T8 Lights loosing their brightness?

[Industrial Toys]

Please post a link to the data.

 

[Alan W.]

Manufacturing plant I use to work at would periodically replace all the overhead fluorescents and it was surprising how much dimmer than the new ones they would be.
When you compare the cost of an led replacement tube versus a high quality fluorescent tube the difference isnt that much and if the ballast is bad its a no brainer.

 

[dragoneggs]

Well at least it's not my eyes.

Well can you really rule that out?

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Where I work we have hung 1,000's of LED fixtures and they do not get dim like HPS, fluorescent or MH bulbs do. Yes a few fail every now and then but much less than swapping bulbs. And if you buy a name brand, they typically have a good warranty on them.

My house is mostly LED and almost all of my shop and barn. The power savings is nice compared to some older stuff. Also the light color doesn't change over time like some

 

[ultrarunner]

I replaced 40+ T8 bulbs today at work... most where still illuminating but at the end of life... they were no longer bright when side by side.

Lots of fixtures are 4 bulbs... I like to mix and match in pairs... so the inside 2 or the outside two will be new... no one really notices much when paired.

But, put a new bright T8 next to an old one and the difference is quite apparent.

Some of the fixtures have 6 ea. bulbs so there are always bulbs to change if I look.

Could not be happier with my Costco LED bulbs but not in the budget since I still have about 500 new T8 on the shelves...

Ballasts run about $12 wholesale when I last did a bulk buy... so good on those too.

Some weeks I would replace 2 or 3 ballasts but have not replaced a single one this year... which is strange.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

One of my jobs when I worked for the Navy was as Facility Manager. We had an office space of 79,000 SF. Fluorescent amps were eating my budget replacing several at a time. Decided to re-lamp all fixtures (thousands of lamps) as it saved extensive contractor labor cost. All done, everybody complained that it was too bright. The union made us disconnect 2 lamps in each fixture. Final saving: $0 So they do diminish output severally. Was never noticed with the minor replacements.

Ron

 

[nbking]

Yes I second the Costco led shop lights. They are great. Nothing worse than the old florescent lights with their ends arcing, flickering, etc.

 

[ededic]

I know this may sound flippant but has anyone washed those old T8 bulbs. Dust can certainly dim them. Not arguing that they may not dim over time but a bucket of water, some window wash concentrate and a rag could buy you some cheaper brightness. Don’t forget to wash the fixtures where they reflect.

 

[mikester]

I Googled it. CFLs do loose much light toward end of life, but T8s should not do so to a degree you would notice. If I understood the articles correctly.

If you found it on google then it HAS to be true.

Yes all fluorescent bulbs dim over time. So do LED bulbs. Keep those receipts and hope the manufacturers honour their warranties...if those bulbs are even available any more.

 

[Diggin It]

I know this may sound flippant but has anyone washed those old T8 bulbs. Dust can certainly dim them. Not arguing that they may not dim over time but a bucket of water, some window wash concentrate and a rag could buy you some cheaper brightness. Don稚 forget to wash the fixtures where they reflect.

Yes, in some cases, cleaning can help. But is anybody really going to go through their shop every year or so washing lamp tubes? Anybody that has had flourescent tubes for any amount of time knows that when the ends begin to darken, the lamps are not putting out as much light.

That's the part I'm not clear on yet with LEDs .... longevity. Also, remember they're semiconductors, the same as any chip in any PC or other electronic device. That makes them more prone to lightning strikes and power surges. One or two LEDs failing may be replaceable at a reasonable cost. A whole house, office or shop full being blown out at once by a power surge could be rather expensive.