Bulbs with a neutral light appearance are often used in workspaces. Bulbs with a cool light appearance have white/blue tones and are good for inspecting. A bulb’s estimated yearly cost is based on 3 hours of usage per day at $0. LED bulbs last longer and are more efficient than fluorescent bulbs.
- T8 Fluorescent 12-inch Light Bulb For Slot Machine Replacement
- T8 Fluorescent 12-inch Light Bulb For Slot Machines
- 12 Inch Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Light bulbs have all sorts of fancy designations to explain their shape, size, wattage, color temperature, and more. In these designations, the size is always provided in eighths of an inch. This is why the traditional household bulb is called an A19 -- the A stands for Arbitrary and the 19 means that it is 19/8ths of an inch wide, or 2 3/8ths of an inch wide.
Sure, 'Arbitrary' seems like an arbitrary name, but many other designations are clearer in everyday language -- for instance, 'F' stands for Flame, and looks like a candle flame (used in decorative lighting). 'G' stands for Globe and, true to its name, has a nice spherical shape; you might see these above the vanity in a bathroom. And 'T' simply means that the light bulb has a tubular shape. So a T8 bulb is a tube-shaped bulb with a one inch diameter.
Fluorescent T8 bulbs have been around since the 1930s. But today they're especially useful as a replacement for T12 bulbs because of their energy efficiency and because of their standardized low mercury specification. As an example, when we look at 4' linear fluorescent tubes, older T12s running at 40 watts offered a relatively low 'lumen per watt' ratio, or bulb efficacy. Newer T12s can produce roughly the same amount of light for just 34 watts. But you can easily replace T12s with T8 bulbs that produce just as much light for just 25 watts. Making the switch from T12 to T8 fluorescent lighting is easy because both types of bulbs can usually use the same fixture housing and sockets; only the ballasts and bulbs must be swapped out.
One thing to consider when choosing T8 bulbs is their ability to render colors well. This is designated as CRI -- Color Rendering Index -- and tells you how well a bulb will show the true colors of an object. The highest possible is 100, which you get from incandescent bulbs, but 70 CRI and higher works well in most general lighting applications. You'll find T8 bulbs ranging from CRIs in the 70s to those with CRIs in the 90s; the latter is useful for color critical applications such as paint color shops, printing applications, and dentist offices.
Another point you can consider when choosing any T8s or any fluorescent tubes is mercury content. Fluorescent tubes require some level of mercury because the tubes operate by exciting that mercury, which produces UV rays. The tube phosphors then convert these UV rays into visible light. Since mercury is considered a toxic substance, this is a concern for some people, and they want to minimize the mercury in their bulbs. This is especially helpful if you're trying to make your business greener.
Fortunately, new generations of fluorescent tubes have reduced the amounts of mercury used without lowering the light output. T12s with lower mercury content are sometimes differentiated by the green metal caps at the ends of the linear tube instead of silver caps. Some companies also name their low-mercury lines -- Philips, for instance, uses the term 'Alto' to designate their low-mercury line of T12 bulbs. T8 tubes usually use even less mercury, and certainly low-mercury T8s use the least among these tubes.
Since fluorescent bulbs do contain mercury and are considered hazardous waste when broken, recycling is highly recommended. You can take advantage of local or shippable recycling options rather than disposing them in regular office trash. Recycling allows for the containment of exposed mercury gasses and reuse of the glass and metals that make up fluorescent lights.
It is also possible to completely eliminate mercury usage by choosing LED T8 bulbs. LED T8 lighting tubes are a true green technology not only because of their reduced energy usage but also because of their lead-free and mercury-free specifications. They produce no infrared or ultraviolet radiation and reduce light pollution, making them ideal for those that are interested in the international “dark skies” initiative. Admittedly, though, LED tubes cost a good deal more up front at the time of this writing, which is why many businesses continue to use fluorescent T8 bulbs for now.
We hope this helps you understand a little bit more about T8 bulbs and why so many businesses make them their general lighting bulb of choice.
