You (might) light up my life
July 9, 2020 8:41 PM   Subscribe

I put these gorgeous T-Trak pendant lights in when I remodeled years ago that of course immediately were discontinued. I was trying to do the green build thing so we put in the fluorescent version, and they've never been anything but problematic, and now only one works. Can these be modified so I can use some sort of more regular bulb style?

I got these gorgeous pendants filled with glass frit that were unfortunately immediately discontinued after I bought them, which means they're irreplaceable (this was back in 2007). I adore them, and I don't want to lose them. The T-Trak system is a little bit of a mystery to me, but when we put them in, we got the version that has...uh, I don't know what they're called, but maybe transformers? that the cord running from the fixture to the track goes through for the fluorescent version (the normal bulb version didn't have those big transformer blocks, the cord just runs from the top of the lamp to the connector on the track).

I pretty quickly regretted this decision, even though it was the only eco choice at the time: the bulbs are extremely difficult to find and usually come from some dodgy seller on Amazon, and they don't last very long. The only light that still works is in the middle because one on one end is flickering every time I try to put a new bulb in (I've tried multiple ones) and the other end the bulb is broken off, and I can't pull it out. It's almost impossible to get even my skinny fingers up inside it and pull it out of the socket (it's not a screw-type, it has pins and so requires firm push or pull) and so there's this partly broken bulb in there now for years, probably venting mercury or something (I kid, but still). I don't want to break the fixture or the bulb and I can't wear a heavy glove to protect my hand.

I absolutely hate the fluorescent bulbs and their extreme fussiness and chintziness, and I would really like to keep the exisiting fixtures but find a way to rewire them so that I can either use the exisiting T-Trak system without transformers (or whatever they're called) or if I have to, take the track out and hang the pendants directly, although then I'll have to freaking paint the ceiling and that's a lot to think about for me. Can the electrical side of mefi tell me if this is even a thing that can be done? Can the socket that the bulb goes into be modified, and the transformers taken off? If so, who would do this--an electrician? Some other sort of specialist? (I still have a little of the paperwork that came with the system, but not everything, if it would help.)

It's been like this for years and I have been fantasizing about changing these, but then I get worried they'll break, and like I said, they're irreplaceable and I've never seen another T-Trak fixture I like as much as these. I put up some pics in a flickr album here, though I had so much trouble resurrecting my flickr account tonight that I don't know if this will work. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll find something else.
posted by kitten kaboodle to Home & Garden (10 answers total)
 
If you have access to the florescent ballast that powers the series of florescent bulbs you can bypass the ballast (if this is something you are uncomfortable doing, any electrician should be able to do it for you) and use GX24Q-2 to E26 Medium base adapters to allow you to screw in LED bulbs with the more common "Edison"-style screw in base. Unfortunately the combined length of the adapters and LED bulbs might cause the LED bulbs to extend past the bottom of your fixtures.
posted by RichardP at 8:56 PM on July 9, 2020 [1 favorite]


You can find LED bulbs that are compatible with fluorescent light ballasts and fit into your existing sockets. Here's a relevant Amazon search for Gx24q-2 LED bulbs.
posted by Aleyn at 10:48 PM on July 9, 2020


Here are some LED equivalents which should just plug in. They claim "If you're tired of flickering porch lights, retrofit the CFL plugins from your porch sconces or office fixtures with plug-in LED retrofit lamps. Plug-in LED lamps are extremely long lasting, and have an exceptional energy efficiency rating."

I think you want the 18 watt version, unless you want dimmer or brighter. Then on the next page select your desired color temperature. You probably want a warmer color so select 2700K or 3000K.

Note that these are plug-in equivalents which will work with your installed ballast (transformer). The ones that Aleyn linked require that the fixtures be re-wired to bypass the ballast. These do not. Just plug them right in. Since they are around $10, maybe buy just one and see how you like it. They shouldn't flicker or have startup problems like the fluorescents.
posted by JackFlash at 11:15 PM on July 9, 2020


Regarding the broken bulb, you could try a pair of small pliers, first making sure the switch is off.

Or you could figure out how to remove the glass globe from the metal fixture. It was assembled somehow so it should be able to be taken apart.
posted by JackFlash at 11:20 PM on July 9, 2020


Forgot to mention, the LEDs above come in ballast bypass and plug and play versions. You want the plug and play version. The ballast bypass versions require re-wiring. And make your selection by lumens, not watts, because the LEDs use fewer watts for equivalent lumens. I think your old fluorescents are around 1100 lumens.
posted by JackFlash at 11:27 PM on July 9, 2020


Response by poster: Thanks--it never occurred to me that there would be bulbs with those pins that weren't CFLs! I guess if that's the only option to change things then I'll look into it.

What I guess I was hoping for was more along the lines of changing the whole thing out--adding the one that would allow me to screw in a normal bulb is closest to what I'd like, but I'm pretty sure the bulb will be hanging down below the bottom of the glass, and the LEDs with that pin base still require me to stick my hand up inside, hope I don't break it and cut my hand (I'm extremely accident-prone) while I'm trying to blindly get everything to line up, or don't break it when I have to pull on it to get it out.

I know I'm a weenie but it fills me with dread every time I have to change the bulbs because I'm pushing or pulling so hard on glass, whereas with normal lamps that don't snap in, I can just hold the base of the bulb and gently screw it in. It sounds like regardless, I'm going to have to get help for that one that's stuck, because the...ceramic (I'm not sure that's right but I don't know what the material is the base is made of) is not coming out but the glass tubes are breaking away at the base. So I suppose I'll see what the best option would be among these.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 11:03 AM on July 10, 2020


This may be an obvious question, but are you able to lift up the shade to access the bulbs? You should definitely *not* be pulling the bulbs out by the glass part, ever.
posted by Aleyn at 5:18 PM on July 10, 2020


Response by poster: Unfortunately, no, it seems the plug is part of the structure of the top part of the fixture. And it’s just a super tight fit—you have to push the pins and the center base piece up inside kind of blindly, you can see a little bit but once your hand is in there it obstructs the view of the plug. I try very hard not to touch the glass but the heel of my palm essentially presses against the bottom of the glass. Not super hard but it’s unavoidable.

And looking at the broken one now has made it even worse so sadly I think I’ll have to find an electrician anyway, and maybe they’ll say essentially the same things and recommend the LEDs but I can’t get the base out of there on my own right now anyhoo. I miss using my lights!
posted by kitten kaboodle at 6:08 PM on July 10, 2020


I'm not sure, but it looks to me like it might be possible to slide the entire outside shade up the cable giving you direct access to the light socket. It probably will take two people to do this but you should be able to see if you can slide the shade up the cable just an inch or so by yourself to test this idea. Just push up on the bottom of the shade and see what happens.

If you look on the top of the shade, there seems to be a big fat washer. See if that will lift up. Then see if the shade itself will slide up leaving the light socket below hanging on the cable.
posted by JackFlash at 6:55 PM on July 10, 2020 [1 favorite]


Looking closer, it seems that the big washer on top might be a nut that screws onto a standard 1/2 inch pipe nipple for lamps. It holds the lampshade tight to the light socket. When you unscrew the nut, the lampshade lifts right up, just like a table lamp, exposing the lamp socket.
posted by JackFlash at 8:42 PM on July 10, 2020 [2 favorites]


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