Dim fluorescent tube

[Andrew Mawson]

Never had this before. Fluorescent tubes in my experience either work at full brightness, flicker, or just the heaters glow.

I had a flickering tube, installed a new one, and it started fine but was noticeably dimmer in the middle than at the ends. When I got it out of the store, one pin had been bent, which I bent straight and I tested the heater at that end with a meter - it was ok. Now obviously it's had a clunk to bend the pin. If it had spoilt the seal and made a 'soft' tube I'd expect the heaters to glow brightly then burn out which it didn't. So what process makes for a dim tube? End 25% at both ends is normal brightness. Could the phosphor have been dislodged in the middle but not the ends?

I'll leave it in place and observe it's progress as where it is is over a shelf anyway.

Andrew

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I recently fitted one new tube in a twin fitting - smaller diameter than the original - and it is slower to start and takes a short while to come up to full. It's better than it was at first, though.

[Adrian C]

I'd change that fitting for a "Viper HF" from TLC.

Instant on, great light, not expensive. I've got one in the kitchen. Can't get these from DIY sheds yet which is a shame on them ...

[Bill]

In message , Adrian C writes

+1

I replaced 4 twin fittings around the house with similar HF fittings from TLC and they made a big difference. They appear to come on at full brightness instantly, although using a light meter they do take a couple of minutes, but this isn't actually noticeable to the naked eye. Much more friendly than the older style of fluorescent. I was expecting more RF interference from them, but this hasn't been the case, if anything they are quieter. The only slight issue was having to go and collect the tubes, for some reason they will not courier these! :-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You'd need an awful lot of LEDs to replace a 6ft tube...

And what makes you think they are more efficent?

[Andrew Mawson]

There a 36 twin 6 foot fittings so they won't be changed !

Andrew

[Brian Gaff]

Well, is it or was it quite cold, and has it brightened with time? I got one out of a shed some years back when I needed light, and found it exactly as you suggest, but after about half an hour it was normal. Other than that, it could be either the ionisation at UV li is lower in the middle somehow, or the phosphor is just thinner or not very good. Brian

[John Williamson]

It's possible to buy pin for pin replacements, all you may need to do is replace the ballast choke with the appropriate gear for the LED array used (Which could be just a piece of wire). Have a close look at the lights in your local supermarket next time you're in there, and you may just be able to make out the point sources inside what looks exactly like a normal tube.

They give off more lumens per watt, and the clincher for commercial applications is that the life is longer, so you spend less on maintenance.

[Andrew Mawson]

So at 58 GPB each and I have 36 doubles ie 72 tubes that?s ONLY 4000 quid so no I'm not changing them !!!!!!!

Andrew

[John Williamson]

Tightwad! ;-)

[Johny B Good]

A few years ago, after goggling (_not_ googling, in case you wondered) at the eyewatering price of 5 foot tubes on Tool Station's web site, I came across a company that would ship tubes at about a tenth of Tool Station's one off price of 10 quid but only in unit quantities of 25!

Not really a sensible option when all I wanted was a replacement plus a spare or two (I'd be dead and buried long before I even got halfway through that lot!). In the end I bought three tubes from my local CEF for just less than a tenner.

If you were planning on a complete re-lamping exercise for that lot, you could certainly have them shipped (72 tubes) as 3 packs of 25 leaving you with 3 spares.

The electronic ballasts (either retro fit kits or complete batten fittings) just don't make economic sense when it comes to upgrading an existing installation. They'd never last long enough to realise any ROI value (never mind the ballast's service life, _you'd_ never live long enough to see a positive ROI even if the parts could last that long!). They barely make sense on new build installations as it is. They need to drop in price by a good 70% before they become a viable retro fit option.

[Uncle Peter]

net...

58 quid is a hell of a lot, but they're new, they'll come down in price.= I pay about a tenner for a BC fitting domestic bulb at about 100W equi= valent. CFLs used to cost 15 quid for that.

-- =

When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her somewhere e= xpensive... So, I took her to a petrol station... And then the fight started...

[Uncle Peter]

I replaced two 5ft tubes with two triple BC fittings. I only put some 40W equivalents in there (which I had lying around) and it's just as bright. So that's 3x40W to replace a 5ft tube. So I'd replace your 6ft tube with say 3x60W or 2x100W.

They are 10 times as efficient as an incandescant. Ballast fluorescents are 4 times as efficient, and electronic fluorescents are 5 times as efficient.

[Uncle Peter]

Why fit outdated technology? If you're going to change a fitting, make it LED.

[Uncle Peter]

Which is why LEDs are better, they are easier to ship (not smashable, and smaller).

What has the Republic Of Ireland to do with it?

[John Williamson]

Are you really too thick to read ROI in context as Return On Investment?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

So hardly a direct replacement.

Given I have some fluorescent tubes (electronic control gear) here which are many many years old and still going strong, I'll take any claims for LED life with a pinch of salt. The few mains ones I've tried have failed in about the same time as a tungsten. Making for a very expensive experiment.

And I'm not impressed by the light quality of those LED strip lights.

[Uncle Peter]

I've never heard that phrase before. Only "pay for itself in a year" or similar.

[Uncle Peter]

The ones in the link only require the starter to be changed.

Some are better than others. Nothing in the GU10 fitting is any good for example, they simply get too hot and the LEDs don't last.

[Huge]

Well, yes, he *is* thick, but he's also a troll.