dimmed flourescent

[aspen]

up until lately, dimming flourescent was an expensive proposition. but i am working with a product now (i'm an electrician) which will allow you to dim the 32 watt t-8 lamps in your hood, for not a lot of money. i am getting a lutron 'tu-wire' dimming ballast and control this week to go into my new hood, i'm building in the next couple of months. i will only dim a single pair of lamps, and have the rest come on on a separate timer. this way, you can put too much light into your hood, and either switch off single lamps, or dim the pair down to get the full range of light from almost 0- full bright, by flipping a switch. a dimmed pair will also look great at night. the cost for the ballast and the dimmer, which looks similar to a normal wall dimmer, is under 150 canadian, or 100.00 us, contractor cost. i would think it would be about 150 us retail if you can find it.

the dimmed flourescent works better than i would have expected, starting from almost off, with a full range to full bright. the light is very good, and they do not flicker or hum even at the lowest setting. any t-8 4' lamp can be used, including aquaglows, etc. if you have a few extra bucks to make your new hood great, this is a good way to spend it. t-8 lamps and electronic ballasts are also a great way to get full value for your electricity dollar as well. i'm putting 5 or 6 lamps into the new hood for my 90 gal. should be LOTS of light.

the job i'm doing, is to remove an older 'lightolier' t-12 system and replace it with a new 'lutron' t-8 system. it is quite a difference in operation. the older stuff flickers badly at lower light levels.

rick