Lithonia Lights- update

[bucs012]

Well, I thought I would update you guys on the 17 units of 4', 4 bulb, t8 Lithonia Lights I put in my garage from Home Depot this last summer/fall.

Here in Iowa temps have been -17 to +5 (-35 to -5 windchills) the last 3 weeks. Temps inside my garage have been as low as 15 degrees. These lights fire up every time! They don't flicker either, but do take 5-10 minutes to warm up to full light. Could not be happier with them!

Here are the units I got
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Here is a picture of them intalled, before I moved everything in.
http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m197/bucs012/Garage/?action=view&current=garage003-6.jpg

 

[Vicious_Cycle]

I was hoping you were going to tell us there's a quick, cheap and easy fix for the radio interference they cause!

 

[CycloneISU]

Glad to here they are working out for you. Mine have been a little dimmer than normal but with it being so darn cold here lately I can understand it.

 

[HIRISC]

Just an FYI - if you take the Photobucket link that start with an it will drop right in here.

Looks good!

[IMG]http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m197/bucs012/Garage/garage003-6.jpg

 

[ahjung561009]

It's better to buy 8ft open(not wrap around) with 4ft T8 bulbs,with reflecter attached at the same price.lots of savings.

 

[jvitez]

It's better to buy 8ft open(not wrap around) with 4ft T8 bulbs,with reflecter attached at the same price.lots of savings.

Not true here. Narrow wrap around diffuser made in Mexico Lithonia 2 lamp 4 ft T8 fixtures are C$24 at Rona and Home Depot, labeled as good to -18F. Lithonia 4 lamp 4ft T8 wrap fixtures (SB 4 32) are C$85! These same fixtures are $50.04 USD on Amazon right now. Exchange is ~.94 USD/CAD. Retailing is far different in Canada than the US.

 

[tdkkart]

I was hoping you were going to tell us there's a quick, cheap and easy fix for the radio interference they cause!

Check this thread for my RFI problem and solution:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44316

Changing ballasts was not an easy fix, but it did turn out to be cheap.

 

[bucs012]

I was hoping you were going to tell us there's a quick, cheap and easy fix for the radio interference they cause!

I didn't mention it since I have ZERO problems with them. I can listen to AM/FM either way and I am just fine.

 

[larryv]

I have the Lithonia 4 bulb T-8 lights in my 3 car garage and they work Great! Radio works fine and they are very quiet.

 

[Teikas Dad]

Fine Woodworking did a write up on shop lighting, the recommended the Lithonia model SB432. It's the same as basic light as the LB432 (ones OP listed), however the SB is the residential rated unit that costs less. Fine Woodworking said no noise/RFI or flickering at low temps, and the SB is less expensive (at HD) than the LB model. It's still a 4' light with 4 T8 bulbs.
http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-F...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[T VETTE]

Good pics.

 

[blueplate]

Fine Woodworking did a write up on shop lighting, the recommended the Lithonia model SB432. It's the same as basic light as the LB432 (ones OP listed), however the SB is the residential rated unit that costs less. Fine Woodworking said no noise/RFI or flickering at low temps, and the SB is less expensive (at HD) than the LB model.

Sorry to update an old thread, but I found this thread in a search and others may too. As of 2016, SB is not the "residential" version of the LB.

Lithonia sells many of their 'wraparound' fixtures (SB, LB, CB) with different types of ballasts (multi-volt, residential-grade, etc.) Both SB and LB are available in "residential" and "commercial" grade versions.

When you buy, keep in mind:
* For residential use, buy a fixture with a residential-grade ballast -- usually marked (FCC Class-B, or Energy Star). This will greatly reduce the chance of radio interference (RFI) which can interfere with AM/FM radio listening, Wi-Fi (present and future), cordless telephones, and local ham/VHF radio users.
* The actual ballast that is built into the fixtures can vary from time to time, even when the same grade is ordered. For Lithonia, the "residential grade" suffix means that you will get a residential-grade ballast, but it could be GE, generic, Phillips, or other.
* The only difference between the LB/SB type is the shape (LB= Curved Wraparound, SB= Square Wraparound, CB= Corridor Wraparound). Pull the spec sheets from the Lithonia website and you'll see they can both be ordered in many different combinations -- different voltage, different ballast, different lamp types.
* So if you buy from a Big Box store (Big Orange or Big Blue), you'll see whatever version(s) they have decided to carry. Double-check that the one you are buying is setup the way you want.

As @PlatonicSolid's great thread pointed out.. you never know what is inside a Big Box fixture unless you actually open it -- the website & shelf label can and will be wrong. If you go with a local electrical distributor (where the electricians go) you can usually order the exact series and ballast you want.

 

[faralta]

Totally agree with you blueplate. I needed 20 fixtures for my barn and called Cooper Lighting to get some help with specs. I ended up ordering through Menards because they had the best price. I ordered 20 8 foot tandem fixtures that use 4 T8 bulbs, vendor part # 8tssf-232-120v-reb1-u, cost $42.57 each (not including bulbs). These have a residential ballast. Was shipped direct to the store with no shipping costs to me.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_NG5ABQUXAMcURaaElpRzVhOVU/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_NG5ABQUXAMWXBMQzVZbjM2MU0/view?usp=sharing