Fragramatics Dome Light

[Louise]

My dome light is out and the electrical housing has fallen apart. Is there an alternative for replacement other than ordering from Fragramatics??

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Take the old one to Lowes/Home Depot and see what they have. I have needed to replace the fixture in a couple of their fragrance machines and discovered that they were nothing but an "under cabinet" light. Another option is to scrap the flourescents and put in an electrical box with a couple of sockets for conventional household bulbs and use traffic signal bulbs. A third option is to just take out the lights and throw them away. Does anyone think that a lighted vac dome actually translates into more profit or just more maintainence?

 

[Waxman]

When I was even greener than I am now, I was very enthusiastic about things like lighted vac domes.

3 Years into this odyssey we call carwashing, I'm thankful for my stainless steel vac domes. They have a nice clean look, are durable and have no lightbulb to change.

A couple extra lightbulbs to change may seem like no big deal, but when you've got an ever-present, revolving 'to do' list, one less bulb gives you time to fix one other little thing!

 

[Eric H]

Another option is to scrap the flourescents and put in an electrical box with a couple of sockets for conventional household bulbs

I did this a few years ago and used cfl's. My newer (4 yr old) JE adams vacs have the same cfl's...8 watt I think.

 

[jprb]

The Industrial Vac combos that we bought came with the swirled compact flourescent bulbs. They're two years old and still going.

JRPB

 

[MEP001]

Our combos came with the traffic lights which were rated for 8,000 hours, but they all burned out in the first two months. I've replaced them all with the spiral 26W CFLs, which last about two years running 24/7. Maintenance isn't a big deal.

In my opinion, the household "under-the-counter" lights used in the Fragramatics just aren't up to the task for the environment of a vac dome. I've replaced the fixtures in a number of units with 3 18W CFLs (Two in place of the old ones, one more toward the front to light it evenly). Our Doyle combos also had two fluorescent mini-tubes in the front that looked squirrely and kept going out. I also replaced those with CFLs.

I don't know if the lighted domes make a difference as far as drawing attention, but it doesn't hurt. There's also no worry that someone is going to steal your stainless domes to sell for scrap metal or turning into a barbecue.

 

[Wally]

Louise take that POS out and throw it in the trash. You will be glad you did the next the next time you have to change a motor or put new brushes in.

 

[jwilson]

Fragramatics hasn't used those under cabinet lights for a number of years now. The under cabinet light is now LEDs.

Dome light has also been upgraded.

 

[raisetheprice]

I went to Home Depot, got a conventional socket with the pigtails coming out the bottom, spliced them in, then zip tied the socket so that it stands upright. I use the swirly bulbs because they last a long time and dont produce heat. Cheap and easy...very little maintenance.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

You can buy sockets that I think are made for an outdoor flood light, that have threads to screw into an electrical box or would accept a conduit nut. This would make for a nicer looking and probably safer job.

 

[pitzerwm]

I added a photo cell to mine so they didn't run in the day time.

 

[bigleo48]

Fragramatics hasn't used those under cabinet lights for a number of years now. The under cabinet light is now LEDs.

Dome light has also been upgraded.

I have four Fragramatics combo vacs and a Fragrance machine. The LED bars in all of them are almost completely burned out now after four years. They seemed to be wired as four different banks of LEDs and one bank goes at a time until they are all gone. Aside from that, I like them.

BigLeo

 

[jwilson]

I have four Fragramatics combo vacs and a Fragrance machine. The LED bars in all of them are almost completely burned out now after four years. They seemed to be wired as four different banks of LEDs and one bank goes at a time until they are all gone. Aside from that, I like them.

BigLeo

This has been solved as well.

 

[bigleo48]

This has been solved as well.

That doesn't help me unless I buy new vacs

 

[tgoodwin]

Bigleo48

New LED undercabinet lightbar is $49.95

 

[MEP001]

I'll try and remember to get pictures of what I did - I used surface-mount ceramic sockets mounted them right on the rail on either end, and another on a piece of angle bolted to the front edge of the tank, all standing straight up. I don't like the three bright spots it makes on the top of the dome, but it lights the sides up well. Cost was about $30 for everything. Maintenance is practically a non-issue. I didn't bother with photocells mainly because of a lack of a good place to mount it where people can't reach it.