Painting old light fixtures

[Jerramundi]

I've got a customer that wants to retrofit some old, and I mean OLD, fluorescent fixtures with ballast bypass LED tubes and I'm thinking about painting the fixtures to give them a fresh look.

The first concern that comes to mind is that fluorescent light ballasts typically utilize the metal of the fixture itself as a ground plane, which makes me think twice about painting them. But then again, I'd be going with ballast bypass type C tubes so that concern is null and void.

However, on the same subject of grounding/bonding, I can't help but wonder if I'm negatively impacting the ability of the fixture to conduct a ground fault by painting it.

Is there a conductive type of spray paint that would help or am I just overthinking this?
I'm also thinking about using a heat resistant spray paint...

Thoughts, suggestions, concerns??

 

[Jerramundi]

Is there a standard for this that light fixture manufacturers must follow when coloring their fixture components?

 

[sameguy]

Not to my knowledge, appliance white.

 

[Jerramundi]

Not to my knowledge, appliance white.

Maybe I am over thinking it. I would imagine regular acrylic paint would reduce conductivity and there would have to be some sort of standard regulating what can and cannot be used.

I have seen these videos about a "conductive paint" product called MG Total Ground, which seems interesting, but very limited in color choices.

 

[Hv&Lv]

I've got a customer that wants to retrofit some old, and I mean OLD, fluorescent fixtures with ballast bypass LED tubes and I'm thinking about painting the fixtures to give them a fresh look.

The first concern that comes to mind is that fluorescent light ballasts typically utilize the metal of the fixture itself as a ground plane, which makes me think twice about painting them. But then again, I'd be going with ballast bypass type C tubes so that concern is null and void.

However, on the same subject of grounding/bonding, I can't help but wonder if I'm negatively impacting the ability of the fixture to conduct a ground fault by painting it.

Is there a conductive type of spray paint that would help or am I just overthinking this?
I'm also thinking about using a heat resistant spray paint...

Thoughts, suggestions, concerns??

If they are that old and they really want to use something THAT OLD, you sure they want them painted?
If there is any type of value to them it could be lost by painting them

 

[drcampbell]

Use a ring-lug crimp connector and a toothwasher.
(or if you can find one, a ring lug that is a toothwasher)

 

[Jerramundi]

Use a ring-lug crimp connector and a toothwasher.
(or if you can find one, a ring lug that is a toothwasher)

Thanks, not a bad thought, but I'm not really worried about that portion of grounding/bonding... I could easily scrape away some paint where the EGC or would be ballast mounts to the fixture. That point of connection I'm not too worried about.

My question is more so about the general conductivity of the larger surface area after being painted and if a particular type of paint is required.

I would imagine there has to be some set of standards that manufacturers of light fixtures follow...

 

[Jerramundi]

If they are that old and they really want to use something THAT OLD, you sure they want them painted?
If there is any type of value to them it could be lost by painting them

Nah, no value lost. These aren't "oh that's a cool antique-look old." They're just old, lol.
They got this big, bulky cage around the exposed tubes. Definitely not worth worrying about.

 

[retirede]

Thanks, not a bad thought, but I'm not really worried about that portion of grounding/bonding... I could easily scrape away some paint where the EGC or would be ballast mounts to the fixture. That point of connection I'm not too worried about.

My question is more so about the general conductivity of the larger surface area after being painted and if a particular type of paint is required.

I would imagine there has to be some set of standards that manufacturers of light fixtures follow...

No - the conductivity is a function of the cross sectional area of the metal.

Paint can’t change that any more than covering a copper wire with thermoplastic insulation.

 

[hbiss]

The first concern that comes to mind is that fluorescent light ballasts typically utilize the metal of the fixture itself as a ground plane, which makes me think twice about painting them... However, on the same subject of grounding/bonding, I can't help but wonder if I'm negatively impacting the ability of the fixture to conduct a ground fault by painting it.

Is there a conductive type of spray paint that would help or am I just overthinking this?

Yeah, your imagination is working overtime, as usual. None of that is even a remote issue so no worries.

How many of these do you intend to do? If it's more than a couple you will wish that you just replaced them- and cheaper too.

-Hal

 

[Jerramundi]

No - the conductivity is a function of the cross sectional area of the metal.

Paint can’t change that any more than covering a copper wire with thermoplastic insulation.

Well, if you cover a piece of metal in an insulating material, than obviously you've changed its' conductivity.

If you want to lawyer up on me, I suppose the metal beneath that covering hasn't lost any conductivity itself, but has merely been covered, but that's not the point and you're being way to literal about my use of the word conductivity.

 

[Jerramundi]

I'm worried about a ground fault to the metal casing not tripping the breaker if I cover said metal casing in an acrylic paint.

 

[Jerramundi]

So you're telling me, that if I decided to niche-up and start doing light fixtures, there isn't any sort of UL standard addressing the conductivity, or the type of material, of the thickness of the paint coat, or the type of paint, of the metal parts I make my fixture out of? NOTHING?!

I understand if as electricians people are unaware of any type of standard in this area, but to assert there is NOTHING... I don't know, I have a hard time believing that given how crazy in-depth UL standards can get.

 

[LarryFine]

One layer of paint or ten will have no effect of the continuity of the metal. The factory paint is not conductive.

Capacitance between the metal and the tube was what improved the starting, not conductivity.

 

[LarryFine]

Well, if you cover a piece of metal in an insulating material, than obviously you've changed its' conductivity.

No, you've merely insulated it. If anything, painting it will make it safer, not more dangerous.

 

[LarryFine]

I'm worried about a ground fault to the metal casing not tripping the breaker if I cover said metal casing in an acrylic paint.

Aha. A bare wire wouldn't fault to a factory-painted housing unless it abraded through.

I don't see thicker paint having any effect on safety or performance.

 

[LarryFine]

So you're telling me, that if I decided to niche-up and start doing light fixtures, there isn't any sort of UL standard addressing the conductivity, or the type of material, of the thickness of the paint coat, or the type of paint, of the metal parts I make my fixture out of? NOTHING?!

That's my opinion. How about painting a metallic table lamp?

Besides, if you're concerned about internal wiring, just paint the outsides.

I understand if as electricians people are unaware of any type of standard in this area, but to assert there is NOTHING... I don't know, I have a hard time believing that given how crazy in-depth UL standards can get.

You'd have to find out whether the electrical characteristics of the paint have any bearing on the listing.

 

[retirede]

Well, if you cover a piece of metal in an insulating material, than obviously you've changed its' conductivity.

That’s just plain not true. I’m done here.

 

[Jerramundi]

That’s just plain not true. I’m done here.

Dude. With all due respect, you're just being dumb about this. OBVIOUSLY I'm not talking about the actual chemically conductive properties of the metal being covered. *headdesk* *deep-sigh*

 

[Jerramundi]

That’s just plain not true. I’m done here.

If you cover a piece of metal in rubber, it is not longer conductive as a complete unit. OBVIOUSLY I'm NOT talking about the chemical properties of the metal itself...

The fact that I need to clarify this says you've spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME on this forum, lol.