8-Ft. Fluorescent Lights Fitted With CFL Bulbs

8-Ft Fluorescent Lights Fitted With CFL Bulbs FARM SHOP Handy Hints “Eventually 8-ft fluorescent lamps will be phased out and we won’t be able to buy them so I got an early start by retrofitting a couple of 8-ft long ceiling-mounted fixtures in my garage with compact fluorescent lamps ” says Terry Morgel Avon Minn He removed the ballast and all the factory wire and lamp holders from the fixture “The factory wire is too light for CFL’s which require AC voltage ” he explains He installed two different kinds of lamp holders: one with a short pipe nipple and the other with an adjustable weatherproof holder that can be pointed to whatever you’re working on like the ones used on outdoor floodlights “To install the lamp holder with a short pipe nipple I drilled a 3/8-in dia hole in the fixture and then fed the nipple and wire through the hole and tightened the nut ” says Morgel “To install the adjustable weatherproof holder I drilled a 7/8-in dia hole in the fixture and then inserted the lamp holder and tightened the nut It’s best to use at least a 14-ga wire when installing CFL lamps You can install as many lamp holders in each fixture as you like ” He bought the lamp holders at Menards “The outdoor adjustable holders sell for about $3 and the porcelain nipple ones for up to $5 ” He says he plans to retrofit his entire shop with CFL’s “CFL’s are a lot more energy efficient than the old-style fluorescent lights ” notes Morgel Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Terry Morgel 37313 Co Rd 3 Avon Minn 56310 ph 320 363-8802

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