Shop lights and retrofit ballasts--OT

Re: Shop lights and retrofit ballasts--OT

thomd

>The only thing I can think of, and this is more in the order of putting in a guess for a pool, is that they have a more than usual power issue. I remember well once working with my above mensa level dad (he once beat the then Irish chess champ without really being all that well read on chess, and while playing without pieces on a board) replacing a ballast. I said to him; "under no circustance touch these two poles", his said "which ones, these ones... zappppp". Possibly a larger ballast unit might have a biggers pottential discharge, though what the toddlers migh me doing up on the ceiling sucking on those wires, I can only sumize. Other than that, it's the usual risk of fire stuff. Just a guess, not an electrician, not even decended from reliable electrician stock.

That's a turnabout

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA, sorta cold

>usually the warning says that things aren't guaranteed in a commercial environment. Do they offer a company phone number, so you can call them to ask?

Most likely:

Paul Alt

>Going on the information you supplied, the warning is most likely a statement that the ballasts are noisy (electrically speaking). Electronic ballasts generate high frequency electrical noise that can interfere with radio and TV reception. This is typically not a concern in commercial installations, but it is in many residential shops/homes. The noise can be both radiated and conducted, the latter meaning it circulates in your power lines and can interfere with your house radios/TVs even if the shop is in a separate building, but sharing the same power distribution with your shop. A filter typically has to be built into the ballast to make it acceptable for consumer use at some increase in cost. SO, put on your lights and check your radio/TV reception - you may luck out.

Paul

Re: Most likely:

Jack Guzman from Maine

>That does sound like the most likely reason.If it is,I can play CDs while the lights are on.My usual shop time is mornings before 7 and weekends so I don't think interfering with media will be an issue.---Jack

Re: Most likely:

Roger Myers

>Paul's answer is correct. Ballasts will be fine in your application... it has to do with radiated noise... unless your neighbors or family complain (neither is likely) than all will be well.

Interference to FM siganls

bill tindall, E. TN

>I replaced several magnetic T12's with electronic T8's and one of them wipes out every FM receiver in the house-TV and radio. All the other ballasts are just fine. There was a long discussion of this problem on power side a few weeks back.

Re: Most likely:

wilbur

>But if really costs more to put in the noise filtering into the ballast, why are the "commercial" grade fluorescent fixtures at my local BORG the most expensive ones?

Commercial grade

Paul Alt

>Commercial/industrial customers have more demanding requirements. In the case of lighting they need the lights to be on more hours in a day, they have a less well controlled electrical environments which often include current surges, voltage spikes and broad spectrum electrical noise, and while they are willing to pay a bit more for components they expect them to last a lot longer as repair and replacement is even more expensive. To accommodate these requirements the ballast design is typically more robust, which translates to more components, the components used are better and have a longer average time to failure and frequently the designs are more independent of temperature. All of this increases the cost. Since they do not have to meet the consumer FCC radio interference standards, they spend no money in doing so.

Paul

Re: Shop lights and retrofit ballasts--OT

Paul L - Fremont, CA

>Electrical equipments are required by FCC to meet RFI(Radio Frequency Interference) requirements to limit potential interference with other equipments, such as radio and TV. Commercial requirements (class A) are less stringent while Residential (Class B) are perhaps 10dB tighter.

Before the requirements became mandatory in 1980 or so, I had computer equipments that really messed up the TV and radio. Then with Class A (or B) stuffs, never notice any problem. So I think, verify your TVs, radios, phones with the florescents on and off, if you do not detect any differences then you can assume things are fine.