial electrical distributor who has a lighting specialist on staff.

They can give you a lighting layout designed to meets your needs as well as local weather conditions.

Don't be surprised if they use 2 lamp, F96T12HO fixtures.

Won't be "cheap", as you define it, but the good stuff usually isn't.

Lew

I got a new case of electronic ballasts for less than half price on ebay. I then got the 7 dollar fixtures and changed them out as I put them up. Other than MY time I spent it was still half the cost of getting good fixtures and ballasts in one.

I bought the fixtures for my recessed lights from Grainger. The bulbs are the 6500 color temp. Nice and bright.

Max Combat Infantryman, Korea, '50-'51. Professional firefighter '53 - '86 Amateur tinkerer, welder, woodworker, photographer, RVer.

Thanks for the suggestions, ya'll. I'm gonna figure out which way to go, and soon, cuz it's gettin' kinda dark out there...

Did a post-mortem on a Lights of America cheapie double 40 watt fixture that kept blowing out after running 15 minutes. Scorched PC board underneath what looks like the voltage regulator chips (TO-220 power tab packages) tells everything. Poor heat dissipation due to bad design is what does them in. The plastic casing around the ballast traps heat. A sheet metal housing would conduct enough heat to prevent the regulators' thermal cutoffs from kicking in.

The only problem I've ever had with magnetic ballasts is an occasional slight hum from the ballast core. Hardly a big deal in a machine shop.