re wiring ballast in t-12

[uphwiz]

anyone , can you give some advise on putting a new ballast in a t-12, 2 foot 2 bulb fixture?
having trouble finding one like it again.
this one has a reflector( just white) but its more than enough light for my low light paphs.
so i would like to salvage the unit if at all possible.
the thing is riveted closed so im thinking i could drill out the rivets , and replace them with simple sheet metal screws , I just dont know where to start in finding another ballast that will work with this unit
av8tor1 ?
swords ?
you guys out there?

 

[Taliesin-DS]

Most ballasts have the info about how many bulbs and how much watt on them, often a wiring diagram too.
Afaik anything else you need to look up is what type you want, magnetic, electronic, electronic cold start, and some other ones i dont know.
If you get any with right wattage and works with 2 bulbs it should work.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Hey Jimmy, as cheap as 2 tier T12 fixtures are these days it may be more economical to get a brand new one then to fix it. That is unless you're wanting to have some fun taking things apart

 

[Taliesin-DS]

Btw, magnetic ballasts might mess up digital timers.
I cant get mine to work with any of them.

 

[kulamauiman]

http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq6010c.html

might help

 

[uphwiz]

not much to it, guess ill have to keep looking for a replacement unit, seems the ballast is part of the end piece which holds the bulbs, any ideas where I could get another 2 bulb 2 foot t-12 similar to this , i kinda need a lower watt fixture , as the paphs under this light need some light but very little, all im finding are t-5 and t-8 fixtures and they produce way too much light.
going to e-bay and amazon right now to seee what I can see

 

[uphwiz]

the small end piece does have some very small screws , that i haven't tried to remove ,YET LOL
maybe there is a replaceable mini ballast in there.

 

[Taliesin-DS]

can't you attach a regular ballast in the middle between the bulbs? , or you could even put the ballast somewere totally different, it does not have to be inside the fixture.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

any ideas where I could get another 2 bulb 2 foot t-12 similar to this

Our local Lowe's sells them for less than 10 bucks a piece and you can get a case of 12 T12 bulbs for less than $15. I'm guessing there isn't one near you?

 

[Taliesin-DS]

ome looking as good as that one? over here they only got square ones

 

[uphwiz]

yup lowes only has the no reflector utility shop fixtures, i got this one from lowes years ago , but they dont carry it any more, atleast here. in the roanoke area of virginia

---------- Post added at 07:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:25 PM ----------

broke now for sure , but it was fun ripping it apart.
dont want to do anymore circuit board work, took electronics in high school , so im sure by the time i purchased all the parts, i will have found an alternative , and at less than half the cost , French knows best,maybe you all can help me find one that doesnt look so utilitarian. I did find a model # inside so im going to give that a try .
thanks all for your advise.

 

[Not a Number]

Maybe just the switch went bad.

They sell similar fixtures at head, er, hydroponics stores, not as cheap as utility fixtures you can get at Lowe's or HD though. They all have pretty crappy ballast units in them so you don't save much in the long run.

http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=10844

 

[GrowinOld]

Hey Jimmy!

If it were me and I was in love with the fixture, I would simply buy an ugly cheap new one locally and switch out the ballast! If that is the part you need (or switches or whatever), then you can have the fixture you love with new guts in it!

Just like putting a new engine in an old car!

For common sense reasons, look for a unit that has similar form, to help ensure that the new ballast will likely fit inside!

Good Luck!