OT Electronic Ballasts

Is anybody having better luck with them? Would a digital timer make a difference? I don't think the Intermec always closes cleanly.

1) cold weather starting
2) bad luck with the old fashioned models
3) they are more expensive, and you get what you pay for, not

My problems with old models could be I am changing only one bulb at a time. If I quit that maybe I'll have fewer problems with the old models.

Still I have to wonder. Do the electronic ballast fixtures fail because of bouncy switch on timer, they are not reliable, or power surges?

I don't know what you are spending in time and money for them. I assume they are some sort of tech trick for energy conservation.

I do the techy thing for a living but sometimes, it works better to just do it like it's been done in the past. For me, this is one of those instances.

Mark

The electronic ones light in cold weather. The farm house has wood heat and intermittent occupancy. The shop has wood heat I'm afraid to use. It gets cold in the MO-zarks.

I have not found a source for the high ouput old time fixtures that I like the price on.

I been spending $15 on the electronic jobs and $7.50 on the old time ones. Unless I go high end, Grainger, my suppliers seem only to carry the cheap models. Probably I'm getting what I pay for.

I hate to pay for more than I'm getting too. I think paying too much is about as easy to do as paying too little.

Do you have a brand or a supplier you like? Or do you just get whatever they got in the pile in the middle of the aisle at HD, Wally's, or Lowes? What's do you give for a fixture that works but don't need to look purdy?

I have found out that if your bulbs are weak, the cold weather will tell you.

Hear you on the stove. I have a lot of used oil that I get the recycler to come and pick up. Would be nice to have a double 55 drip stove but I usually am involved with some sort of flammable when in the shop and I don't want the risk either.

What I do is run a propane jet engine. Mines 30,000 BTU. HD now has some with 100,000. I fire it off and get the building warm (while sitting in front of it with my shoes off) and then turn it off and get out the bad stuff. When finished, I open the door, fan out the fumes, close her up and get warm again. Works pretty good.

Mark

Do the $9.95 models have replaceable starters and ballasts? I inherited or bought some fixtures one way or another that are real old. Seems the modern models are not made to last and or not made to be repairable. Most all I see is just cheap Chinese crap or the $40+ models.

Five year service would be real nice.

Mark