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Post by rkstrat on Aug 30, 2020 13:09:04 GMT -5
Let’s not get political on this topic......
1. I had a large stock of 60W incandescent bulbs.
My stock was running low. So I went on Amazon
and could only find LED. Okay, whatever.
But they have been on back order for almost a month?
Ordinarily I would just go into Home Depot, but not doing
that.
2. We have a 4 x 6 “chicklet” style 4 bulb fluorescent tube fixture
in the kitchen. It has been acting up. I did a bulb swap and it seems
to be a ballast issue. It is 25 years old, and I don’t want to mess
with the ballasts. I started to look for a replacement. I couldn’t seem
to find this type of basic fixture as a replacement on Amazon.
Signed, Rip Van RKSTRAT.....:-)
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Post by Mfitz804 on Aug 30, 2020 13:12:14 GMT -5
We are in the process or replacing fluorescent fixtures at work with LED. The electrician (who is a relative of the boss) said the difference between replacing a ballast and replacing the entire fixture with LED is almost negligible, and you make up the difference in a couple years just because the bulbs last longer and use less power.
If that is true, I can see why you might have a problem finding the old stuff.
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Post by budg on Aug 30, 2020 13:33:20 GMT -5
I just threw away a bunch of 60 and 75 watt bulbs because I replaced all of them with led for the reasons stated. They last much longer and use like a tenth of the power as the old ones.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Aug 30, 2020 14:14:36 GMT -5
In the process of switching over in my house as well.
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Post by rkstrat on Aug 30, 2020 14:44:23 GMT -5
Yeah, I’m up for switching. As I said, I ordered a 6 pack of
LED 60W equivalents a month ago. They were supposed to come
fairly quickly. I try to stick with Amazon in general.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Aug 30, 2020 14:48:43 GMT -5
I've flipped all the fixtures in my house to LED. Another very cool thing is this, which I have throughout my house: www.walmart.com/ip/LumiCover-Classic-Duplex-Nightlight-Wall-Plate-White/438089585The outlets in the package are just a photo. The product consists of the front plate; you remove the center screw of your existing outlet cover plate, remove the plate, and snap this into place. Screw the center screw back in to secure it. This plate uses two spring conductors that make contact with the power terminals on the sides of the existing outlet to drive the LED nite lite, which has a light sensor to turn it off during the day or when lights are on in the room. These have made walking around in a dark room a lot more safe. I no longer trip over guitars  |
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Post by Mfitz804 on Aug 30, 2020 15:33:22 GMT -5
I've flipped all the fixtures in my house to LED. Another very cool thing is this, which I have throughout my house: www.walmart.com/ip/LumiCover-Classic-Duplex-Nightlight-Wall-Plate-White/438089585The outlets in the package are just a photo. The product consists of the front plate; you remove the center screw of your existing outlet cover plate, remove the plate, and snap this into place. Screw the center screw back in to secure it. This plate uses two spring conductors that make contact with the power terminals on the sides of the existing outlet to drive the LED nite lite, which has a light sensor to turn it off during the day or when lights are on in the room. These have made walking around in a dark room a lot more safe. I no longer trip over guitars That is exactly what I need! We have an upstairs hallway that gets zero outside light at night, there’s only one window and it faces the side of my neighbor’s house, and there’s nothing on their house generating light in that area. We have a standard plug-in nightlight in there, bulb blows every 2 months or so. Plus we have to remember to turn it on. That thing looks like |
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Shoes
Wholenote
Posts: 162
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Post by Shoes on Aug 30, 2020 15:34:57 GMT -5
Those are cool Peegoo, I'm going to order some of those for our new place.
The problem I have with the new bulbs is that they are either to yellow or to white, I can't seem to find anything quite like the old soft white bulbs.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Aug 30, 2020 18:15:02 GMT -5
Look for "warm white" LED lighting.
Cold white is very stark and quite unnatural; it makes colors appear strange.
Warm white LED lighting contains wavelengths that more closely resemble natural sunlight.
"That is exactly what I need!"
Another cool feature (besides fifteen seconds for installation) is it leaves the two outlets available for use, unlike a plug-in nite lite.
A word of caution if you rarely work on outlets: wear leather work gloves to provide an additional layer of safety, because the smallish screwdriver necessary to remove that little screw from between the outlets also can conveniently slip into the hot slot of one of the outlets as you're working on it. If this happens while you're holding the steel shaft of the screwdriver and turning the handle with the other hand, you may get a jolt that can knock you down... or worse.
Even better--flip the breaker for the branch you're working on to the off position, and test the outlet to ensure it's not energized before you have a peek under its skirts
Be very careful and have no distractions, pets, or kids around when doing this stuff.
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Post by Leftee on Aug 30, 2020 18:17:21 GMT -5
I wear leather when I work on anything electrical.
Or anything else.
Or when I feel naughty.
