In my house I have about 12 to 13 T-12 fluorescent fixtures with one being near the stairwell in my basement and hard to get to because of things stored in that area. Three of my fixtures need new tubes and that is about all of the fluorescent tubes I have left. So I think it is time for a major change as the fluorescent tubes burn out fairly quickly and I don't care for mercury in my lighting. My question though concerns the ballasts can you just use the fluorescent tube ballast or do you need to buy a new ballast? Also some of the fixtures with their plastic covers are cracked now and I want to replace the whole fixture. So I would like to know the best fixture brand and the best tube brand too. I think too that the big box stores really don't have what I need as I looked in big orange not long ago and really wasn't impressed by their quality. So I really think an online source will work better for us. Thanks for your help!

Hello. I am replacing my bathroom vanity light fixture and need a bit of help. There is one electrical box in the wall centered over the mirror. The old vanity light fixture was this type (oops sorry...the old fixture picture is sideways but you can still see it). The new fixture is similar in that I built a long rectangular wooden box which I plan to mount 5 individual single light fixtures to. My question is since I only have the one electrical box in the wall with one set of wires how to I 'attach' with wires each individual fixture so it becomes one cohesive fixture unit? Thanks I've attached a picture of the white fixture box I built. I've mounted one of the lights on it. I need to mount and wire 4 more exactly like that one...two on each side for a total of five. How should I wire them together? [ATTACH]37162[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]37163[/ATTACH]