Let There Be Light!

[bczygan]

So I have been reading all the posts and threads about lighting and wondered what a good light source would be for my small one car garage.

Right now it has a Hodge-podge of LED lights and the odd old school fluorescent.

So I was at the Habitat Restore in Mount Clemens and found 2 GE 120-277 2 tube electronic ballasts for $4 each (Wish they had more).

Stopped by HD and looked at the T8's. The daylight ones were the bluest and brightest looking. Much better than the soft white, which were very yellow in comparison. Bought a couple 2 tube packs for $10 each.

Got it all home and opened up a 2 tube fixture that had been having problems staying lit. Swapped out the ballast. Had a yellow wire left over from the fixture. Just taped it up.

Boy is this nice light!

I'm going to hang it and do another with the other ballast and bulbs.

Then it's back to the store to get set ups for 4 more fixtures. Each fixture will need a $15 ballast and $10 2 pack of bulbs.

Should give me 100 lumens of nice bright white light for $128!

Here's a question...can you use the 3 tube ballast in a 4 tube fixture and just light up 3 of the 4 bulbs? Or can you use it with just a 2 bulb fixture?They had lots of these for $3.

 

[bczygan]

If I can use the 3 tube in a 4 tube fixture, can I add another 2 tube ballast to run the 4th tube from? That way I could switch 1/4 of the tubes separately.

 

[Kevin C]

If I can use the 3 tube in a 4 tube fixture, can I add another 2 tube ballast to run the 4th tube from? That way I could switch 1/4 of the tubes separately.

Based on the photo, that looks like a two tube ballast (not sure on the PN).

A lot of two tube ballasts support a single tube operation. As long as you can find it, (obviously) the data sheet for the ballast is the best resource. For the one you have in the photo (assuming I read the number right -72264?):

http://genet.gelighting.com/LightProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=BALLASTSPECPAGE&PRODUCTCODE=72264#LampType|F32T8

2 Lamps:
Volts 120
Watts 54
Amps .47
Ballast Factor .87 (a bit low- seems designed for long life not max output)
Ballast Efficiency Factor 1.61
Power Factor 99 (almost perfect, typical of industrial / non consumer ballasts)
THD 5 (nice and low)
Start Temp -22.0 / -30


1 Lamps
Volts 120
Watts 54
Amps .26
Ballast Factor .87
Ballast Efficiency Factor 2.81
Power Factor 99
THD 7
Start Temp -22.0 / -30

That looks like a commercial ballast... Better power factor correction but not always rated for consumer level EMI (the one I linked to is FCC - CLASS A Non-Consumer).

It supports 1 or 2 T8 32 watt bulbs. Lots of people install commercial ballasts in home shops. Worst case is your radio may have a noise issue. Then again, lots of people have the same problem with standard residential ballasts.

 

[bczygan]

Can I run 3 of the 4 tubes (In a 4 tube fixture) on a 3 tube ballast?

And can I run 2 tubes off a 3 tube ballast?

 

[Kevin C]

Can I run 3 of the 4 tubes (In a 4 tube fixture) on a 3 tube ballast?

And can I run 2 tubes off a 3 tube ballast?

The model # of the ballast you want to use would really help. With the right ballasts it can be done...

 

[bczygan]

The model # of the ballast you want to use would really help. With the right ballasts it can be done...

Don't have it.

For the second question. Someone told me you would ruin a ballast designed for 3 tubes, if you only hooked up 2. Is that always true?

 

[bczygan]

And it would seem to me that a 3 tube ballast wouldn't care where the 3 tubes came from.