# retrofitting T12 s



## Louieb (Mar 19, 2007)

Iam looking for sugestions on changing out t12 2 lamp 8 foot fixtures and retrofitting to tandem 4 ft t8 lamps any vendors you like, more than others! these are industrial shades.


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

I've never seen a 2/96 to 4/32 retro before. I doubt it can be done. You'd have to fab a middle socket bracket, unless the fixtures are newer and have some way to accept a bracket.

Maybe someone knows of a generic center bracket? I don't know how they could have this since not all fixtures are alike.

They DO have T8 8 footers you know.
http://genet.gelighting.com/LightPr...elSelectionFilter=FT0010:Fluorescent_Standard


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

Pete .,,

I don't recall seeing reto of 2/96 to 4/32T8's at all but i know someone done that but really it kinda pain in arse with it due it have diffrent tombstone setting that the major curpit. 

typically for me what i done is rip them out and install the new luminaire instead of messaround unless they want expensive 8 footer T-8's 

Merci, Marc


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

I do agree, but sometimes you have dozens of strips end to end and replacing them is really cost prohibitive. 

ALL T8 lamps will be coming down in price as they phase out T12s. T8 four footers were pretty expensive a few years ago. Now they are close to T12 prices, and they give more light at 32 watts than the old 34's & 40's.
I can only imagine that T8 eight footers will be quite reasonable in the near future.
That is undoubtedly the route I'd go.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

yep the cost of the 32w t-8's did go down a bit and the ballast qualnty itself it not too bad but i do get some bad one once a while.

but i did installed few 8 footer t-8's they were ok to me IIRC i think they were about 56 or so watts but they came in two verison the slimeline type and not too long ago the HO verison did show up but myself i haven't done the HO verison yet so hard to say with that one.

Merci,Marc


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

frenchelectrican said:


> yep the cost of the 32w t-8's did go down a bit and the ballast qualnty itself it not too bad but i do get some bad one once a while.


Oh man. Ballast quality is night and day to 10-1 years ago. The original electronic ballasts were TERRIBLE. They self destructed at the slightest power glitch.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

LOL yeah that was my biggest pain in ase with it a very little power glitch will useally smoke them and i found out in hard way with old electronic ballast is that you DO not remove the lamps when they are enersized and they will blow up fast as well.

one did blew up on me all i got bleu flash around my face all i say WT* ?? end up replace a brand new ballast [ that time it was about a month old dangbat it ]

Merci,Marc


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

I've heard about the t-12's going away, but why? Why are the T-12's being phased out?


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

I personally don't know the specific reason. I do know that T8s and T5s are way more efficient though.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

gilbequick said:


> I've heard about the t-12's going away, but why? Why are the T-12's being phased out?


 
The T-12 is the old school stuff and been around for so many years and i think about 10 year back they start to phase them out and still doing it now due the engery reqirement have to switch over to much more effeciet luminaires like the T-8 and T-5 are now.

just a quick example 40 watt T-12 run of mill flourscent bulb useally crank out about 2800~3200 lumines with new 32W T-8 they have about the same or slightly more brighter than the old plain jane T-12's are and use less wattage espcally this is true with very large area with tons of them it will really add up fast.

Merci, Marc 

a quickside note i think if i recall it was engery pact or something like that


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## Louieb (Mar 19, 2007)

Okay! heres what I have found out.I moved my license over to a solar electric co and we are to install a system on the roof this summer,for our parent company next door.In a building of 180 ft by 115 ft they have these old 2lamp t12 industrial shades about 20 feet up,most installations I have seen are about 15 ft max.needless to say that the place is a cave.There are 80 of them. t12s ballast draws 2.2 amps at 120v.The 4 lamp t8 draws .64 amps at 120v.And since they have piped thru each fixture,it would be a job to rework all the circuits.I have looked into different scenarios such as 6 lamp t8s high bays( which is the way Iam leaning).with the retrofit the return is somewhere like 85 percent more lumen with a 65 percent decrease in power usage. for those t5 fans...the drop in lumen output like 20 percent for every 10 degrees below rated ambient is too much for this barely heated barn.Iam also adding reversable fans to bring the heat back down,from the IR gas heaters.Here is a site FYI JAF-tech Mfg.com,there are others for those aluminum reflectors which I dont have here with me....


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