Unit went dead, tried a new starter but rated at 65 watts. Works fine, but are there any long term issues with using an "under-powered" starter?
Are the electronic starters really worth the extra few quid they cost compared to the older versions?
When the tubes fail I intend to replace with LED tubes, are the fluoro tubes themselves likely to last another 7 years?
Thank you for any help / advice,
David.
with 65 versus 70w no. When on they act as neon lamps, and current affects life expectancy, so one wouldn't want to use a 20w starter on 70w.
they vary in operation, but typically don't cause flashing & consequently let the tubes last significantly longer.
who knows. 10 or 20k hours is typical tube life for filament started tubes.
NT
Thanks very much!
Yes I have had some terrible and some good tubes in my lights. Of course these days I seldom use lights if I'm here on my own. I don't know if any of the ridiculously priced tubes on sale nowadays are as good as the old uns were. Compton and Phillips were good, some of the weird branded ones were, shall we say of mixed quality. Some of the el cheapo ones used to never want to start in the cold. As for starters. I've had both electronic and the bulb starters. The bulb ones flash and tend to buzz a bit in use, but I've had the electronic ones simply pop their clogs requiring a whole new block inside the fitting. Brian
Although not at the original brightness.
Yes, if you can find one. They seem to have become harder to find over the years, rather than easier.
I fitted an electronic starter and the tube lasted well over a decade.
OTOH when the tube finally failed I found I could no longer buy a single T12 tube and had to replace the whole fitting.
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