Reusing Florescent lights for a patio roof.

This is something that my grandfather built before my time when he lived in California.

When working for an insurance company he talked to the janitors and would have them set aside all of the burnt out florescent lights for him. He would carry them home on the bus where he would put them to use.

He built a frame similar to what is posted here https://permies.com/t/5719/green-building/Patio-Roof-Vinyl-Records

In the frame it had a recess that he could set the lights in and then would place a board over the edge to lock them in place. When finished he had an opaque ceiling that filtered out most of the UV and allowed them to sit out in the sun with out feeling the direct sunlight.

Sorry I do not have any pictures of this and I will not be building one my self due to the type of weather we have here in Kentucky.