LED Shop Lights

Anyone used 'em?

I've got a high-bay shop with about a dozen 8' florescent fixtures, only a few of which work. I'm thinking of replacing them one-by-one with these things, whenever the planets align and I'm extra flush with cash:

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The alternatives are to buy a bunch of ballasts and continue to mess with fluorescents (and tubes that are now considered toxic waste, omigod), or mount light sockets onto 2x6's and put in screw-in LED bulbs (which is about $50 per fixture cheaper for the same light, but labor-intensive).

Reply to
Tim Wescott
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I've recently had good results with the 65W CFL floodlight fixtures that 'Depot sells. Mounted at 18' on opposing sides of a 50'x50' area in a metal building (white insulation facing) just four of them provide good overall illumination for general work. Eight of them would be really good. They are only $50 and include the lamp.

Reply to
Pete C.

I have been using the 2 tube 48" fluorescents, and replaced a couple with similar sized LED fixtures. The light level seems about the same, but it has been so hot in the shop, that I have not been out to do any machine work, so I am waiting to see how it goes with things like strobing. They are really expensive at about $70 a fixture from the bigbox hardware store.

BobH

Reply to
BobH

I figure the payback will come if I never have to replace a tube or ballast ever again.

Reply to
Tim Wescott

I installed (1 acre back yard) one of those for a client and they loved it. I think I'd prefer to go with LED nowadays, though. The CRI is only 78 on the Lithonia above, but it's a 4000K light, so it's more toward the real white color that I love. I still see the yellow with metal halides. Don't get me started with piss-yellow warm white bulbs...

Reply to
Larry Jaques

The leather shop where I spend 2 afternoons a week just completely re-did the factory and warehouse with LEDs replacing high pressure vapout and flourescent lights - and last week replaced the high pressure sodium lighting in the parking area with LEDs as well. They couldn't be happier. It will take 10 years to pay for the re-lamp with power savings at todays prices - but take off the cost of replacing failed ballasts and bulbs, and it looks a LOT more attractive..

300,000 sq ft, high ceiling production area (task lighting) and warehouse.
Reply to
clare

I have a LED strip light installed in my office.

Already half of the LEDs burned out on one bulb in less than a month.

Aside from that, they produce good light.

In my home, I finally decide to replace one of the sucky T12's, with a high output T5. The result is nothing short of amazing. A lot of light of the most pleasant kind.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus12659

Can you get good (high efficiency) ballasts to fit the existing fixtures? A modern ballast should run dead cold and last longer than you're apt to care. If it's high frequency the lamp will last longer than with a 60 Hz ballast as well.

As other have noted, a very low failure rate with LEDs negates all savings unless they come with free replacement essentially forever.

bob prohaska

Reply to
User Bp

I put in 2 fixtures of 4 T5's in the kitchen. Wow is there light! Wife loves it. Can see everything. Easier to read books... Wish I had them split, but they were not so they are all on or off.

Martin

Reply to
Martin Eastburn

WHOA, those are expensive! I have retrofitted 2 2-lamp fluorescent fixtures in our kitchen, and am pretty happy with them. They've been running for over 6 months, now. The kitchen lights get a LOT of use in our house, so those are the ones I've done first.

I have used a string of 20 Cree XPEBWT-01-0000-00CC2 LEDs to replace two 48" fluorescent tubes. These things are $1.75 each, total $35. I buy them from Digi-Key. For a power supply, I use a Thomas Research Products LED25W-72-C0350, also from Digi-Key, part # 1121-1052, about $27. So, total cost is about $62. The output is supposed to be about 4580 lumens. I used a photometer, and it SEEMS to be actually brighter than the two 48" fluorescent tubes, but the light is a bit more concentrated in a single line, so both my eyes and the photometer could be fooled. Anyway, it appears to be quite good at illuminating the kitchen. You DO need a diffuser over the LEDs, they are seriously blindingly bright!

I measured the power draw of the ANCIENT ballast, it was 101 W. The LED system with the mentioned power supply was 21 W. This was measured with an actual power meter.

These LEDs are rated at 101 Lm/W, which is quite good. Any higher efficiency and the cost goes WAY up. The power supply is supposed to be 86% efficient, I think.

The LEDs are surface mount, so I got some strips of 2" wide PC board material, and cut narrow slits in the copper at 2" intervals. I soldered the LEDs across the slits. The copper material acts as a heat sink to keep the LEDs cool. Then, I suspended the PC board strip in the middle of the fixture with some loops of insulated wire.

I will probably so more fixtures as I get time.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

Reduced A/C costs as well in many cases. LEDs aren't heat free, but they certainly produce less than HID fixtures and many fluro fixtures.

Reply to
Pete C.

My "morning job" found replacing over 100 MR16s with LEDs has reduced the power bill and the AC .

Reply to
clare

Yes, that is my take on it as well. For some reason, fluorescent lamps in one corner of my shop seem to last about 6 months. I replaced the fixture and the life did not change. Hoping the LED's do better.

BobH

Reply to
BobH
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Hmm ... did you by any chance try measuring the voltage at each fixture? Compare them to see whether any are lower. Assuming that they are all on one switch, it might be that the connection from one to the next is poor (bad or corroded wire nuts or something like that) and it is thus running from lower voltage, so it is harder to start with the lower voltage.

Good Luck, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

It isn't clear that the electrical connections (8foot fluorescents use

240VAC) are compatible, from home depot's laughable "specifications".

With modern electronic ballasts, fluorescent is still quite efficient. Heck, most of white LED light is fluorescence, as well (not the spike in the blue). At end-of-life (six years?) the LEDs are expected to be dimmer, and that means zero efficiency improvement instead of '31%'. Relamping is a nuisance of the fluorescents that you'll have to judge for yourself.

Replace any old non-electronic ballasts, and try a fresh batch of tubes. There's plenty of time to switch to LED when its price stops dropping and reliability has some engineering experience to back it up.

Reply to
whit3rd

Buy ballasts? I've found fixtures only cost couple dollars than ballasts, and if you prep them properly are easier and faster to change out. All of the 8' flourescents in my shop are hanging from 2/0 dog chain with a high flex appliance cord to a J-box.

So far I haven't burnt a bulb or a ballast (now half of them will fail tomorrow) and I put my shop lights up about 6 years ago. However I have a couple spare fixtures with chains and cords already attached, and a case of spare tubes on a top shelf. If I need to change a fixture I can probably do it start to finish with a cordless drill (screw driver tip) and my scissor lift in 5 minutes or less.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

That was my experienced longevity for fluor bulbs until I moved up here.

I got a box of 20 tubes and 4 new cheapie 4' dual fluor fixtures and went through the 20 tubes in 3 years. I bought two new fixtures, electronic design, and the same bulbs have lasted 4 years so far. I'll scrap the other two bogus fixtures before wasting another bulb in one. I doublechecked the grounds, tightened the screws on the breaker, etc. All voltages were good and no wire-to-screw voltage was present, etc. I even tried different wattage bulbs and one starter to see if it was some small mismatch, but all died prematurely. I'm guessing that it was just bad ballasts. The ancient 8' fixture still has the same bulb that came in it when I got the house 12 years ago, so absolutely everything points to the cheapie fixtures.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

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