fluorescent light problem

[cherokee235]

I've seen this question asked before, but no real answer was given.

"Why do my fluorescent lights fail to illuminate when it is wet or foggy?

I have eight f96T12 two lamp fixtures under my vac island. When it is very humid or foggy they won't light. I called a guy at Lighbulb Depot and he said it is a common problem and recommended I change to F96T12 HO bulbs and ballasts. The bulb is $3.95 and the ballast is $37. I guess that isn't too bad. The bulb is the same price as a standard bulb, but the ballast is about $12 higher.

Anybody done this changeout and had success with it?

thanks,
David

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I haven't changed any out, but the end of an HO bulb is different than a standard bulb, so the socket would have to be changed as well. I would just get a whole new fixture if it were me.

 

[Reds]

All of the exterior signs that I have ever owned (NY & PA) have had HO's. It stands for High Output and I believe they start faster and work better in cold weather. I use nothing but HO's outside and have never had a problem like you are having. But I believe the HO bulbs are more expensive. Graingers doesn't list any F96T12's for under 12 bucks. Just looked on Graingers site and they have some for $7

 

[Randy]

For an outdoor application you want to use an 8’ enclosed 110 watt H.O fixture. It sounds to me like who ever you bought your vac islands from installed the cheaper F96 fixtures that are meant to be used inside. The 96 “H.O bulbs are $6.98 at Lowes. We replace our H.O bulbs every 12 - 14 months whether they need it or not. This way the car wash is always bright. If you decide to replace the fixtures use an enclosed T-5 fixture.

 

[MEP001]

It's Coleman that uses regular fixtures under their canopies. You'd think for what they cost they'd use a better enclosed one.

Two 4' enclosed HO fixtures will give as much light as the two 8' standard that are in there now.

 

[cherokee235]

I haven't changed any out, but the end of an HO bulb is different than a standard bulb, so the socket would have to be changed as well. I would just get a whole new fixture if it were me.

Oh that's right. The socket is different. I don't think the sales guy at Lightbulb Depot realized that. I'll have to call him back Friday and verify that. I was trying to keep from changing out the fixture.

 

[Ric]

It's Coleman that uses regular fixtures under their canopies. You'd think for what they cost they'd use a better enclosed one.

Two 4' enclosed HO fixtures will give as much light as the two 8' standard that are in there now.

Maybe they can get away with that in Texas Here in MI HO fixtures are a must for outdoors and even those get a bit stressed when it gets really cold.

 

[cherokee235]

I called the guy at Lightbulb Depot. He agreed the HO would require a different socket, so that is out. He did some research and found some T8 electronic ballasts that are good to 10 degrees, good enough for south Texas. $32 and $7.50 for each bulb. That is my least expensive option at this point. I have 8 fixtures.

I could replace them with Scottsdales from KR. It would be just south of $300 ea with bulbs, but a bunch of wiring, etc. It would probably take 5, maybe 4 to do the job. The vac canopy is about 66' long.

 

[Randy]

I would retro fit them to a H.O bulb. They put out more light than a T-8 does. My H.O’s put out 220 watts of light per fixture. I leave them on 24/7 from about the middle of October to April. Go to 1000bulbs.com they have all the parts you need to do the conversion. Changing the sockets is no big deal. Do one or two fixtures and you’ll see the difference in how bright the H.O’s are compared to the bulb you’re using now.

 

[MEP001]

You can get an entire 8' H.O. fixture for less than you'd spend for a ballast and ends.

If I were to change anything on that island I'd replace them with 4' enclosed H.O. fixtures. You'll get about the same light as you do now and the bulbs will no longer be exposed.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I'm with MEP. As cheap as flourescent fixtures are I wouldn't go to through the hassle of converting them.

 

[Kevin James]

How much would a 4’ or 8’ H.O enclosed fixture cost? Wouldn’t it be less expensive to replace the ballast than buy a new fixture?

 

[cherokee235]

An 8' HO two bulb fixture from Grainger is $173 plus bulbs. I haven't priced the sockets. I could change them, but it would be pretty time consuming. Oh well, my labor is free, right?

 

[MEP001]

An 8' HO fixture from Lowe's is $53. The ballast alone is $45. It would not be time consuming to change the fixture - three wires and two or four screws.

 

[cherokee235]

Thanks MEP

I'll have to check that.

 

[cherokee235]

I went to Lowe's and the HO fixture is $55 plus $6.50 ea for the bulbs. I bought a T8 electronic ballast and two T8 F96 bulbs for $31 and $6.50ea respectively. Installed it and the bulbs were very dim in the middle and bright on the ends with lots of flicker. I checked back 4 hours later and it was a bit better. Temperature was about 52. This moring the temp was about 45 and they looked fine, much brighter than the old T12 adjacent to it.

Of course the T12 next to it is older. They all tend to dim out after time. When the ends get very black I change the bulbs. It took about 10 minutes to rewire the ballast hookup.

The HO bulbs are nice, but I keep hearing that T12 bulbs and ballast technology will eventually be replaced by T8 electronic. I like T8's. I have a bunch of 4' fixtures and the ballasts seem to last much longer and generate less heat. They don't bleed black goo either.

I'm going to see how this T8 change works through a couple of cold weeks before I press on any farther.

 

[MEP001]

Some of the T8's produce as much light per watt as metal halide, whereas a standard T12 is about a third less light per watt. The electronic ballasts are a bit more efficient too and produce less heat, so they don't need the stuff inside to dissipate heat from the coils.

It is normal for new bulbs to be dim and flicker until the mercury atomizes completely for the first time, especially when it's cold.

 

[Randy]

What's the Wattage on the H.O 96" T-8's? My H.O 96" T-12's are 110 watts. The plastic diffusers are cracked on a couple of my fixtures and I've been thinking about replacing them with a T-8 if they produce as much light as the H.O 96" T-12.

 

[cherokee235]

Here you go. They are 86 watts

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4WW79?Pid=search

At $2.00 each it may be worth the change. I did find a ballast made by Advance that is T8HO 120v.

I looked at grainger:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3JN66?Pid=search

They have one in only 277 volt for $16, but it is a close out, while supplies last. The regular price is over $115. each.

I'm trying to stay away from any magnetic ballast. I've been handling those nasty things for 30 years. I hate the mess they make in the fixture when they fail.

 

[MEP001]

Wattage is a measure of energy consumption, not one of light output.