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GmanNJ
Wholenote
somewhere deep in the swamps of Joisey
Posts: 315
Formerly Known As: Your Friendly Neighborhood Gman
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Post by GmanNJ on Aug 31, 2020 10:00:15 GMT -5
I went LED but had the same issue with "color" of lights. Then they came out with Warm lights that have that incandescent yellowish glow
I even replaced the quartz halogen lights on some sconces with LEDs. The Quartz halogen used to draw so much the switch got warm! Now its safer and since they are 12ft up the wall (i have vaulted ceilings in this room) i will NEVER have to replace them
cheaper to buy and use, in the color I want and never needs replacing- why would I go back to Edison based incandescents??
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Post by Ragtop on Aug 31, 2020 10:22:51 GMT -5
I bought a whole bunch of GE Reveal bulbs during GWB's second term after he signed some legislation regarding light bulbs. I like their light, especially in a reading lamp. Plus they last a long time; I've got enough to last another 15 years or so.
But then we moved. Our new place needs (or rather Mrs R wants...) new fixtures in the great room/kitchen area, so we are switching to LEDs in those areas.
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pdf64
Wholenote
Posts: 556
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Post by pdf64 on Aug 31, 2020 10:43:59 GMT -5
Save filament bulbs (new or used) for techs please, we need them for light bulb limiters to safely power stuff up and fault find. They're getting harder to buy, it won't be long before they'll be worth selling on ebay etc.
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Post by modbus on Aug 31, 2020 10:49:53 GMT -5
I inadvertently bought a light fixture with a weird GU24 light bulb base a while back. The GU24 base was apparently required in California for a while. However, I am not in California. When the bulb burnt out, I could find any bulbs with GU24 bases anywhere around town. I ended up getting an adapter from eBay that allows normal base bulbs to be used in that type fixure.
Moral of the story: Always check out light fixtures closely before you buy them, to make sure there's no weirdness lurking inside.
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Post by slacker 🐨 on Aug 31, 2020 14:49:04 GMT -5
I've flipped all the fixtures in my house to LED. Another very cool thing is this, which I have throughout my house: www.walmart.com/ip/LumiCover-Classic-Duplex-Nightlight-Wall-Plate-White/438089585The outlets in the package are just a photo. The product consists of the front plate; you remove the center screw of your existing outlet cover plate, remove the plate, and snap this into place. Screw the center screw back in to secure it. This plate uses two spring conductors that make contact with the power terminals on the sides of the existing outlet to drive the LED nite lite, which has a light sensor to turn it off during the day or when lights are on in the room. These have made walking around in a dark room a lot more safe. I no longer trip over guitars I love those nightlights. I have them sprinkled around the house so that I can get around at night without having to turn on lights. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2020 15:05:34 GMT -5
A ballast is not a difficult thing to change. You look at the label before you start and get a replacement with the same values. You look at how much wire there is on the fixture to get an idea how much to cut on the ballast. Yank the old one out, screw in the new one and and wire it up with some marettes. Done.
Even if you do get a new fixture you won't get another 25 years of service out of it if your going to change the fixture instead of the ballast. Ballasts today are not very good, especially the cheap ones they put in a new fixture. They usually only last for two sets of tubes. I would advise you become acquainted with a ballast change. It's not hard. Once you've done it once you can do it blindfolded the next time.
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Post by rangercaster on Aug 31, 2020 17:33:09 GMT -5
The LED technology is more economical in the long run...
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Post by rkstrat on Aug 31, 2020 17:57:14 GMT -5
MGWAB-
Thanks for the encouragement! I’ll at least look at
the model/brand of the fixture to see if I can figure out
replacement ballasts without taking it apart.
A replacement fixture will likely not fit the current
footprint, meaning that we will need to paint the ceiling.
One advantage of fixing it.
Just curious. Would a four tube fixture have two ballasts
for the outside and inside tubes? The reason I ask is that
sometimes only the two outside bulbs light, while other
times the two inside bulbs light.
I am friends with the maintenance department guys at work.
