F49t5 default ballast is series wired

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Every t5 iv come across acts more like a t12 than a t8. One lamp out... All lamps out
 
From your spec sheet.

? Operates lamps in parallel (which means if one lamp fails, the other lamps remain on)
? significantly reduces lamp maintenance costs

I must be still missing something.
 
That's what I need to replace all the ordinary ones with. The point is common t5s suck unless you specify parraell. Not like t8s which are probably not series t5s seem to be more like old t12s what a giant step back wards
 
wyreman said:
That's what I need to replace all the ordinary ones with. The point is common t5s suck unless you specify parraell. Not like t8s which are probably not series t5s seem to be more like old t12s what a giant step back wards
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T5 and T8 ballast both can be ordered parallel wired or series wired, what I have run into is one manufacture who put both in one fixture, a 4 lamp parallel wired with a 2 lamp series wired in a 6x high bay:rant: I know there was a shortage of ballast at one time but I think this was uncalled for.
But anytime I re-ballast a fixture I order parallel ballast and since most T5 4 lamp ballast are nothing more then 2x 2 lamp ballast in one can, I just replace the 4 lamp ballast with 2x 2 lamp ballast, every time one side will fail and it seems a waste to replace a whole ballast with one side still good, I move the 4 lamp ballast to the single 2 lamp mounting place (input power is separate and connected by jumpers on a 4 lamp T5 ballast) and use the good side, and put the 2 good 2 lamp ballast back in the place of the 4 lamp, most fixtures have the mounting for both types of ballast.

Just make sure when you order fixtures or replacement ballast to ask for parallel ballast, it doesn't take much to rewire a fixture from series to parallel.

I would still take a T5 over a T8 any day, more lumen's per watt.
 
hurk27 said:
T5 and T8 ballast both can be ordered parallel wired or series wired, what I have run into is one manufacture who put both in one fixture, a 4 lamp parallel wired with a 2 lamp series wired in a 6x high bay:rant: I know there was a shortage of ballast at one time but I think this was uncalled for.
Click to expand...

I've run into the same thing on a few jobs, never could figure out what the point of that was? I always thought it was for some kind of emergency lighting set up (but even then it made little sense to me, we always installed a separate emergency ballast for emergency lights anyway), what's the point of this?
 
The series "rapid start" ballasts help to get longer lamp life, with T8 anyway. They use a "gentler" preheat starting versus the full blast voltage of the parallel "instant start" ballast.

Since I do service work, my preference is instant start parallel ballast. I carry 6 each 2-lamp, 3-lamp, and 4-lamp m-volt instant start. I carry no rapid start ballast but I should because of architectural tandem 4-lamp strip T5 fixtures where rewiring (i.e. shunting the sockets, etc.) for instant start becomes problematic.
 
jeremysterling said:
The series "rapid start" ballasts help to get longer lamp life, with T8 anyway. They use a "gentler" preheat starting versus the full blast voltage of the parallel "instant start" ballast.

Since I do service work, my preference is instant start parallel ballast. I carry 6 each 2-lamp, 3-lamp, and 4-lamp m-volt instant start. I carry no rapid start ballast but I should because of architectural tandem 4-lamp strip T5 fixtures where rewiring (i.e. shunting the sockets, etc.) for instant start becomes problematic.
Click to expand...

Jeremy what, in your opinion, is the point of the architectural tandem 4's being wired in series? Longer lamp life? That is not my experience. I find that the series ballasts are just going off like popcorn. Part of it is that the lamps have to click just perfectly into the swivel dogears. I have yet to yank one of these ballasts, but these new fixtures are just very expensive garbage from a maintenance standpoint.
 
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