What’s the best way to add more light to my garage. The hardwire ballast needs to be replaced with something. I have some cheap LED lights plugged in currently. I want a hardwired solution in place of the ballast.
The attic above is spacious and easy to get to.
>4-8 recessed lights running on the hardwire from the ballast?
>more ballasts?
>other style lights?
I’m going for maximum brightness but also not super expensive because it’s just a garage
A lot of guys will get those led strip lights that string together and basically hang them, plug them together, and then wire them into the existing switch.
Pretty simple and fast, and not very expensive either.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07L44JCZ7/
I would just wire in more LED tubes like you already have, just more of them.
More lights = more light
You can get LED "fluorescent tube drop ins" that work with or without the ballast.
It seems like you don't need much more light, maybe try differentiate the sources cuz if it comes all from one spot it creates sharp and dark shadows
U also have reflective garage door so placing lights next to it surely helps amplify the spread 😉
I would like to hijack this thread.
I have a garage with 3 fluorescent fixtures, but they don't have a ballast. They're all connected to an outlet.
How do I go about making this right? 2 fixtures don't work.
Keep the fixtures (assuming the tombstones are still good), remove the ballasts, get direct wire LED tubes
since my lights holder is plug in, can i just use LED bulbs? i dont see a ballast anywhere, so im pretty confused since this is all new to me
Task lighting helps either way. I wear LED headlamps even in well-lit working areas when building engines etc.
Ok, this thread is g&r.
Here's how you do a conversion, having done several:
Remove fluorescent lamps. They turn 90° and fall out. I know, you know, but people are moronic and need to be told. Given the level of this thread.
Get non-shunted tombstones, one for each lamp. They'll be for T8 lamps. The older fluorescent fixtures have shunted tombstones, and those won't work if your direct-wire LED lights have a N-L pin set-up on one end (the other is non-connected; only there to hold the light in place).
Take out the metal cover for the wiring and ballast. Usually pinching it works. Remove all ballast garbage, you won't need it.
Remove all wiring from all tombstones on one side. Usually the side further away from where the electrical comes in. Those shunted tombstones don't have to be replaced.
Replace the business end tombstones with non-shunted. Use the excess wire from the ballasts to hook it all up, chaining the N from tombstone to tombstone, and the L also.
Finally, connect the live and neutral supply to your wires from the tombstone daisy-chain. Put the metal shield back in place, and put your LED lights in.
You have a skylight, just turn the sun back on
I hang these all over the garage after modding them to use less power.
Gives plenty of light
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