VAF Forums

VAF Forums (https://vansairforce.net/community/index.php)
-   Tools (https://vansairforce.net/community/forumdisplay.php?f=53)
-   -   Hangar/Shop Flourescents - 4' or 8 ' ? (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=106460)

Bill_H 11-11-2013 07:39 PM

Some 8 foot types are being discontinued - google that. I put cheap 8 foot units in my basement and shop and in 9 years replaced 6 or so ballasts (cost as much as the lights!) and a bunch of bulbs. Get 4 foot units with better ballasts.

Adam 11-11-2013 07:45 PM

Best lights, T-5 fluorescent bulbs,, the best!

jay bell 11-11-2013 11:04 PM

I followed my electrician's advice and installed 4', 6 lamp T6 fixtures in my hanger this year. They are much brighter than any other fluorescent I have seen, and are efficient to boot.

Jay

JonJay 11-12-2013 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay bell (Post 825279)
I followed my electrician's advice and installed 4', 6 lamp T6 fixtures in my hanger this year. They are much brighter than any other fluorescent I have seen, and are efficient to boot.

Jay

T5HO most likely. T6 is an airplane ;) They appear brighter than T8's for two reasons; since the lamp is 1/4" smaller in diameter you have much more surface brightness. T5HO are also around 5000 lumens, T8's around 2850 for the standard products. T5HO are hot! Hot as in bright and hot as in they operate at the socket a lot hotter. Make sure you have the lamps seated well in the socket. (most sockets for T5HO are now "twist and lock" to insure a solid connection so they do not burn up.)

They are NOT more efficient. They are about the same as comparable T8's.
I have lit hangars with T5HO. I will not use them unshielded for anything lower than 14' or so. There is simply too much glare.

T5's came into use from Europe (you will notice that they are shorter than T8 because of the standard in Europe). There big advantage is the smaller diameter package which allows engineers to design more sophisticated optics and smaller fixtures. When it comes to a hangar, you usually have no optic, you are not trying to stuff them into a tight space like a cove, nor are you doing a difficult job like grazing a wall or uplighting a surface. So, there is very little advantage and a lot of disadvantages with T5HO for anything under 14'.

14' and above, I prefer them over the old standard HID low bays. However, we are doing a DC3 hangar right now with HID due to owners preference and it will do a nice job. ("new" SCWA ballast and better color rendering lamps have kept HID alive and still sellable.)

Gisnar 11-12-2013 10:10 AM

I have been using the eight foot. I buy the bulbs at the local big box store in bulk. Not hard to handle.
The only important thing in my experience is use twice as many bulbs/ fixtures as you think you need. I have never had to much light but have had to little... Aging eyes and all that.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:12 AM.