4 foot flourescent Tubes

[TractorJeff]

Over the years I have collected/bought a collection of fluorescent light fixtures. Plug In w/ Chains types usually
Over the years I have had a tube go out and stole one from another unused lamp. Consequently I have fixtures that probably came new with T5(?) lamps and fixtures that had T20(?) lamps and probably some older ones with starters in them.
Anyways I was at LOWES and noticed you can buy 6 tubes in a box way cheaper than buying individual pairs. I'm thinking its about time to replace the ones in my shop but don't understand the difference in the tubes verses the fixtures.
Do the fixtures that originally had T5(?)'s have enough power to start and run T20(?) lamps as an option and vice versa?
Same question with the old fixtures that have starters in them.

 

[American Locomotive]

You don't have any T5 fixtures. T5 bulbs are T5 specific and will not interchange with older style fixtures. There is also no such thing as T20.

You likely have a mix of T8 and T12 bulbs. T12 bulbs are 1 1/2" in diameter while T8 bulbs are 1" in diameter. T8 bulbs can work in T12 fixtures, but you'll overdrive the tubes, and they may have cold weather starting problems.

Easiest way to see what you're supposed to be running is to pull the cover off the fixtures and see what the ballasts say on them,

 

[NC357]

It's also quite easy to convert any fixture to run T8s with an electronic ballast for easy starting and quiet running - a new ballast is about $12-20. Since T12 fixtures use the same bulb connectors it's a great upgrade for them.

 

[TractorJeff]

Thanks!
I didn't write the numbers down so you are correct in that they are probably 8's and 12's. I guess I'll open them up to see what Lamps I do need and Bite the Bullet and end up buying a 6 pack of each. Bulk is a savings of $3 per tube is why I got to thinking about this.
On a side note I "thought" all these bulbs were the same diameter (1&1/2") that I currently have?

 

[American Locomotive]

If all your bulbs are 1 1/2 " diameter, then everything you have is T12.

 

[merc66rkm]

If all your bulbs are 1 1/2 " diameter, then everything you have is T12.

yep, it goes by 1/8" increments. A T5 is 5/8" diameter, a T8 is 8/8" diameter or 1". T8 is the most common, T12 are dinosaurs by now!

 

[TractorJeff]

All are T12's. Some are 25w and some are 40w. Most have F40, though 3 have F48(?) on them. Some have UTIL, a few have CW, a few have ECO, and even HOUSEHOLD.
Big question now is do I buy 40's for replacements or can I only put 25's in them?

 

[American Locomotive]

Really you should get the T8 retrofit ballasts from home depot and switch to T8 bulbs.

If you're trying to save money and stay T12, the Sylvania F40T12 Design 50 bulb is as good as you're gonna get. It's 5k color temp with 90 cri.

 

[Bert_]

Buy F40's. My favorites are the sylvania F40T12/941 sometimes advertised as premium cool white. They are good 3000lumen lamps, cheaper lamps can be closer to 2000lumen
I'm not sure the last time I've seen a 25w lamp in the store.

The 25w and 40w T12 can be substituted for one another, they have a similar arc voltage but the 25w lamps are supposed to driven with less current, the 25w lamp will have a shorter life if driven to 40w.
The above is NOT true for most other lamps. Most lamps do not interchange

Stay away from 34w or energy saver lamps they can shorten the life of your ballast.

The lamps that say F48 are either High Output and would say F48T12/CW/HO they might also say 800 on them. Or they could be instant start "slim line" lamps, they would say F48T12/CW, The CW could be different depending on the color.
On a very off chance they could also be Very High Output 1500ma lamps but that would be pretty uncommon

* The design 50 lamp mentioned above is not a real great choice as it is only around 2200 lumens.

 

[American Locomotive]

The 941 lamp is a great bulb, but it's also nearly 2x the cost of the Design 50 bulbs and in my experience, generally harder to find.

If you can easily find the F40T12/941, I'd definitely go for them.

 

[AntonLargiader]

I use and like the DSGN50 bulbs. Lowes carried them so they were my introduction to good light. Generally, high CRI bulbs will be less efficient but efficiency isn't everything.

Sylvania makes bulbs like that in T8 as well, but lowes doesn't carry them. I'm getting a box of them from Amazon and will slowly convert over to T8.

Interestingly enough, a cheap 4xT8 8' fixture I bought from Lowes a few years ago has a nice Sylvania ballast in it. Next time I'm in the store I'll check to see if that is still the case.

 

[TractorJeff]

Thanks Guys!
My wife wants to go to Home Depot today to look at flooring. While there, I'll look for a "6 Pack" of lamps as suggested. Need to buy some new Smoke Detectors and CO Detectors also. Ground has thawed to the point of 4 inches of mud with frost under it so not much is getting done outside. Frost heaves in the driveway right now!

 

[Bert_]

If your trying to buy in bulk a real "case" has 30 lamps. Not sure how many you need but it may be cheaper yet to go that route if you need quite a few

 

[AntonLargiader]

I usually see T12 in 15-count, and T8 in 30-count. Not sure what the OP is getting but he seems to have mostly 40W ballasts.

 

[TractorJeff]

I got a box of 10 which HD considered bulk as it was $20. Phillips brand 40 W. I came home and changed them all. Only 2 fixtures seem a little dim compared to the others? Could those have had the 25W's originally? Or does it not work that way?

 

[Bert_]

If your using some cheap "shop light" type fixtures that come from the box stores for $20 or less then they probably are dimmer than nicer fixtures. The cheap ones are often lucky if they deliver 25-30 watts to the lamp.

$2 a lamp is a pretty good price. Even if it's for lower end lamps. Something to pay attention to on any lamp or fixture is the light output, usually measured in lumens. It should always be printed on the packaging.

 

[AntonLargiader]

If you have one fixture that is dimmer than the others with the same new bulbs, then I would compare the ballasts.