# Nice fluorescent deal



## Mark_Larson (Feb 3, 2007)

I'd been looking for a pair of nice daylight tubes and a fixture since I realized that it would cost too much to ship my existing fixture + bulbs. I had already scoped out the Home Depot, walmart etc, and today I went to the local Lowe's and they had a nice set of bulbs that I hadn't seen before... a pair of GE Sunshine bulbs for $6.97. I'd seen 6500K bulbs at the Home Depot, but these were a good set for the money for daylight/sunshine bulbs.

The specs are F32 T8 (32W), with 2800 lumens output and a 5000K color temp along with a CRI of 86. The Home depot bulbs (Philips?) I'd seen were 6500K color temp with a CRI of 85.

This certainly looks less blue than the 6500K bulbs I had, and goes well along with the GE Reveal bulbs I already have - doesn't make them look too sickly yellow.

The fixture is also noteworthy, a $14.97 Commercial Electric shoplight from Home Depot, in a _stainless steel_ finish. Certainly a welcome change from white steel. The fixture is electronic ballast, F32T8 only, which is why its more expensive than the F40T12 ones. The stainless brushed finish looks very cool, and the fixture is lighter/slimmer than many others. It doesn't come with screw hooks for mounting to the ceiling though, which all of my previous shoplights have included.

Overall I think this is a good combo for someone looking for a daylight/full spectrum light - at 5600 lumens (less when you count the usual losses), its plenty of light for a small/medium size room and doesnt' appear blue like 6500K lights. My girlfriend also likes these lights, but she was happy with the 6500K lights too.


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## frisco (Feb 3, 2007)

Question for you electronic types.

I'm looking to put lighting in the back of my 18' enclosed box truck.

One of my thoughts was to use 110volt fluorescents using a 12volt to 110 inverter. My question is..... A 32 watt fluorescent bulb draws the same current/amperage as a 32 watt incan bulb??? I know the 110v has to go through a transformer
Anyone know how this figures?

TIA
frisco


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## pedalinbob (Feb 3, 2007)

Thanks for the info. I hate the color of the tubes in my basement.

Related, I am trying the inexpensive warm white N:Vision CFL's from Home Depot, and they seem pretty nice, overall.
They are currently in my outdoor fixtures with inductive-load-safe photocells.
It is 1 degree outside, and they are nice and bright.

I usually use the GE fluoros, but the N:Visions have an interesting advantage: they start instantly, where the GE has about a 1 second lag.

Now I have to try the slightly higher color temp N:Visions.


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## Mark_Larson (Feb 3, 2007)

frisco said:


> I'm looking to put lighting in the back of my 18' enclosed box truck.
> 
> One of my thoughts was to use 110volt fluorescents using a 12volt to 110 inverter. My question is..... A 32 watt fluorescent bulb draws the same current/amperage as a 32 watt incan bulb??? I know the 110v has to go through a transformer
> Anyone know how this figures?



Hey frisco, 32 watts is 32 watts - the only difference would be that the fluorescent ballast would probably not like a dirty wave like that generated from a car alternator. Also I don't know how the fluorescents handle vibration. Maybe it would be better to keep it simple in this case and use a 12v incandescent?


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## lpcmidst128 (Feb 3, 2007)

Great you found what you needed. I have both the Phillips Natural Sunshine as well as the GE Sunshine fluorescent tubes. I can't tell any big difference between the two since their color were about the same. I was surprised myself when I saw the GE Sunshine ones in the F32T8, since the F40 ones were more common. Home Depot carries the Phillips Natural sunshine one which is sold in single not a pack of 2. Both my fixtures in my garage say they can use either the F32T8 or F40T12.


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## winny (Feb 3, 2007)

Mark_Larson said:


> Hey frisco, 32 watts is 32 watts - the only difference would be that the fluorescent ballast would probably not like a dirty wave like that generated from a car alternator.



As he is driving the _electronic_ ballast though an 12->120 V inverter, what the 12 V looks like won't matter. As the first thing the ballast does is rectify whats coming in, the wave-shape of the inverter won't matter much either, as long as the voltage is in range.


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## snakebite (Feb 3, 2007)

http://store.solar-electric.com/12vodcbaforf.html


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## 2xTrinity (Feb 3, 2007)

> My question is..... A 32 watt fluorescent bulb draws the same current/amperage as a 32 watt incan bulb??? I know the 110v has to go through a transformer
> Anyone know how this figures?


I suspect you will lose a significant amount of energy in inverter inefficiency, however, the fluorescent will still be vastly more efficient than running an equivalent incandescent in the car. If you can find one, it would be more efficient to run off of a 12v DC ballast. I know such a thing exists, as I know some poeple who live off-grid that run fluorescents from batteries, but I don't know where to buy such a thing. Also, if you have the inverter and ballast/fixture already, it will be a lot cheaper to use what you already have.


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## yuandrew (Feb 4, 2007)

You do have ballast efficiency as well as the efficiency of the inverter as well but I think most inverters now are around >80% efficient and there are some made by Xantrex that are over 90% efficient. A look on an Advance Centium ballast says it draws 36 watts running 1 32 watt T8 bulb and 59 watts running for the two bulb version.

True sine wave inverters in the low wattage (150, 300, and 600 watt) range are avaliable; I have a 300 watt one. They do seem to draw more current than a normal modified square wave inverter though due to the extra circuitry, mine takes about an amp at idle and draws about 3 amps running an old 13 watt compact fluorescent with a magnetic ballast. A 20 watt MR-16, I found, draws less current running straight off 12 volts but the compact fluorescent gives out more light.

