Just had an Unusual Garage Accident

RedXray

RedXray

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Sort of a bizarre accident in the garage tonight.

Flipped the wall switch for one bank of the florescent lights and one of the double 8ft fixture tubes started flickering. My first thought was I'm loosing a tube, no big deal I've replaced dozens through out the decades.

I'm walking under the light heading for the storage room to get a replacement... I hear crackling like a welder sound. Looking up the spring loaded porcelain connection is arching like crazy. I'm like what the... then the porcelain burns through and the tube falls swinging down! Jumping out of the way, closing my eyes... the tube misses my head clipping my elbow knocking it on the hood of my truck :eek:

Glass everywhere on the roof, hood, in the cowl, in the hood jamb, on my detail cart 8ft away etc.

Can't find any damage to the paint or any dents (so far). I feel lucky it didn't damage the truck or worse busting on my hard head and getting glass in my eyes!

I've been in a lot of shops throughout the years and seen a lot of busted tubes. Haven't seen a fixture burn and drop a tube until now. I guess it's time to upgrade these old lights anyway.

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Talk about close call! Those flourescent ends do get old and brittle. Looks like yours was a little loose and burned over time. In the future, you may want to install those clear diffusers to catch a broken bulb. Better yet, perfect excuse to replace with a T5 setup to match your awesome garage!
 
Wow! I've never seen anything like that. Glad you are OK. Also glad it didn't start an electrical fire or anything.
 
That's insane. I think I'll check up on the tubes in my garage. Glad to hear you and your ride are okay.
 
Sounds like something off of final destination. Glad youre ok tho.
 
Had a incident like that at least 20 years ago. The 8' tube fell on the trunk lid of the roadrunner really messing up the paint. I had to sand the complete lid down to metal and repaint primer/color and clear.

Dave
 
Wow, only time I have seen a porcelain burn up was on a cheap 500 watt halogen work light. looks like its up grade time for all the fixtures.
 
Whew!!...Close call.

Gives a whole new meaning to fluorescent
light fixtures' "tombstones".


Bob
 
I've had it happen twice in the last 8 months in my brother's garage. Same fixture, the first one in series, closest to the inlet power. Haven't had the problem in either of the other banks of lights.

Walter

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk
 
This is one of the main reasons that we install tube covers on all the lights in our warehouse. If they break they are contained and nobody gets hurt.

Guys hit them with forklifts on occasion or with freight.
 
Did you get a chance to inhale the white cloud of mercury vapor? I always used to think it was cool to smash those bulbs, now I know why I am a bit unstable.
 
^^ lol ^^

Hey yeah thanks guys I got lucky this time. Pulled the truck outside to see better and no damage :)


FUNX650 said:
Whew!!...Close call.

Gives a whole new meaning to fluorescent
light fixtures' "tombstones"
Click to expand...

Bob I didn't understand your post until I saw a pic of the lamp holders. They do look exactly like "tombstones" lol

I had another matching fixture in the storage room with a bad ballast. Robbed the tombstone assembly and popped it right in place of the burnt one. Now I can see again :D

I've been checking out new t5, t8 and led fixtures online. I've moved changing these out high up on my priority list!

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Any idea what would cause that much heat to toast the 'tombstone' like this?

Just can't remember ever seeing one like that without a 'super short' somewhere in the fixture.

Bill
 
hogie said:
Did you get a chance to inhale the white cloud of mercury vapor? I always used to think it was cool to smash those bulbs, now I know why I am a bit unstable.
Click to expand...

The white cloud is the phosphor that coats the inside of the glass.

BillE said:
Any idea what would cause that much heat to toast the 'tombstone' like this?

Just can't remember ever seeing one like that without a 'super short' somewhere in the fixture.
Click to expand...

I would say it was probably just high resistance in the contact--it's in a garage where the environment is suitable for some dampness/corrosion--plus those contacts aren't exactly the highest quality to begin with--either in the fixture or on the bulb.
 
You can buy replacement ends for the fixtures also, or atleast you used to be able to. It is probably cost prohibitive to fix the old fixtures with all the high efficiency options available today though. We have a bunch of 8' fixtures in our farm shop with the HO crinkle bulbs that are slowly being replaced with 6 bulb T8 fixtures. I'm sure the electric companies are sad to see the old lights go, they sure make the ol' meter spin. :)
 
Lithonia High Bay 4 tube T5 5K lights at home depot are relatively inexpensive and BRIGHT!
 
Setec Astronomy said:
it's in a garage where the environment is suitable for some dampness/corrosion--plus those contacts aren't exactly the highest quality to begin with--either in the fixture or on the bulb.
Click to expand...

I've been climate controlled about 8 years but I did have these hanging in here for over 25 years lol. They were given to me and no telling how old they are!

Setec Astronomy said:
not sure how that would play in your garage, though.
Click to expand...

Yeah it says "Not recommended for surface mount installations"

Kind like to stay with 8' fixtures anyways. Started out with 6, now have 5 (removed one over the bar) and would like to only have 4 total when I buy new ones. If you look at the pic above you'll see the one over the tv, sofa area. It doesn't do much good there lighting vehicles. Before I did carpet, tv, bar etc. six fixtures made sense because I could pull multiple vehicles inside to work on.

6 old double 8's was pretty bright back then... but now it's time to change though.

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