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24 4’ T8 amp draw

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ripsnortMN

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I’ll be slamming some new fixtures into my brothers garage this weekend. There will be a total of 24, 4’ T8 bulbs. I have an idea of the amp drawn from this but I want to hear what you guys think. Would like to squeeze this all on a 20 amp breaker with 12-2 wire.
 
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mike93lx

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ripsnortMN said:
I’ll be slamming some new fixtures into my brothers garage this weekend. There will be a total of 24, 4’ T8 bulbs. I have an idea of the amp drawn from this but I want to hear what you guys think. Would like to squeeze this all on a 20 amp breaker with 12-2 wire.
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no question it will be fine.

32 watts per bulb, plus losses from ballasts. Well under 1800 watts.
 
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Bert_

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You need to look at the ballasts or fixture label.

You can get low ballast factor, normal ballast factor, or even high ballast factor. All run the same f32 t8 lamps but all have different amp inputs.

That said it's nowhere near 20 amps. I'm a big fan of 15 amp circuits and #14 wire for lighting circuits but that's just me.
 
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Platonic Solid

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If the garage isn't heated and assuming your brother is in the same state as you in Minnesota, consider removing the ballasts and installing LED retrofit bulbs (link)(select frosted lens option) . Instant full brightness in cold temps, longer life, more energy efficient (432W, 3.6A: for 24 bulbs).
 
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Bretny

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Why bother with anything but LEDs? There not very expensive.

I think im on year 3 with the cheap amazon 4ft led intagrated housings.
 
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ripsnortMN

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Bretny said:
Why bother with anything but LEDs? There not very expensive.

I think im on year 3 with the cheap amazon 4ft led intagrated housings.
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Because an led equivalent of 24 4’ T8 bulbs is wayyy more $$$.
 
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theoldwizard1

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ripsnortMN said:
Because an led equivalent of 24 4’ T8 bulbs is wayyy more $$$.
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I bought 4' LED fixtures for under $20. The will last a life time.

If you are going to put that many florescent fixtures on one circuit, you should probably use the load center's company SPECIAL florescent breaker ! (Square D QU-HID)
 
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Bert_

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theoldwizard1 said:
I bought 4' LED fixtures for under $20. The will last a life time.

If you are going to put that many florescent fixtures on one circuit, you should probably use the load center's company SPECIAL florescent breaker ! (Square D QU-HID)
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Just no. I would never expect a sub $20 LED to last, same is true with cheap fluorescent shop lights. At that price point they are making major compromises. And yet people buy them thinking "It's LED it is going to last forever". What a bunch of ****. Stuff like that is lucky to last 5-10 years with minimal use in a homeowner environment.

No special breakers either... That is only considered when using the breaker as the SWITCH used to turn the lights on and off daily.
 
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ripsnortMN

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And just for the record, I have have a lot of experience with led shop lights. They do not last a lifetime. I’ve never gotten more than three years from any led shop light.
 
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Platonic Solid

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ripsnortMN said:
Because an led equivalent of 24 4’ T8 bulbs is wayyy more $$$.
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I assume you already have the fixture housings, thus 24 LED retrofits would run $192. Subtract the $42 for fluorescent bulbs that you won't need and the cost is $150 for lamps that use 1/2 the energy, last twice as long and provide instant full output in any temperature.
 
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Salmanslim

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6ca2c455db5a0b9d774bc46c4852e9e1.jpgaea69d3c9afbfc22fd8bf20bd96fd22b.jpg0c0ff35a17883bf932d026719f739594.jpg4015e91e3d131006da6c7ce61bcf2f94.jpg

Ballast removed , fixture rewired for single ended led (toggled sold at HD)


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal
 

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Showkey

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ripsnortMN said:
And just for the record, I have have a lot of experience with led shop lights. They do not last a lifetime. I’ve never gotten more than three years from any led shop light.
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Think that highly dependent on the brand..........not been my experience.

T8, T5, T12 bulbs and fixtures have the similar issue with added issue the light output drops over time.
 
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ripsnortMN

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I installed “new” fixtures, I wasn’t just replacing bulbs. I ran all new wire and switches. Garage is nice and bright.
 
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