- Resources
- 8 Reasons To Consider LED Replacement Bulbs vs. T8 Fluorescent Bulbs
T8 Fluorescent Bulbs vs. LED Bulbs
In the past, we have been promoting T8 lighting. T8 has been one of the cheapest options out there for high bay and office lighting retrofits for quite some time. LED technology was previously too expensive for the average consumer to purchase and install.
Why LED now?
LEDs are more efficient and effective. This development comes from the unfortunate discovery that the T8 bulbs that we had warrantied for 3 years are failing at 2.5. While they were supposed to last 40,000 hours – well beyond 3 years – we have seen several fail early.
We recently went back to warranty some bulbs that had burned out. While these bulbs were few, they were still a nuisance, and not of the proper quality for our customers. We happened to be 6 months past the warranty date. But when my installer reported that the entire building needed a re-lamp, I was stunned.
We had already been getting more involved with LED because, as we have noted in other articles, LED technology has decreased significantly in price and is now available in more styles and applications.
Plus, you can’t beat the lifetime of LED fixtures, no matter how you compare them to T8. We now offer online wholesale for commercial contractors, contact us for a quote.
One of the products we have decided to carry is a LED Replacement Bulb (4′ tube) that replaces T8 bulbs in existing T8 fluorescent fixtures. It’s a direct replacement, meaning that as long as it’s an instant start ballast or you can provide an additional power source, you don’t have to change it out.
T8 Fluorescent 12-inch Light Bulb For Slot Machine Replacement
The following are 8 fact-based reasons you should consider direct replacement LED bulbs over T8.
1. LED replacement bulbs are 30% more efficient.
Not only do you get more light from a LED replacement bulb; they also use less wattage. Our LED replacement bulbs only use 22 watts vs. 28-32 watts with T8, making the LED 30% more efficient.
2. LED is a directional light source.
The LED replacement bulbs emit light at a 110 degree pattern, vs. the 360 degree pattern given off by T8 fluorescent bulbs. In this case, only 30% of the light given off by the T8 fluorescent is actually hitting the intended target.
This means you are not using all available light because the fluorescent bulb is also lighting the fixture. That’s why fluorescent fixtures are brighter with reflectors.
3. LED bulbs transfer light vs. heat.
A LED fixture uses its energy to produce light. Most lighting sources, including fluorescent, use heat to generate light, which is why traditional incandescent, metal-halide, and fluorescent, are losing favor with property owners.
4. LEDs still give off light at end-of-life.
A fluorescent bulb at the end of its life is very simple to spot because it is dying. A T8 bulb is considered end-of-life at 60% of its light output, which equates to roughly 14,400 hours.
LED replacement bulbs, on the other hand, calculate end-of-life at 70%, which is approximately 50,000 hours. In order to keep up with LED, you would have to replace the T8 bulbs 3.5 times
5. LED replacement bulbs have no mercury.
One of the most important differences is the fact that there is no mercury or glass content with LED lighting.
In the state of Washington alone, over 10 million lamps are disposed of in landfills each year. Those 10 million lamps hold roughly 400 lb of toxic mercury waste. Washington estimates that only 2 out of 10 bulbs are effectively recycled.
6. LED does not give off UV.
LED replacement bulbs do not emit any light in the non-visible light spectrum (UV). UV/IR light causes colors to fade in fabrics and signage, while also being the leading cause of eye strain and eye fatigue.
Fluorescent T8 bulbs emit UV/IR light.
7. LED makes air conditioning more efficient.
LED fixtures contribute little to no heat to a room or air conditioned space. LED bulbs generate less heat. Less heat means the air conditioning system does not have to work as hard.
This is vitally important if you are doing a new build or upgrade, as you may be able to utilize smaller A/C systems to heat the same area.
8. LED provides 70% more light.
The beam angle of the LED replacement bulb is 110 degrees. This means that all of the light generated by the LED bulb is focused in the 110 degree area.
The T8 bulb, on the other hand, has a beam angle of 360 degrees. That means the majority of the light generated by the T8 bulb is escaping out of the sides and top of the bulb, which does not benefit the intended target.
Contact Bay Lighting
T8 Fluorescent 12-inch Light Bulb For Slot Machines
Call or email one of our sales team members today for a quote or answer any questions you may have.
12 Inch Fluorescent Light Bulbs
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