Why is there a delay in my new light coming on?
- Thread starter dena007
- Start date
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I wonder if hes borrowed a neutral somewhere? - Wernt you the guy that posted the other day regarding wiring the switch up for the outside light? - If you are (I think you said you were that person in your above post) - where did you get the NEUTRAL feed to the light fitting from??
Now working fine!!
I tried a different bulb & there is no longer a delay. The original bulb I was using was one of those energy efficient low wattage - 15 I think, but still gives the same 60 watts brightness.
I've put in down to that as all seems to be fine now?
Thank you
I tried a different bulb & there is no longer a delay. The original bulb I was using was one of those energy efficient low wattage - 15 I think, but still gives the same 60 watts brightness.
I've put in down to that as all seems to be fine now?
Thank you
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could have saved some time if you had described it as an energy saver to start with.
B
breezer
i agree entirley, we can only work with the information provided, if the poster had given the correct information in the first place it would havebeen sorted by now
i have noticed a few things about this forum:
some people think there is a dedicated paid team who answer questions (not just here in uk electrics)
some also think they are the only one who has had this problem
they seem to think we know what they are refering to when they are vague
and finally Americans dont read, and spill things
i have noticed a few things about this forum:
some people think there is a dedicated paid team who answer questions (not just here in uk electrics)
some also think they are the only one who has had this problem
they seem to think we know what they are refering to when they are vague
and finally Americans dont read, and spill things
FFS - you were explictly asked the question!dena007 said:
Even if when you first posted you didn't think the lamp type was important, why did you not tell the truth when you were asked?
Sorry, I just grabbed the nearest bulb available in my spares, it was only when playing around with it yesterday that I noticed it was one of those special low energy type ones.
Will know better next time!
PS Why does using a low energy bulb cause the delay?
Will know better next time!
PS Why does using a low energy bulb cause the delay?
the energy savers are actually the same sort as the long flourescent tubes, which also take a couple of seconds to energise. They are just more compact and twisted up so they can be fitted in a normal light fitting.
FAO Plugwash (and anybody else who's interested):
Almost but not quite. The workings of the traditional (non-electronic) fluorescent tube and starter are really quite ingenious.
Firstly, full mains voltage appears across the starter which is a small gas discharge lamp. This strikes immediately allowing current to flow through the ballast and both tube filaments. You can see the filaments heating up in the tube ends. They need to be hot for the next stage.
A bi-metal strip in the starter has been warming up in the gas discharge. It now opens an internal contact, breaking the circuit. The inductive ballast doesn't like this and generates a high voltage spike which, with luck, causes the tube to strike. If it doesn't work, the bimetal strip is cooling down ready to start the whole process all over again.
Once the tube strikes, most of the available voltage is dropped across the ballast. The voltage across the starter is now too low for its own little lamp to ignite. It sits there doing nothing until next time. The filaments are kept hot by the main discharge in the tube.
If all that made sense you can now appreciate the importance of using the right starter. If you use a small tube starter with a big tube, the tube's running voltage might be high enough to ignite the starter's gas discharge. The already running tube will then keep trying to restart. As tubes get old their running voltage goes up anyway and the same thing happens.
Electronic starters get rid of the gas discharge lamp and bi-metal strip. They conduct initially then break the circuit after a preset time delay. The effect on the tube is the same but one size now fits all. In the new compact fluorescents even the ballast is electronic. The starter circuit must break the filament current and also generate the voltage spike.
Almost but not quite. The workings of the traditional (non-electronic) fluorescent tube and starter are really quite ingenious.
Firstly, full mains voltage appears across the starter which is a small gas discharge lamp. This strikes immediately allowing current to flow through the ballast and both tube filaments. You can see the filaments heating up in the tube ends. They need to be hot for the next stage.
A bi-metal strip in the starter has been warming up in the gas discharge. It now opens an internal contact, breaking the circuit. The inductive ballast doesn't like this and generates a high voltage spike which, with luck, causes the tube to strike. If it doesn't work, the bimetal strip is cooling down ready to start the whole process all over again.
Once the tube strikes, most of the available voltage is dropped across the ballast. The voltage across the starter is now too low for its own little lamp to ignite. It sits there doing nothing until next time. The filaments are kept hot by the main discharge in the tube.
If all that made sense you can now appreciate the importance of using the right starter. If you use a small tube starter with a big tube, the tube's running voltage might be high enough to ignite the starter's gas discharge. The already running tube will then keep trying to restart. As tubes get old their running voltage goes up anyway and the same thing happens.
Electronic starters get rid of the gas discharge lamp and bi-metal strip. They conduct initially then break the circuit after a preset time delay. The effect on the tube is the same but one size now fits all. In the new compact fluorescents even the ballast is electronic. The starter circuit must break the filament current and also generate the voltage spike.
You should be thankful that you didn't do that for a light controlled by a dimmer.....dena007 said:
link to circuit diagram of above: http://members.misty.com/don/linefl.giffelix said:
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Our friends in Yorks have a couple of wall lights with CFL's and they're on a bog-standard dimmer. Funnily enough, it works a dream!
Never seen that before or since!
Never seen that before or since!
Although not recommended It has been achieved before at work but a dummy resistive load had to be plugged in parallel across the dimmer albeit the dimmer in question was a "professional" type with specs to drive flourescent lighting.securespark said:
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