T-8 v. T-12

[bestatchess]

I had an old school T-12 light fixture in the kitchen with the ballast(s) out. Replaced two old ballasts with one new electronic instant start ballast & four T-8 tubes after the guy at Home Depot gave me the heads up. Very nice upgrade and definitely the way to go as I would have had to buy two of the old school ballasts but needed only one electronic ballast. Although the T-12 tubes are bigger in diameter, the T-8 and T-12 pins fit the same socket. You need to pay attention to the difference in wiring the old rapid start v. instant start ballasts because the new instant start electronic ballasts are wired with the pins on the tube shorted. Very simple to wire in this manner once you google it and see the diagrams.

I should have done this years ago, but I had no concept.

http://www.mge.com/business/saving/detail/t8.htm

[Lairdo]

I was forman on a job where a military base switched every fixture to electronic ballasts and T-8's. There was thousands of fixtures. It was an energy/cost saving project. It was projected to save them $20k a month on electric bill or something like that.

[WazzuCoug]

T5's are the equivelent step up from T8's. The T5HO is the "titan" of the flourescents these days... but T8's are a great advance over the old T12's.

[BLUEFIELD TITAN]

You got to watch the price on HO (High Output) ballast for the HO lamps, I just priced a job for a callcenter at Dish Network which had T6HO lamps and the ballast where $118 each. But yea the electronic ballast are better than the old magnetic, now if one of your lamps go out the other ones will still stay on. Most of your T5, T6 lamps are used in display cases and coolers.