[s-cars] NAC - Dream Garage Ceiling and Wallmaterialrecommendation

[Robert Rossato]

While the costs of two 4' bulbs may be slightly cheaper than one 8'
bulb, your electrician is not telling you, or looking at, the whole
picture.  

You're talking at most a couple of bucks difference in bulb cost.  

The big cost factor in a fluorescent fixture is in the ballast.  The
rest is some cheap sheet metal.  To run two 8' bulbs the fixture will
have one ballast.  To run four 4' bulbs the fixture will need to have
two ballasts.  So your expense for the fixture will be $20-$30 more,
which is significantly more than what you theoretically save in bulb
costs by running  4' bulbs end to end.

With regard to storing bulbs, I really don't see the need.  The bulbs
will last many years and give you plenty of warning when they are going
out.  Just buy them when you need them.

And I can not recommend this enough.  For a garage do not buy anything
other than High Output fluorescents.  Yes the costs are higher, both
bulb and fixture, but there is no substitute for the light output you
get from them.  Taka mentioned paint booth light levels.  I have a
standard two car garage with two twin 8' HO fixtures (440W total) and it
may not be quite paint booth levels, but it's pretty bright.  And that's
with 12 year old bulbs, which are probably at 75% or less of their
initial output by now.  Paul K. and Bill Perron should be able to vouch
for the brightness.

The other major advantage of HO fixtures, especially in the cold climate
areas, is that they will start at temperatures below zero F.   Your
typical fluorescent fixture will have trouble with anything less than
45F.  So unless your garage is heated, regular fluorescents fixtures are
going to take 15-20 minutes before they generate enough heat for the
bulbs to function properly.

Bob

> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com 
> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Lee Levitt
> Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 6:55 PM
> To: lee at wheelman.com; 'Taka Mizutani'
> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: RE: [s-cars] NAC - Dream Garage Ceiling and 
> Wallmaterialrecommendation
> 
> 
> Speaking of 8' fluorescent fixtures...my electrician 
> suggested a fixture
> that takes 2 4' bulbs rather than a single 8' bulb.
> 
> Cost of the 4' bulbs is lower *and* the schlepping and storing is much
> easier.
> 
> Lee
> '02 A6 3.0 quattro avant
> '96 A6 quattro avant