[RE-wrenches] Fix the Fluorescents: What about LED tubes for late 2012?

Wed Dec 5 14:51:40 PST 2012

Mick,

I ALWAYS go with AC lighting. The cost/watt of the extra power to operate AC lighting is minimal compared the the hassles you have, and will experience again, trying to go DC. If the customer needs lighting to be always available, go with a small dedicated inverter for the light circuit so you can turn the big inverter(s) off until needed.

IMO, LED's are highly over hyped. I see people spend hundreds of $$ putting in LED lighting only to be disappointed with quality of light. When I tell them the payback is 40 years or so, well I just make folks mad. 

Thank you,

Larry Crutcher
Starlight Solar Power Systems

On Dec 5, 2012, at 2:53 PM, Mick Abraham wrote:

Hi, Knuckle-Busters~

It's lighting retrofit time and also time for me to review "what I thought I knew" about various lighting technologies. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Round one of the conversion involves >>well known RV brand<< T8 tubular fluorescent fixtures (3' long single tube). These have 24vDC ballasts which (in various brands) have failed way too often...and the tubes also are failing too soon. 

I've mostly decided to convert the circuits to good ol' American AC instead of DC, then I gotta select ballasts (to stay fluor) or convert to LED. Some of the List members handle lighting retrofits for better energy efficiency, etc. so I need a refresher course.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

For AC ballasts, I'm focusing on the "Programmed Start" type which seem less destructive to the tubes when cycled on and off frequently. I could drive three tubes with one ballast but then a single bulb failure sends the whole group to black since the tubes connect in series. 

Is there a way to test a fluorescent tube using a volt-ohmmeter or other non-exotic method? The cost benefit of sharing a ballast among three fixtures goes smaller if it's a hassle at lamp replacement time. A failed ballast would be tricky to spot with three lamps adding more variables.  

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

I see there are now T8 tubular LED lamps which of course deliver more lumens per watt and of course they are still costly. With no ballast to buy, if I compared devoting a $25 ballast to each fixture against converting to a $50 LED tube, "it's only double the cost" to go LED.

Is LED now ready for prime time? I got on that band wagon too early because the "white light" units were moonlight blue, they seemed dimmer than a flashlight, color rendition was poor, and worst of all:

My early LED purchases stopped working properly >>as should not be the case if LED is done right.<< Admittedly, my early LED buys were--don't get me started--designed for DC and I think the battery voltage fluctuation may play havoc with LED and also with the DC fluorescent ballasts. 

Final question: how could I be sure that new LED lights won't "roach out" in a few years? My untrained eye has never helped me avoid crummy tech before, so I guess it comes down to identifying one (or more) major manufacturer, maybe with a long warranty and a good likelihood of staying in business. 

My friends and I must stop buying junk that's going to break--even if it is all hyped up about being the "New Latest Environmentally Correct Energy Saver". Those >>well known RV brand<< fluorescents are a case in point to say nothing of round two: DC driven CFL's!

Thanks & Jolliness,

Mick Abraham, Proprietor
www.abrahamsolar.com

Voice: 970-731-4675

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