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Fluorescent light toubles

My kitchen fluorescent lamp which is 6 foot 100 watt unit wouldn't light tonite the starter flickered but no sign of any tube activity. It was very cold in the kitchen so I put the boiler on which warmed things up nicely I tried the tube again and although a bit sluggish it lit ( maybe my swearing at it helped) my question is do you think it's just because the tubes old and doesn't like the cold  or is there something else going on?
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    I wasn't aware that 1800 mm tubes were available in 100 W variants Kelly.


    I used to work for Thorn Lighting, well Smart and Brown lighting at the time, and recall their literature giving operating ranges for temperature with the 8 foot tubes being particularly susceptible to low temperature starting. For cold stores, down to - 30C,  shorter tubes were used along with Semi Resonant Starting (SRS) that did away with the "starter".


    Regards


    BOD
  • Hi BOD it's an old tube around 8 or 10 years it's been up there  I think I need to try it again in the cold just to see if it plays up again
  • Yes Kelly old fluorescent tubes do not like the cold. They will strike, but take ages to give out full light in cold garages or lofts. Perhaps your fitting deserves a new tube and starter if you can still source new 6ft tubes. Or even better a brand new L.E.D. batten fitting that comes on instantly even in the cold weather. Is the tube really a 6ft 100 Watt tube or an 8ft long tube? An indication of an old well used tube is when the ends go black.


    Z.


  • the old inch and a quarter (T12 ) 5fts used to be run at 65/80 watts but I have not seen anything more than the  85W in 6ft. Modern slimline tubes (T8) would be 70W or so and run perfectly well in the old fittings.


    In any case cold makes it hard for the mercury to get going, and if the tube is old and already failing a bit, it is likely to struggle more when it is cold.

    Various tricks like starter wires - bringing earthed metal near the tube to form a 'Gabriel' electrode and get  bit of ionisation going sometimes help, and it is not uncommon to find  a tube that fails in one fitting has a bit more life in another, or  even that running a finger along the tube can draw a few microamps of arc and get it starting.


    Longer term a new tube should be good at -5C or so,  yours may just be getting past it.

    But as noted above, an LED fitting in the same place will be about half the current, for a similar brightness, so given the costs, the days of  just replacing tubes are probably numbered.
  • Thanks guys if it gives me more trouble il get a new tube for it  the ends are a bit blackened so it seems likely that the tube is getting a bit past it  also il try running a wire along it and earthing it to the fitting to help encourage the discharge. I don't want to go down the LED route unless I have to
  • If you have none at the local wickes or BnQ, then a local wholesaler should be able to get one

       TLC for example


    I note they cannot do mail order, but can deliver from local branch to your address if you live within a certain  range, I suspect other places will similar.

  • the old inch and a quarter (T12 )



    Wasn't a T12 was an inch and a half? (and T8=1")

       - Andy.
  • yes sorry, slip of the fingers, it was all in 1/8 of an inch units.

  • Kelly Marie:

    Thanks guys if it gives me more trouble il get a new tube for it  the ends are a bit blackened so it seems likely that the tube is getting a bit past it  also il try running a wire along it and earthing it to the fitting to help encourage the discharge. I don't want to go down the LED route unless I have to



    Just out of interest....why not?


    Pete
  • Hi PW235  The reasons for not wanting to go for LEDs is partly because I just don't like the look of them the flickeryness bothers me a bit the main reason is that this technology has been forced on us by the green brigade the only 2 greenies I've met in real life were so aggressive in telling me what I can and can't use they were both really nasty about it one was a bloke at work the other was a distant relative. Wwhen people get nasty with me like that I dig my heals in and won't do what they say. Incidentally I have a decent collection of incandescent bulbs now donated to me by friends who are going down the CFL/LED route. Also  a real bulb in my standard lamp over my chair gives a welcome bit of extra warmth