I asked this question over on knots — but I’m hoping some of you electrician-types can steer me in the right direction….
I just bought a couple of new 8-foot flourescent fixtures for my garage/workshop and have some questions. I bought them at Home Depot and they are the “high output, cold weather” type made by Lithonia.
My question has to do with the bulbs. They are supposed to take the “T-12” type bulbs. However, on the box the fixtures came in, it says that “T12HO bulbs must be suspended.” Why would I have to suspend these fixtures? Can’t I mount them flush with the drywall ceiling like any other fixtures? What if I don’t use a “high output” bulb? Can I get away with not suspending them?
– Toolfreak
Replies
They have to be suspended because of the amount of heat that they put off.
I don't know if the how a conventional lamp would work in a HO ballast, but I suspect that if it did work at all the life would be relatively short.
And I wonder how avaialble "good" (high CRI) are for the HO series. I did look and GE does show both SPX series and Chroma 50 lamps in the the 8 ft HO series.
But in the cross reference only basic WW is shown.
Bill, my experience with T12HO bulbs is that are a bi-pin bulb with a square plastic shroud around the pins. The sockets on the HO fixture I am familiar with are spring loaded on one end. The bulb is inserted into the sping loaded end an as depress the socket so that the other end can not be inserted into the other socket. A standard single pin 8' bulb will not fit an HO fixture.
Dave