Flourescent fitting Q ..

[Jethro_uk]

Bought 2x2 4' fittings for the kitchen just over 10 years ago.

A couple of months one of the tubes in one started flickering and delaying firing up. I bought 2 new tubes, and swapped it out.

Worked for a few days, then went back to delaying firing. Currently it's still doing that.

Last night (!) a tube in the *other* fitting started flickering on and off. I immediately changed the tube for the other new one I bought, and ... it's still doing it.

In both cases, changing the starter (I have a few new ones around) did nothing.

Given it's only *one* tube in each fitting, removing the cover shows two solid components linked by what looks like a single large capacitor. My logic is that since only one tube is playing up - new and old - there's likely a fault in the matching (electronic ?) ballast ???

Would this be expected after 10 years, and is it unusual to have 2 separate ones go within weeks of one another ?

(I bought 2 tubes, because my Dad frequently commented in the workshop that when one tube went, they all started going. Presumably an indication of very precise manufacturing techniques ?)

[T i m]

<snip>

I went though this with the 2 x 2 - 6' kitchen fluros a while back and it turned out to be a batch of marginal [1] starters (over changing tubes etc).

I replaced them with electronic starters and they have been ever fine since.

Cheers, T i m

[1] It seems there were some starter trigger voltage v tube size issues where if the voltage raised as the gear / tube warmed up the starter would re-trigger, even when the tube was lit (or summat).

[Jethro_uk]

Just to update, a quite recce shows it's a Tridonic EC36-LC509K ballast.

I vague recall the whole unit - with tubes - was £30ish from TLC or CEF

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail], T i m [e-mail]> writes

Doing a final walk round the cottage with the electrician, we found the Screwfix 5' high frequency fitting in the study appeared to have an intermittent fault. I had already taken one back for exchange and Sparkies comment was to suggest an LED replacement. I got as far as discovering there is no 5' LED with an equivalent output and decided to fault check. Result. Loose connection in the wall switch!

[T i m]

<snip>

This is what worries me with having anyone else doing such work for me / you. It's seems a sorry state of affairs when 'we' can do things to a better standard than the so-called 'professionals' (no matter what you pay them).

Cheers, T i m

[charles]

I've just (last month) fitted an LED 'tube' instead of a conventional fluo one. Much brighter!

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail], T i m [e-mail]> writes

Hmm.. I dare say ARW would have been more expensive:-) My main criticism was his ambition to bore large holes through what I considered to be structural timber. I suspect eyesight no better than mine led to one of the linked smoke detectors emitting smoke of an internal nature.

[ARW]

I would (from experience) be tempted to check that all the alarms work correctly after that mistake.

Experience is a wonderful thing.

[Tim Lamb]

:-) Working above head height wearing glasses is not easy. The replacement is fine and they all test OK.

You may remember an earlier thread where I was whinging about short battery life.

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail]>, charles [e-mail]> writes

I was searching for an LED batten fitting.

The other issue is the cable gland tends to be at the end so more work for a replacement job.

[Mark]

fit an electronic ballast second hand removed as LEDs fitted, cheep as chips on ebay

-

[Jethro_uk]

Tx. Or alternatively, fit an LED tube ? Not really fussed as long as the light is good.

the 4x36W replaced a 1x48W (I think - a 5' fitting) and made such a difference.

Irritatingly, I was minded to get an LED when the first tube (seemed to) go.

[tabbypurr]

Bound to be. Pros are just looking to maximise income, so high charges & corner cutting jobs are very common. We can take the time & trouble to do what we really want & do it properly, often to higher standards than legally required. At least when there's time - I've done no lack of rushed jobs.

NT

[Brian Gaff]

Unfortunately trades persons are let down by the ones who are not so good. A friend of mine discovered when a shower started to leak that the bodger had used some bits of old wood wedged under parts of the tray to level it. Brian