Pretty much any 300 watt inverter will run a shop light and many already come with or can be easily retrofitted with an electronic ballast. It's just up to you where you want to place the inverter but closer to the battery is better to avoid voltage drop. An extension cord could be run to the light itself easily.


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## frisco (Feb 4, 2007)

Thanks for all your replies!!!!

I hope this dosn't veer off this thread to far and I hope this isn't a hijack. I plan to buy some of the above listed fixtures and bulbs for my office that has an industrial theme.... so thanks for the tip!

I just found these bulbs on eBay..... Think they would be better for my truck using an inverter?

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAR30-110V-LED-...hZ012QQcategoryZ66952QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Keep in mind I need to be able to run off of 12volts when the truck is out and about. When I'm parked for a time on the job, I would either run "shore" power or run off a Honda generator.

So my choice is to set up a 12volt lighting system and run a 110vac to 12vdc power supply. Or set up a 110vac lighting system and use 12vdc through an inverter.

Thanks, frisco


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## yuandrew (Feb 8, 2007)

Those Ebay LED bulbs are probably nothing compared to a normal fluorescent lamp light output.

Running a 120 volt fixture is easy with an inverter and you can always unplug the light from the inverter and plug it into "shore" power or a generator when you are parked.


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## lyyyghtmaster (Feb 8, 2007)

Here are a couple similar things that I've done, from my 12VDC solar panel:

I have some ballasts that I got surplus. They take 12.6VDC and drive a variety of lamps in the range of 14 to 32 W, incl. F32T8 at about .68 ballast factor. I've got one driving an F21W-T5-865-ECO (GE), which it does at about .86 BF. Calculated lumens 1806. They're labeled "Solar Outdoor Lighting model 2D12-1-32S".

If you're up for a little modding, Feit makes a 13W "marine" cfl that runs on 12 VDC. It comes in warm white, but can be modded with Feit's 6350K 13W, 120 V CFL (you can just exchange the fluorescent tubes, and have a 120V, warm white CFL when you're done.) They pretty much snap in and out of the ballast housing at the separation point. The fit isn't quite perfect, but I haven't had any problems with it. (It could always be glued.) Then the four leads are desoldered from each CFL ballast and swapped to the other ballast.

I've made three of these CFL mods, and they have worked fine over hundreds of hours of use. Modded or not, they draw a bit under their rated power if the voltage isn't much above 12; closer at 13.8. They're a bit pricey, though; a bit under $14.00, if I remember. Try Nolico.com.

I've seen similar product, already in Daylight CCT, on eBay, but don't recognize the brand, so haven't tried them. Kind of pricey there, also.
Cheers!


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## frisco (Feb 9, 2007)

I just tested one of those spiral fluorescent screw base light bulbs. Says 32 watts. I hooked it up to my combo Jump Starter/Air Compressor/12volt Supply/110 Inverter unit that I got from Costco. Bulb ran fine and the Digital watt meter says "20 Watts" Could this be right???

frisco


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## LightingGeek (Feb 9, 2007)

If you go with a long-tube fluorescent, look into some "lamp-locks" or "socket Locks". They're a nomex/fiber device that keeps the lamps from rotating out of their sockets. Particularly useful when a bi-pin fluorescent is jostled around. Myself, I'd go with a CF lamp and reflector.


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## winny (Feb 9, 2007)

frisco said:


> I just tested one of those spiral fluorescent screw base light bulbs. Says 32 watts. I hooked it up to my combo Jump Starter/Air Compressor/12volt Supply/110 Inverter unit that I got from Costco. Bulb ran fine and the Digital watt meter says "20 Watts" Could this be right???
> 
> frisco



The current pulled by an integrated fluorescent lamp isn't sinusoidal so your meter will report erroneously unless it have got True RMS, which it with 99% probability haven't got.

So to answer your question, no.


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## frisco (Feb 11, 2007)

frisco said:


> I just tested one of those spiral fluorescent screw base light bulbs. Says 32 watts. I hooked it up to my combo Jump Starter/Air Compressor/12volt Supply/110 Inverter unit that I got from Costco. Bulb ran fine and the Digital watt meter says "20 Watts" Could this be right???
> 
> frisco



I guess I got it backwards.... It is a 23 watt fluorescent, not a 32 watt.

I just did a runtime test with four of these bulbs with my Costo Combo Jumpstarter/Inverter.

Four 23 watt fluorescent bulbs ran 80 minutes till shut down...... Not bad, It was very bright. The bulbs were 4 for $1.99 at Walgreens.

I think I will research a larger version of a self enclosed Inverter/charger system.

Thanks for all your replies.

frisco


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## lyyyghtmaster (Feb 14, 2007)

frisco said:


> Four 23 watt fluorescent bulbs ran 80 minutes till shut down...... Not bad, It was very bright. The bulbs were 4 for $1.99 at Walgreens.
> 
> frisco



Is that right, 4 for $1.99? Is this a clearance? What brand are they, Feit?
Thanks!


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## frisco (Feb 14, 2007)

lyyyghtmaster said:


> Is that right, 4 for $1.99? Is this a clearance? What brand are they, Feit?
> Thanks!



Yes... Thats the brand!

They seem good.

frisco


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