Shop Lighting - Fluorescent bulb with warning sticker won't work

[mwbrown42]

I found about 20 48" bulbs in the barn of the property I bought and was going to use them for shop lighting...

Now that I go to put them in the fixtures I see they have a sticker that says "For Commercial and Industrial use only. Do not use in Worklight / Shoplight fixtures." Of course, I tried them (in a new shoplight fixture) :^) and they glow pink at each end and buzz, never "starting up" to clean white light.

The code on the other end says F40CW/EE/CC. 40=40 watts, CW=cool white but I can't find anything that describes the EE or the CC with several Google searches.

First, does anybody know what EE and CC mean? Second, why would this bulb *not* work in a shop fixture, but would work in a commercial fixture? Magnetic vs. electronic ballast? Higher power? Different startup? Better efficiency? Different light temperature?

If there's no way to get them to work, then I'll donate them to my Habitat ReStore (with a big explanation label) and buy some regular tubes.

Thanks. Mike Brown

[JACK]

I'm wondering if they aren't meant for a 240v ballast or a 480v ballast. Not all bulbs are as they seem.

[adrian]

Fluorescent ballasts may use different input voltages but at the output end, they drive the same bulbs. However, the ballast does need to be matched to the bulbs. Almost certainly the problem is a mismatch between the ballast in the shop light and the bulb. I don't know what could distinguish a "commercial industrial" bulb from any other type. High output bulbs exist, but do not require different ballasts. You can look at catalogs from GE lighting or Philips lighting, for example, and see the range of bulbs in current production. They differ mainly in features like color rendering, color temperature, and occasionally light output, but they are all interchangeable.

What is the diameter of the bulbs? (Are they 1" diameter or 1.5" diameter or something else?) If they are 1" diameter you have T8 bulbs which require electronic ballasts. If they are 1.5" diameter they are T12 bulbs which generally work with magnetic ballasts. (You can read your ballast label: it should indicate the type of bulbs that it supports.)

The fact that they are F40 would suggest T12 bulbs and if your shop light is new it should have an electronic ballast which would require T8 bulbs. (Note that the T8 bulbs running on electronic ballasts are more efficient, consuming a nominal 32W for the same output as a 40W T12.)

[mwbrown42]

Yes, they are T12 bulbs, in a fixture meant for T12 bulbs. They physically fit just fine. That's why I'm so confused.

I'm going to call up a lighting company with a big web site and see if they have any ideas.

Thanks!

Mike Brown

[bq340]

CC= cold-cathode EE= extra efficient instant start

MikeB

[Ralph]

Could it be that they are nearly burnt out?

[Limey Lurker]

With the lamp on, try gripping the tube lightly at each end, then slide your hands toward the centre, This has always worked for me.

[DouginUtah]

I bought some 4' T8s and they had that pink glow for the first day--just a few minutes on. The next day they worked fine and have since. Electronic ballasts. I attributed it to having them standing on end for a week, but that may not be the reason. (6500K)

-Doug