reliable light setup t8 , 8 ft mount, 4' bulbs

[jp_over]

Friends,

I need to replace some older 8' t12 light sets; 2 for now, more later. From a bit of searching this forum, I think an 8' mount (less wiring) with 4 x t8 4' bulbs will be ideal.

I've heard you can get better quality stuff from an electric supply store than say Lowes or Home Depot. Any brands that excel at long term reliability? Any to avoid? I'm just trying to minimize the hassle of re-installing if a set fails.

Thanks!

 

[jp_over]

Anyone have experience with these?

http://m.grainger.com/mobile/product/ACUITY-LITHONIA-Z-Channel-Strip-Fixture-16U235

 

[cybrdyke]

You can do better & cheaper at the same time.
2 lamp 4' strips with T8 lamps can be butted together to make an 8' strip. You'll need 4 of them to make 2 8' strips. The local electrical supply store will have them in stock for around $40 bucks. Get F32T8's in a 4100k color. Ask the counter man how to **** them together (it should also say in the instructions).
Best brands are Cooper, Acuity, Philips...but the supply houses carry the brands that the professional electricians use, so almost any brand they have will be ok.

 

[jp_over]

Excellent info - I think I have the needed info to start calling around. Thanks again!

 

[SALIV8]

if you like the fixtures you have now, it is simple to swap them to accept t8 bulbs properly.

replace the ballast with a proper t8 ballast, and the lamp sockets. thats it.

 

[Steevo]

I used Lowes 8', 4-bulb T8 tandem fixtures in my shop, and haven't had a problem yet. Installed them in 2009.

 

[jp_over]

Thanks again for all the info. I ended up purchasing a Metalux 8' 4 lamp 32 watt strip with a Universal instant start ballast from my local electric supply folks. Sadly, I didn't ask for the installation kit but I was able to make it work.

It's pretty amazing how much brighter the 4 x T8s are compared to the old 8' T12s.