Reload bench lighting no no?

[Bula]

Just purchased a 48" work bench light that states on the instruction to never surface mount? Well my space doesn't really allow room to hang. It there a heat issue with the ballast that may pose an issue? I mounted the light with washers between bench and light so the light isn't sitting on the bench and there is some air gap between the two. Should this be safe? Pic below.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I don't see a problem

 

[rcmodel]

Ummm?
I can't see what it's mounted too??

I think a better photo might be in order!!

But, I think 'Never Surface Mount' means exactly that.

My old 48"'s get hotter then heck free hanging in open air.

The newer one with no ballast doesn't get as hot.

I'd only suggest you watch it VERY Closely for the first few times you use it for any signs or smell of over-heating.

And Never go off and leave it turned on!!

rc

 

[MaterDei]

Lawyers run amok. I suspect that you will only use the light when you are at the workstation. Regardless, I see no reason to have any concern here. Maybe a lawyer or overly hyperbolic DIYer will disagree.

 

[FROGO207]

As an electrician I can tell you that the problem is heat buildup if the ballast goes bad. You will catch the ceiling/wall on fire if it contacts the light housing and fails. You need at a minimum 1/2 inch for spacers at either end where the mounting holes are. It should tell you how much space to leave in the instructions per the NEC.

 

[Bula]

Closer pic

 

[Bula]

Another one

 

[MaterDei]

What is the cabinet made of?

 

[Bula]

They are metal boxes with what appears to be powder coat. I just pulled the cover and there is no ballast? Dual 40 watt T12 bulbs. If that helps? And they are fed power through a safety strip. Not hard wired.

 

[Conservidave]

longer screws would give you a little more space between the lamp and surface. Maybe even a bit of insulation if you're worried about it.

 

[burrhead]

It's a little late for you but I switched all my shop lighting to LED. Brighter, instant start and no hum. They're not cheap but you could put LED bulbs in your fixture with some simple rewiring. No heat.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

I just installed some older fluorescent lights in my garage and reloading room. One of the ballasts was going bad and humming loudly. I had mounted these directly to a wooden frame I had built over the bench and if I hadn't changed the ballast I believe it could have caused a fire as it was extremely hot where the ballast was mounted in the light. I have now put spacers (3/4" copper tubing) between the lights and the wood frames.

 

[Bula]

I think some longer sheet metal screws and maybe a few felt washers may be in order.

 

[LiveLife]

I use two clip lights for my reloading bench. I used to use CFL but replaced with 60W equivalent 9.4 watt LED bulbs (bright white). Very bright without any glare and with the goose neck, I can direct light exactly where I want to and with the clips, place the lights anywhere on the bench frame. They were like $5-$7 at Walmart.

And no heat/ballast issues.

 

[SwaneeSR]

I think adding 1/2" spacers, metal, is the way to go. It would take you 5 minutes to make the change. My preference would be metal spacers not wood. The copper tubing idea is a good one, I have copper fittings around.

 

[bob4]

If the directions say don't, I wouldn't. Heat is your problem here. Being on a metal cabinet probably isn't an issue. But spacers seem like a simple fix to let heat escape.

 

[TBH]

I picked up a LED 4' light from Costcos for $28ish.

No ballast. Lots of light. Would work great.

 

[PCFlorida]

The T-12 uses an electronic ballast, much smaller.

 

[meesterdon]

A modern fluorescent fixture is thermally protected. They get too hot they shut off. Unless the fixture is a really cheep made in China piece of junk I would not worry about it. Some of the really cheep fixtures have a non replaceable electronic ballast and I have seen quite a few of those fry no matter how they were mounted.

 

[Blue68f100]

I moved away from the fluorescent lighting into LED's. These are some early photos of my work space I have been working on. It has sinced been cleaned, a dedicated reloading bench added along with a table for doing case cleaning. Later this year I will be adding a end mill and lathe.



right view


I bought these LED's for ~$13/5m length. They are the 5050 size led that run on 12vdc. Bright enough you can not look directly at them. 1 meter pulls 1 amp dc = 72 watts of light. I have over 14 meters of LED = over 1000watts of light that only pull about 3-4 amps total on 115vdc power supply. Don't have to worry about breaking glass if something goes flying, like springs.



The beauty of these is that I can tap on anywhere there is cut line and add more lights. I have my shop broken up to sides so I have a backup encase a power supply fails. I also have a cable run over to my boat so I can use the batteries as a emergency lighting if needed.

 

[Reloadron]

The concern with no surface mount is heat. As long as there is enough airflow around the fixture it should be fine. Also if mounted on metal the metal will help sink the heat. You can also let the unit run for awhile (a few hours) and then touch test. Does it feel real hot anywhere? I wouldn't worry about it.

Ron

 

[243winxb]

Seen this

Keep powder scales at least three feet from fluorescent lights to prevent inaccurate readings

??

 

[lightman]

Retired electrician here. Heat from the ballast is the concern. I would feel comfortable with some spacers, say 1/2 or 3/4 inch. I probably would not leave it on if I was not there. Although T-8 ballast run pretty cool, most ballast get hot when they fail. It might relieve your concerns a little if you pay attention to it for a little while when you are using it. If it generates enough heat to feel uncomfortable to your touch you may have more of a concern. I've never had a problem with my light and my electronic scale but this would be something else to consider and be aware of.

 

[Reloadron]

243Winxb:

Seen this:

Keep powder scales at least three feet from fluorescent lights to prevent inaccurate readings.

??

For the most part today's fluorescent use what they call an "Electronic Ballast" which is not the ballast transformer of years ago. They are light and efficient but a downside is many of them generate "noise". This noise can be fed back into the AC line or transmitted over the air. The fear here becomes that any electronic devices that are sensitive enough can pick up this noise and in the case of scales provide inaccurate or unstable readings. Then there is the 50/60 hertz line frequency from the tubes themselves.

I have a small and old RCBS digital scale sitting here and an old (transformer ballast) fluorescent lamp. Only a single maybe 18" tube. When the lamp slide switch is turned on or off the digital readout will jump momentarily but that is all it does. However, the fact that some fluorescent lighting and electronic ballast can interfere with and cause inaccuracies in digital scales is just something to be aware of.

Just My Take
Ron

 

[konertjm]

+1 on the LED strip. Not cheap but better light, not as bulky etc. I replaced both fluorescent lights in the laundry room, plus a new one over my workbench and 2 in the garage.

You can get LED bulbs to replace the T12's. The even a make a T8 size bulb to replace the T12 fluorescent.