fluorescent lighting question
- Thread starter lvgxtuan
- Start date
la9
Well-Known Member
The T sizes refer to the diameter of the bulb, T12 is the old standard flourescent. The T12 40 watt 4 foot bulb is what used to be in about everything. To help save energy consumption in world they decreased the diameter of the bulb so it would use less watts, it is still supposed to be brighter and save energy because it consumes 32 watts and is a T8. Also since they were made to replace the T12's the T8's will fit and run run in just about every T12 fixture. Almost every one because some of the old ballasts make the T8's flicker really bad, so bad you can't use them.
T5's are next on the list, you must understand there are 2 different T5's. Most are used for under cabinet lighting and such, while bright they are still old and outdated.
Next comes the new T5 HO, HO stands for high output. The standard 4 foot bulb is 54 watts. It is the same diameter as a CFL only unwrapped and stretched into a straight bulb.
Now some of you following along may ask why would they increase the wattage on a 4 foot bulb when the T8's were invented to decrease electric consumption. The reason is that they designed these to replace the HID bulbs we all know and love. They are designed to replace the 400 watt metal halide low bay lights and to squeeze enough of the bulbs together to get the same amount of usable light they made them smaller.
That sums up what I know about your question, if you have anymore let me know.
