Flourescent Lights

[The Medway Handyman]

Hi All

I quite often get asked to change fluorescent tubes in local offices & often the starter is at fault. Since they all seem to be different makes with different part numbers I usually take an old one to the local wholesaler to buy them.

I'd rather keep some on the van - is there a 'universal starter' I could use to fit all applications?

And - those bloody awful chrome plated plastic grids - I usually remove the ceiling tile next to the light box & slide the grid aside - but sometimes the adjacent tiles are above partitions - ant tips on removing/replacing the little buggers?

[Heliotrope Smith]

A box of FSU starters will suit most3ft, 4f, 5f & 6ft tubes.

8 footers can be a bit more tricky, have some FS 125 ready for them.

You will need FS2 starters for the 2ft tubes in those grids.

I have found most of the grids (2ft & 4ft) just slot in. Push up one side (not end) as far as you can and pull down the other side. The ends do not rest on anything.

[Derek Geldard]

No they have to suite the tube (wattage) and setup (tubes connected in series or not).

But from RS components and other cheaper suppliers you can get them in big bags for very little money. You'd probably have to carry 4 variations maximum.

Dunno I've been defeated by replacing plain crystalline diffusers in flush mounted luminaires in suspended ceilings. They are bigger than the hole they have to go through, and shatter if twisted to conform to the opening. :-(

DG

[grumpyat]

FSU Starters 4-80W ie 3' 4' 5' FS2 twin series lamp 2' FS125 6' and 8'

No such thing as a universal starter,sorry

Diffuser removal, wear surgical gloves. Push one side of diff [parallel to tubes] as high as it willgo, then pull down the opposite edge in a sort of rotating arc type sort of a way . IYSWIM

[Lurch]

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:13:03 -0700, [e-mail] mused:

Apart from the aforementioned universial starter, which isn't entirely universal but is reasonably universal.

[Lurch]

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 21:03:03 +0100, "The Medway Handyman" mused:

They may be bloody awful, but they're a lot easier to remove than some of the prismatic diffusers, especially once they've gone nice and brittle.

Some are easy to remove, some are not quite so easy to remove.

[Dave]

IKWYM I took on a job as site supervisor at the local primary school and we had lots of those, where they had melted and welded themselves to the metal fitting. I ended up with lots of lights that had no diffusers. There was a survey done to replace all the old light fittings, but nothing had been done when I went back into retirement at the end of last December, six months after the survey.

I found that out as well. We had some new build classrooms and all the lights were electronic starters and twin tubed with these diffusers. Some were a PITA to get out and replace, as well as which, being on a tight budget, I had to find out which tube went out and which one went to half light, so I could change one tube at a time.

As you can guess, I am very happy to have those times behind me now.

Dave

[meow2222]

4-80w starters are good for most lights, but not all. Commercial good practice is to replace the starter when you replace the tube. And of course to use a tube that more or less matches the colour temp of the others there.

more.

NT

[The Medway Handyman]

They do in all the buildings I've worked in. The grid is the same size in both directions as the rebate in the ceiling grid.

[The Medway Handyman]

So, given that most of the fittings I come across have 4 x 4' tubes with 4 x starters, would these be OK?

[Dave]

When I had the job at the school, I was convinced that all the tubes in the hall should be changed at the same time that 3 of them had failed. They were all different colours, indicating that they were all different ages. The colours were nothing to do with different colour temperature, just old age. My reasoning was that the scaffolding was so expensive, that it was economical to replace all the tubes in one operation. I was over ruled by the head. Such short sightedness

Dave

[Andy Hall]

People who can, do.

People who can't, teach.

[Steve Firth]

People who can't, set up as builders.

People who don't have a clue work behind the counter in a plumber's merchant and believe every word they read in the trade literature.

[PJ]

And people who can't teach become heads. ;-)

[Andy Hall]

Yes. Education is not immune from the Peter principle.

[Lurch]

On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:16:06 +0100, "The Medway Handyman" mused:

[Lurch]

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 23:12:06 +0100, Dave mused:

Complete contrast to when we installed lights in schools. Most of the stuff was ridiculously expensive and overspecced. We did one school and fitted a load of 5' flourescent battens with diffusers on one floor full of classrooms, only these were swedish or something, Zumtobel Staff IIRC, the fittings were about 300 and odd quid per unit.

Installs were always no expense spared to some extent, maintenance was a bit tighter.

[manatbandq]

People who can't teach, work for Ofsted.

MBQ

[meow2222]

Standard practice in big businesses, but like you say short sightedness rules elsewhere. Or is it stupidity.

NT