They are always chasing down bulbs versus ballasts in
hundreds of fixtures in multiple buildings.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Aug 31, 2020 19:01:05 GMT -5
I bought a whole bunch of GE Reveal bulbs during GWB's second term after he signed some legislation regarding light bulbs. I like their light, especially in a reading lamp. Plus they last a long time; I've got enough to last another 15 years or so. But then we moved. Our new place needs (or rather Mrs R wants...) new fixtures in the great room/kitchen area, so we are switching to LEDs in those areas. Home Depot has LED’s With the color/brightness called Daylight or Soft White. I bought a pack of the Daylight, because that sounded good, who doesn’t like daylight. They were daylight as in startling at the surface of the sun. I use them in my laundry room and in the hallway, but other than that, they’re no good. Way too bright for any light you will be sitting under. |
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Post by guildx700 on Aug 31, 2020 23:30:50 GMT -5
I much prefer the warm light of an incandescent bulb, and I love the 3 way ones I use in my living room, they are either 30/70/100 watt or 50/100/150. I also have a few kitchen incandescent ceiling lights on dimmers. Love those too. Some day I guess I'll have switch them over when the supply chain runs dry.  I do have quite a few LED lights around the house, but I don't like em very much. |
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Post by themaestro on Sept 1, 2020 7:49:29 GMT -5
The best way to determine what color light an LED bulb emits is to look at the color temperature of the bulb. It is usually listed on the box somewhere. This is more accurate than "soft white", "daylight", etc. Incandescent bulbs have a color temperature of 2700K. If that's what you want, get LEDs in the range of 2700K-3000K. As you go higher in temperature, the light becomes brighter, whiter and more bluish. Most fluorescent tubes are "cool white" and about 5000K.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Sept 1, 2020 8:14:50 GMT -5
The best way to determine what color light an LED bulb emits is to look at the color temperature of the bulb. It is usually listed on the box somewhere. This is more accurate than "soft white", "daylight", etc. Incandescent bulbs have a color temperature of 2700K. If that's what you want, get LEDs in the range of 2700K-3000K. As you go higher in temperature, the light becomes brighter, whiter and more bluish. Most fluorescent tubes are "cool white" and about 5000K. themaestro, that is fantastic advice. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2020 8:51:59 GMT -5
rkstrat-
I honestly do no know if a 4 tube fixture has more than one ballast. I have only ever owned 2 tube lights. I guess you won't know until you open it up and have a look. If the cover is not secured with screws you just squeeze it until tabs come out of slots. I use the camera in my phone to take a pic of the label so I can find the right replacement. I also take a pic of the connections before removing the old ballast because the wires on the fixture are black and white but the wires on the ballast are several other colors. I just hook it up the same way I found it and it has always worked.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Sept 1, 2020 9:17:08 GMT -5
This thread has reminded me that I need to get into the ceiling fan fixture in my living room to see what kind of bulbs are in there. Its the kind of fixture that has frosted glass you can't se through, and if you don't pay a lot of attention, one bulb can be out and it takes a while to realize.
The lighting in my living room is very poor (should've put high-hats like in the kitchen instead of a single central fixture), and I am thinking I could put those daylight (retina searing) bulbs in there and it would brighten the place up a bit.
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swampyankee
Wholenote
Fakin' it 'til I'm makin' it since 1956
Posts: 713
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Post by swampyankee on Sept 1, 2020 9:20:20 GMT -5
When we moved into our "new" house, everything was as it was remodeled in 1985, including the flickering flourescent overhead kitchen light. I initially replaced it with a big round LED ceiling fixture. After we re-arranged the cabinets and added a peninsula, I installed 7 strategically placed "pop-in" recessed LED lighting with a couple extra switches to focus the lighting where we needed it. After hard-wiring to the chosen circuits, they just popped into a 3" hole hole-sawn into the ceiling with spring clips to hold them in place. They even had lighting color switches. We chose soft white. Best thing we could've done as far as lighting the kitchen.
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Post by HeavyDuty on Sept 1, 2020 10:05:38 GMT -5
I’m in the process of counting light bulbs to replace at the new place. The first are the 16 (!) can lights sprinkled throughout the house, all of which currently have incandescent PAR floods. I used these at the old place and like them because they self adjust to length and replace the metal trim ring entirely: www.walmart.com/ip/SYLVANIA-LED-LT6-Light-Bulb-60-Watt-Retro-4-Pack/312164400 I’m another fan of warm white LEDs, I think they are 2700K. I only use the daylight ones in the garage. |
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Post by Mfitz804 on Sept 4, 2020 10:41:36 GMT -5
I've flipped all the fixtures in my house to LED. Another very cool thing is this, which I have throughout my house: www.walmart.com/ip/LumiCover-Classic-Duplex-Nightlight-Wall-Plate-White/438089585The outlets in the package are just a photo. The product consists of the front plate; you remove the center screw of your existing outlet cover plate, remove the plate, and snap this into place. Screw the center screw back in to secure it. This plate uses two spring conductors that make contact with the power terminals on the sides of the existing outlet to drive the LED nite lite, which has a light sensor to turn it off during the day or when lights are on in the room. These have made walking around in a dark room a lot more safe. I no longer trip over guitars I have learned its important to actually look at your outlet prior to buying one of these to make sure you get the right one. My outlets have the two screws at the top and bottom and no center screw. So, I bought the wrong one. I will sell it on eBay and when I am in NJ this weekend, see if Walmart has the correct one in stock. |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Sept 4, 2020 11:55:30 GMT -5
Oh maaaaaaaan!
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Post by Mfitz804 on Sept 4, 2020 12:05:52 GMT -5
Good news, Walmart has free online returns, and when I processed it, they said it does not have to be returned and they will issue a refund. Love when that happens. Now I can sell it and try to recoup the money I spent on shipping. |
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