Saturday was our regularly scheduled work day at the church and several "old guys" showed up. I had already put the word out that we would be converting three 4-lamp, 4' fluorescent light fixtures from T12 (big diameter bulb) to T8 (small diameter bulb) which requires that the lights had to be taken apart down to the metal shell and then rebuilt, including the "tombstones" that are the actual bulb holders at either end of the bulbs.
Since these fixtures have been in use for quite some time, it is safer and easier to use new "tombstones" to facilitate the wiring from the new ballasts. The old "tombstones" are usually ready for replacement anyway as they become brittle with age and heat and can cause problems when you might need to change bulbs.
Our original goal was to change out three fixtures but when we got the third one finished and turned on the lights, another light began to flicker pretty badly.
We moved the ladder to the fourth fixture and took it apart as well and rebuilt it.
At least, now all four light fixtures work perfectly giving more light but using less power and the bulbs will last longer than the older ones.
Now that I have bored you to tears, I just want to tell you one more thing. If you have fluorescent lights in your house and they use the bigger T12 bulbs, be aware that most of the bulb makers are gradually phasing out that size bulb. I have no idea how this will affect the price in the future but it is something to think about.
If and when you may need to replace them, you can either get them "rebuilt" to accommodate the smaller diameter T8 bulb or have the fixture "rebuilt" to accommodate a T8 size LED bulb.
Okay, now you can get that nap you have been wanting since you opened this email.
?John T. Herman
210-396-1974
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Don't wait for Congress to set term limits, vote them out after two terms.
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