Barn Lights

[Eric_Phillips]

I am looking for some lights to put in my new barn. When a local hardware store went out of business a couple years ago I picked up some 4' 2 bulb flourescent shop lights that had an open metal grid over the lights to give them some protection. I put these in my wood shop in my basement and like them. I wanted these for the barn also since they would give some protection to the bulbs without having a plastic cover/diffuser over the lights to collect dust and flies. I found only one supplier on the internet that carries these lights but I have been unable to get them directly from that supplier or through Amazon. So now I am looking for something else. Anyone have any suggestions for light fixtures that have some kind of metal grid protecting the bulbs?

 

[TwinWillows]

I used 8ft fluorescent 2 bulb lights & paid the extra for the heavy duty "cold" start fixtures. Unless your barn is heated you might want to consider getting the cold start ballast fixtures. Otherwise you'll be waiting a while for it to get bright when it gets cold..

Mine are almost 12ft high so I saw no reason to guard them. If it becomes a concern I'll just use the plastic bulb shields from Lowes...

 

[kbiddle]

I have to second the cold start... I looked and looked and looked at what seemed to be a thousands of different lights on the internet. And I ended up going with the 8 ft cold start high output form Lowes in my barn and could not be happier...
They were not the cheapest and certainly not the most expensive option I think they were around $50 per fixture... but they do a VERY good job in my barn that is 40x60.
Good luck in your selection...

 

[podagrower]

Have you tried looking for just the metal guards online. Some of the fixtures we install have wire guards that are a separate part, shipped seperatly from the fixture.

 

[tallyho8]

You can see many different kinds of light fixtures at Grainger Industrial Supply

 

[Eric_Phillips]

So you guys like the T12 HO instead of the T8? I was looking at Grainger and noticed that you can get the T8 with an electronic balast but their low temp is 0F. The T12 HO have magnetic balast but go down to -20F. I though the electronic were supposed to be better than the magnetic or is that just in the hum issue?

 

[Bigboyskioti]

I used 8 4' fixtures in my barn. All wa good until this year they started going bad. An electrician friend told me that the heat from being in the ceiling was killing the ballast. So now I'm looking again. Those lights only lasted 3 years.

 

[podagrower]

Hate the T-12s, ever since I made the switch to T-8s, at work and home, I've replaced 2 ballasts. When the electronic ballast finally fails, both bulbs go out, no guessing. T-8s will keep you guessing, is it a bad bulb, bad tombstone, bad ballast. When a customer calls me for a flourescent not working, I change to electronic and don't look back.
That all being said, it appears all ten people who have not yet moved to the sunshine state are watching this topic and are concerned about cold starting. I do not have much experience trying to start tubes in temperatures much lower than 50 , so you may have to stick with advice for your climate