I See the Light!

Did you know there are at least three sizes and numerous other things to consider when purchasing fluorescent lights? Neither did I. We need fluorescent lights in several locations, such as the garage, storage room, various closets and pantry. In all, I was looking for about 12 different fixtures. I though this would be about a 10 minute trip to Home Depot. HA! Once again - fooled by the remodeling gods!

Once I realized there were different sizes of tubes, I called our superintendent, John, who is also an electrician. Which size should I get, I ask. He replied that it depended upon which fixture I chose. Hummm. I'm thinking that I will be purchasing replacement bulbs for years to come, so I think the tubes will be the ultimate deciding factor. So, I start looking at boxes of tubes and discover that there are about five other factors that play into the decision, such as lumens, warm or cool light (not literally, just the output) and brightness of that light. Before I knew it, I had created a comparison table on my trusty note pad just so I could keep up with the differences. Where is a iPad when I really need it??? In addition, I was getting grumpy. This was supposed to be easy, damn it!

Once I had that chart, I started looking at fixtures. There were several dozen to choose from. Oy! So much for the "three hour tour". This was much more effort than it needed to be! Who knew? Not me!