Fluorescent lights

I have under-counter lights the bulbs of which have lasted years but lately they’re only going a month or so. Should I change the ballasts?

Arkady

in General Discussion 3 years and 2 months ago

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Arkady | 3 years and 2 months ago

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Turns out I only needed new starters.

MDR | 3 years and 2 months ago

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IKEA has some very nice LED under counter light strips. The power supply has a nice wireless remote control so you can dim them however you like or turn on and off (in case it’s difficult to wire a wall switch). I believe the color temp is 3000K and it looks very natural.

andriywww1990 | 3 years and 2 months ago

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right lurker. we generally like warmer light but because i put a white stone counter and back splash in i decided i wanted not only cool white but “cold” white. someone in this house thinks it is too cold and i have yet to hear the end of it.

Lurker | 3 years and 2 months ago

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make sure the LEDs have a color temperature of 3,000k for the kitchen. if you do 4,000 the light is that sickly blue green. if you do 2700 they will be warm, which is nice looking but a bit muddy looking for tasks like you’d want in the kitchen

Arkady | 3 years and 2 months ago

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Thanks. I’ll look into it. They’re on 24/7 & are about 35 years old.

stevecym | 3 years and 2 months ago

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We did leds like jeremy says and could not be happier. And we tucked a string of very cheap leds, like people hang on tree branches outside under the edge that hangs down in front of the cabinets. Worked out great, lights themselves are not visible. Your current lights may or may not be hardwired. Put an outlet in the closet. A duplex. Plug the lights in one and put a phone charger in the other and drop the cord down on the counter.

Guest User | 3 years and 2 months ago

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Switch to LED bulbs instead. You can find some that work via direct wire (remove ballast and rewire the fixture) or plug and play that work with ballasts. If you are turning them on and off a lot the LED bulbs will last much longer