pauls340
Well-known member
I've heard any light with a lower efficient magnetic ballast can be switched to a digital ballast, anyone try this? 50^% less energy, only 5% light degrade and extends lamp life.
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Anyone switch over to Digital Ballasts from magnetic?
- Thread starter pauls340
- Start date
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
Actually you will get more light, slightly lower power consumption, and no more interference with radios, no humming to drive you nuts. This is assuming you are converting from T12 to T8. Home Depot has GE ballasts to do this. If you have plain old cheap fixtures, it may be cheaper to install new fixtures, if they are fancy decorative fixtures, it will certainly be worth swapping over.
Charles
Charles
StaggeringGoat
Well-known member
Yeah, old style T12 tubes use 40 watts each and give you about 2200-3000 lumens depending on the tube. The newer T8s are only 32 watts each and are around 2800-3200 lumens. More light with less energy. No noise.
The electronic ballasts are amazingly cheap too, about $15 for a good quality 2 tube ballast. You get what you pay for in ballasts, get a well known brand. The lights in my shop are only 3 years old and I already have 3 dead ballasts, because they were **** to begin with.
The electronic ballasts are amazingly cheap too, about $15 for a good quality 2 tube ballast. You get what you pay for in ballasts, get a well known brand. The lights in my shop are only 3 years old and I already have 3 dead ballasts, because they were **** to begin with.
Greatbear
Well-known member
Several years ago I reballasted all the lights (28 fixtures) in my garage with electronic T8s and tubes. Best thing I could have done. The fixtures are an industrial continuous channel style with hoods/reflectors, and it was cheaper to convert them than to replace the fixtures. I have more light, and I have light when temps drop below freezing. No interference with radio reception.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
I bought **** 4' lights in my garage from HD. Half are the cold weather bulbs which are fine, the other regular flourecent are **** most of the year.
I rewired my son's garage a couple of years ago and installed cheap HD 2 bulb 4' T8 fluorescent fixtures. Despite warnings from multiple people about cold weather issue, he has had no problems, even with temps down to ZERO F !
When do "standard" T8 bulbs/electronic ballasts stop working ? -20 F ?