Flourescent to LED Lighting

With cold weather and a blanket of snow outside, we have been working inside for the better part of January.  This is a great time for us to make improvements to our maintenance facility.  One such improvement has been replacing the old fluorescent lighting with new LED lights.

The LED tube.

The new LED tube fits into a standard single pin fluorescent fixture.

Lighting in a shop is essential for safety and efficiency.  Currently we have over 80 fluorescent light fixtures that have at least two fluorescent tubes accounting for over 160 lights.  Add to that each light fixture has a ballast and the cost to maintain the lighting at the shop can get expensive.  As a result, we have started to replace the old fluorescent lighting with new LED tubes.  The new tubes are designed to fit into the existing fixture eliminating the need to replace 80 light fixtures.  As an added bonus the LED's do not need a ballast.

The old fluorescent ballast is removed.

Replacing the old fluorescent tubes with the new LED's is not as simple as exchanging one for the other.  The fixture needs to be rewired before the new LED tube can be installed.  The biggest part of the rewiring is the removal of the ballast from the fixture.  After the ballast is removed, the light sockets must be rewired so that there is a hot end and a neutral end.  In other words, a simple circuit.  When the wiring is done, the fixture is ready for the LED tube.

The change to LED does require some basic wiring.

As of today, we have completely replaced all of the lighting in the office area of our shop with LED's.  While the old fixtures needed two tubes per fixture, the new LED's are bright enough that we only need one tube per fixture.  This was an added bonus that we did not expect and will cut replacement costs by half.  Additionally, the LED's are over 40% more efficient than the old fluorescent lights, thus saving on electricity. 

The new LED is bright enough that only one is needed per fixture.

Proper lighting is very important to the safety and efficiency of any maintenance department and ours is no different.  Our reasoning for replacing the lighting was to reduce down time and repair costs for fluorescent tubes and ballasts in addition to improving the light quality throughout the shop.  The new LED lights are expected to last over 50,000 hours, far longer than fluorescent at around 12,000 hours. 

WInter Update 1-18-16

So far this year the weather has been anything but normal.  The year started off warm as we mowed fairways in January for the first time in 18 years.  Then the rains came back and now it is all of 16 degrees outside.  Needless to say that our drainage project on hole #12 is on hold. 

While the weather has stopped us from working on #12, it has not stopped us from working on other projects.  As with years past, we are continuing to enhance areas on the course with rock walls.  We are currently installing a rock wall around the small pond on #1.  Over the years erosion has deteriorated the bank making this highly visible area unsightly.  The new rock wall along with landscape improvements to the area across the street on #18, will greatly improve aesthetics making the start and finish to the course one to remember.

Installing stone wall on the #1 pond.

#1 pond

In addition to the rock wall on #1, we have completed the removal of all the cross ties at the tennis/swim facility.  All of the cross ties have been replaced with stone to match other areas throughout the course.  In addition to the stone work, we will also be adding irrigation and new plant material.

Stone walls at the tennis/swim facility

Stone walls at the tennis/swim facility

Though not as glamorous as course improvements, we are making improvements to our equipment and the maintenance facility.  We have a large list of equipment that we are refurbishing which includes, new paint, bearings, hydraulic hoses, seats, etc.  This refurbishment process extends the life of our equipment at a fraction of the cost of replacement.

John Deere heavy duty utility vehicle undergoing refurbishment.

Painting a trailer in the paint booth.

Not only are we refurbishing equipment, but we are also making improvements to our maintenance facility.  We have added new light fixtures to the back equipment bay to improve efficiency and safety.  Also in this same area, we are in the process of painting the ceiling which along with the new lights will improve light quality.

Adding light fixtures to the shop.

Getting ready to paint the ceiling.