Dead fluorescent fitting?

[jgh]

My kitchen strip light has stopped working. I've replaced with known working starters and known working tubes from other known working lights, and it doesn't come on. Symptoms are the starter will occasionally spark, and when the starter sparks the tube will occasionally try to strike, eventually, lighting if I turn the wall switch on and off many times. This morning I counted and got to 50 on/offs at one second intervals before the tube struck and stayed on.

Is this a dead fitting? Dead ballast? Dead something-else? From previous threads it would appear to be cheaper to replace the fitting than to try and replace the ballast. I think it was new in the mid-1990s.

jgh

[tabbypurr]

more likely just a bad contact somewhere. If the ballast goes oc, which is rare, you won't see any starter action at all.

NT

[jgh]

That could be an issue, upstair's overflow was running continously last year, and eventually penetrated my plasterwork, so could well have got into the wiring. I haven't tackled any of it yet as it's pointless replastering until I've got the emergency bodge repair to the roof replaced first.

jgh

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Oh, could be corrosion then. I had a cheap woolies fitting with this issue. In that ones case if you took the double fitting indoors for a couple of hours it worked, but out in the cold shed, it was just not going to strike. In the end I found some crimped on connections that had gone all grey manky due to condensation. Soldering it seemed to allow it to strike, though it always was a little naff if the weather was very cold. . I never did find out why this connection did not manifest itself as arcing or heat, but then, they only cost a few quid.. grin. Brian

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If you like the look of it OK, it might makes sense to replace all the electrics with an electronic ballast. Would obviously need some internal rewiring. They are more efficient, give better starting, and likely longer tube life.

[tabbypurr]

Would make a good bit more sense to disconnect the ballast and fit an LED tube.

NT

[ARW]

+1. Piece of piss to fit.

[jkn]

I mentioned in a thread here a few months ago, that I finally traced some puzzling symptoms with a fluorescent fitting - like you, changing tubes, starters, etc - to the fact that the bayonet fitting for the starter was faulty. Unbeknownst to me, it includes some contacts which are supposed to make as you turn the starter ... but weren't (cheap bent metal)

I discovered this visually after removing the top of the fitting - might be worth a look.

J^n

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If all you are after is the most basic illumination, possibly.

[tabbypurr]

I see you're talking rubbish again.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Good to know you are 100% happy with the quality of LEDs. And what they look like.

LEDs are often uncomfortable to view directly. And a replacement tube made from lots of point sources - unlike a florry which is even along its entire length. And available in a variety of colour temperatures, etc. Not just white and warm white.

Oh - even a high output LED replacement produces less light than a florry.

4000 as opposed to a decent tri-phosphate one at 5200 lumens. And costs about 5 times as much.

[charles]

Funny, I replaced the tube in our kitchen fitting with an LED. She hasn't remarked on it being dimmer - and certainly I haven't seen a problem

[Brian Reay]

Rewiring a fitting to removing 'ballast' and starter etc so the fitting is only suitable of an LED tube is straightforward. I've started replacing the tubes in our garage with LED tubes from Screwfix (about £14 each as I recall) and I'm delighted with the results. As each old tube fails, the intention is to modify each one. I label the fitting so, in future, I (or anyone else) can see the fitting is only suitable for an LED tube.

I've a couple of similar fittings in the electronic workshop, they will also be updated as they fail.

[charles]

Easy on the bench, but not so easy working above your head balancing on the draining board. Been there, done it.

[ARW]

That does not always account for the lumens at final floor finish as there is no reflector in the LED tubes

[RJH]

FWIW, I replaced a fluorescent tube with an LED. The only difference I could detect was a slightly different colour - slightly whiter. And instant on and a quarter of the running costs - but 3 times the price IIRC.

[Chris Green]

"a quarter of the running costs" ????? Good fluorescent not very much less efficient than LEDs, certainly nowhere near four times worse.

[jon lopgel]

The best of the leds can be any color temp you like and you are free to vary the color temp with the app and have it stay at that color temp until you change it too.

[ARW]

The masses are easy to cater for.

The only drawback on fluorescents are the running costs. ie reduced performance after 6 months, dust build up etc

[tabbypurr]

yes, like any sensible person

all modern light sources are. You'd have to go back pre-war to neons & CO2 discharge tubes to find ones that aren't.

yawn

but still lights the space just as well. Reflectors wasted a lot of lumens.

and costs half as much to run. Do you have any points that are in any way useful?

NT