fluorescent light fixture from hell?

[David9726]

Has anyone ever seen a fluorescent light fixture where there is not enough room to change the lights?

This fixture has 2 4ft bulbs on each side and the two ballast in the center. There is a lip on the fixture where the two prongs of the bulb catch by a few millimeters so you have to turn the lights at a angle and remove the ballast cover to make room for the lights. It's the dumbest thing i have ever seen. I have 50 lights to change

It's mounted flush in the ceiling. Sorry i have no picture.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Yes, I have them at work in the offices, and I would like to personally kick the *** of the designer.

 

[AndrewDouglasBird]

I know exactly what you mean, and yes, dumbest thing ever.

 

[Norcal]

Some fixtures require the lamps to be put in diagonal, to get the ****** things in there, I deal with some that it's easier to take it down to reballast it then fight it in place, all it would have taken was to shift the ballast 1/2" to the center to fix it, but then it's a good time to see that they are grounded properly when reinstalling.


Just more examples of where some folks had their brains removed & replaced by sh*t.

 

[Rkbuell]

Yes been there still hate them. I have an entire military base loaded with those fixtures that I change lamps and ballists on every day. I also vote for kicking the designers ***.

 

[cybrdyke]

check the ends of the fixture where the sockets are. Are there tiny little holes in the end plate next to the sockets?
These are holes for you to put the pins of the lamps so that there is about 3/8'' more clearance.
CD

 

[David9726]

check the ends of the fixture where the sockets are. Are there tiny little holes in the end plate next to the sockets?
These are holes for you to put the pins of the lamps so that there is about 3/8'' more clearance.
CD

I will check, i was thinking there has to be some trick to them.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Yes the two holes in the end take the terminals to get enough room to remove the bulbs. My neighbor bought new fixtures and T12 bulbs for them. There is not enough room to hold the bulb to turn them because the fixture was for T8 bulbs. I don't know how he got the bulbs in them. That two hole deal is usually on fixtures in grid ceiling fixtures that have a cover over the bulbs.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Drop in ceiling fixtures. The bulbs are a given length, the 2x4 grid work of the drop in ceiling is a size constraint. Cannot blame anyone, thats just the way it is. Virtually all troffer lights are like that.

Charles

 

[zendriver]

Most of my quads are that way.

I figured the manufacturers probably saved .01 cents (or so) per fixture, by making them a tad shorter than they really should be.

Fortunately they are now LEDs, so hopefully I wont have to change the bulbs again.

You will be good at wrestling them around, by the time you get to number 50.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I've never seen a troffer that you DIDN'T have to move the bulbs to an angle to change them out...

Tommy

 

[BillK]

David,
I have them too and they are annoying but once you figure out the trick they are not that bad. I assure you that you do not have to remove the ballast covers. I think you do have to remove the center lamps first and just let them sit there, then the outer ones at a crazy angle. They will come out.

 

[jbjke]

Changed many of those when I was a full time electrician. T12's are the older style and newer are T8's. I use T5's in higher bays roughly 18 - 22 feet ceilings. Like above mentioned you find the right angle. I take the outside out first then move to the center with as much angle you can get. Not only horizontal angle but use vertical angle as you slide the pins around the frame and then grid work. Be patient as it teaches patience to do these ..... Then you'll be ready for a Walmart checkout line.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have some at work so tight that when the bulbs are in position below the sockets, but before inserting into the sockets, that the pins screech against the end panels hard enough to take the paint off. I had some bulbs in the past that were so tight that I had to lightly file the small nibs on the ends of the pins to get them into the fixture. I get a case of the *** every time a bulb goes out in one of them.

 

[David9726]

Lights should be here next week. What gets me is everyone ask why it takes so long to replace a light bulb.