4' LED "shop" lights for ~ $32 at Costco

[buckeyefarmer]

The direct replacement tubes use the ballast. I bought a couple to try over a yr ago and mine work great. I put it side by side with a regular tube, and the LED tube is much brighter. If you don't want to change the fixture, i highly recommend the tube replacement.

 

[dragoneggs]

The direct replacement tubes use the ballast. I bought a couple to try over a yr ago and mine work great. I put it side by side with a regular tube, and the LED tube is much brighter. If you don't want to change the fixture, i highly recommend the tube replacement.

Huh? So did I... side by side. Wonder what is my problem? Fully expecting the same brightness or similar output. Maybe my old fixtures are of ancient ballasts?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I thought i posted a picture once showing the difference but couldnt find it. Will have to take another.

 

[mcfarmall]

Another option for 8' fixtures is the LED tape and power supply from Amazon. The tape is around 15'-16' long for $9 and the power supply is $9. Mount the power supply where the ballast was and stick the tape right on to the reflector and plug everything in. For $20 you can convert a fixture over to LED.

 

[Ken45101]

Another option for 8' fixtures is the LED tape and power supply from Amazon. The tape is around 15'-16' long for $9 and the power supply is $9. Mount the power supply where the ballast was and stick the tape right on to the reflector and plug everything in. For $20 you can convert a fixture over to LED.

I have done that for under the cabinet kitchen lighting and for bookcases. Even tried it in the basement.

#1 - the power supplies don't last.
#2 - the adhesive tape does not stick very well.

But it is nice lighting for under the cabinets and bookcases.

 

[Ken45101]

Rural King has the 4' shop lights for $25 (double strip) and single strip (2500 lumen) for $16.

They just opened a new store here locally in an abandon KMart and they replaced the lighting for the entire store with these fixtures, alternating single and double strip fixtures. The store has good lighting...and much more customer traffic than KMart ever had!

 

[ultrarunner]

Huh? So did I... side by side. Wonder what is my problem? Fully expecting the same brightness or similar output. Maybe my old fixtures are of ancient ballasts?

I have ancient 1900 3-bulb metal 4' florescent with starters... it was always like Frankenstein's Lab turning them on in the winter... slow to warm up and flickering until warm and plenty of hum.

Bought 12 of the Costco direct replacement Feit Bulbs and started to swap out the first fixture... gave it a try and it was way too bright... took out the middle bulb and left the two side bulbs and wallah... perfection.

It's been a couple of years and every time I turn the garage lights on it puts a smile on my face....

I did not remove the old ballasts which weigh as much as boat anchors.

Still need to tackle the 8' fixtures in the pole barn in Washington...

 

[RedNeckGeek]

+1 on the replacement LED bulbs for the 4' fluorescent fixtures. Swapped mine out about a year and a half ago and the shop is at least twice as bright as a result. Haven't touched them since, and as others have said, they're instant on at full brightness, even in what passes for winter out here. Very satisfied with the swap, and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Last year I purchased 16 of the Feit 4' fixtures to light up a temporary spray booth. These fixtures come with 110V sockets on one end so that up to five of them can be daisy chained together. I found out the hard way, though, that trying to do more than five can burn out the first ones in the chain, so be sure to read the instructions during installation. Regardless, the lighting was very good, and every bit as bright as the replacement tubes. Another great Costco purchase.

 

[ultrarunner]

What I don't understand is household kWh usage has stabilized at 12 kWh daily throughout the year after switching to LED... BUT the electric bill keeps going up!!!

Maybe it is time to bite the bullet and go solar... but the utility has new minimum account fees which I imagine will also increase going forward.

I have a hospital full of T8 bulbs... received a energy design award back in 1994-95... they work very well and reluctant to make the LED commitment due to upfront cost. Not a single LED hardwired fixture in the place.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

What I don't understand is household kWh usage has stabilized at 12 kWh daily throughout the year after switching to LED... BUT the electric bill keeps going up!!!

Maybe it is time to bite the bullet and go solar... but the utility has new minimum account fees which I imagine will also increase going forward.

I've also been dragging my feet on a solar installation. California's incentive programs have dwindled, and I know of utilities that are imposing fees to support the grid, but I hadn't heard that PG&E had implemented them (they're my electricity supplier as well). Such fees make it impossible to insulate oneself from the vagaries of increasing energy costs due to a poorly managed utility, unless one decides to go off grid. I'm not wild about maintaining an expensive and somewhat delicate battery bank to do so, and as a result I'm still sitting on the fence thinking that making break even on a solar system may not happen until I'm dead and buried. What would be the point in that?:confused2: