Re: Fluorescent light problem? ? ?

In article <486e75ec$0$2682$822641b3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, David
Nebenzahl wrote:
On 7/4/2008 12:04 PM Edwin Pawlowski spake thus:

"Ray" <rayj.balt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:g4la8o$la7$1@xxxxxxxxxxx

I have a string of three under-the-counter fluorescent lights.

The first one won't come on. It's not the tube, because when I replace it
with a working tube, it still won't come on.

Both ends of the tube get hot, but there's no light.

Any guidance or experience welcome.

Ballast. Before you buy one, check the price of a new fixture as it is
often cheaper to replace the whole thing.

Maybe not cheaper, but possibly a hell of a lot easier to replace the
whole fixture.

Have a current client with exactly the same problem: one of her
under-shelf lights doesn't work even with known good bulbs. I'm
currently trying to track down a ballast, based on what I copied off the
old one, and think I've found one, but it took some doing. Nothing in
the Grainger catalog, and both Ace stores I called said they had
nothing; one suggested going to *their* supplier, a "real" electric
supply house, which I did, and they think they've found one. At about
$25, it's definitely going to be cheaper to just replace the ballast.

This is a non-trivial exercise. The light in question is an oddball one:
two T5 lamps, but they're different sizes (F5 & F13). The ballast is an
itty-bitty electronic one, so size is important.

I wonder how much searching it would take to find a replacement for the
whole light fixture ...

I would advise *everyone* against getting oddball hard-to-replace light
fixtures.

I would also advise *everyone* against getting or specifying light
fixtures that require bulbs so oddball as one I never heard of - F5T5.
When buying a light fixture, go for ones that take bulbs available from
multiple suppliers of more than one kind, and when bulbs of more than one
brand are available. Preferably get fixtures if replacement bulbs of at
least 1 preferably at least 2 of the "Big 3" brands (GE, Philips and
Sylvania) are available.

There are specialty lighting devices where the bulbs are mostly not made
by the "Big 3". There are also fixtures with proprietary bulbs. In those
cases, bulbs will cost more.

Try to get fixtures with *more common* bulbs that are available at least
at both Lowes and Home Depot *and* of "Big 3" brand. That makes getting
replacement bulbs easier. It also makes getting replacement ballasts
less difficult.

If you want replacement ballasts and replacement bulbs to be really
easy, get fixtures that take bulbs of these kinds:

F15T8 (15 watt 18-inch 1 inch diameter)
F15T12 (15 watt 18-inch 1.5 inch diameter)
F17T8 / FO17 (17 watt 2-foot 1 inch diameter)
F20T12 (20 watt 2-foot 1.5 inch diameter)
F32T8 / FO32 (32 watt 4-foot 1 inch diameter)
F34T12 (34 watt "energy saver F40" 4-foot 1.5 inch diameter)
F40T12 (40m watt 4-foot 1.5 inch diameter)

Get replacement ballasts from those electrical supply shops of the kind
that electricians/contractors go to. The ballasts tend to be better
there.
Bring the old ballast with you, and have a note with you if the
fixture has provisions for ballasts of more than one specific length.
Many lower cost 4-foot fixtures have shorter "residential grade" ("stool
specimen") ballasts but also provisions for longer ones often referred to
as "commercial grade".

For new fixtures, try to prefer F17T8 and F32T8 above the others. The
bulbs in those are normally madw ith longer-life higher-efficiency
phosphors whose lowest color rendering index grade has color rendering
index in the upper 70's. Note that CRI above 86 tends to require severe
compromise in light output and efficiency, but these bulbs have fair
availability with CRI in the mid 80's with uncompromised light output.
Ballasts for these tend to be electronic - better. Still, get
replacement ballasts from electrical/lighting supply shops when you can to
have a better chance at getting "the good stuff".

- Don Klipstein (don@xxxxxxxxx)
.

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