New Fluorescant Tubes, light worse....

[rodneyja59]

I have 2 fluorescant lights in the garage. 1 tube is a marked Ring Energy Saver 36w white the other is GE F36w/35. Both the tubes are "cloudy" in the middle and dimmer compared to the ends. So I thought it was time to replace them. I got today some new tubes. They didnt have white, so I got warm white instead. The markings on these are Osram L36w 830.
However replacing the old tubes with the new ones, and something is wrong

Firstly the centre 2 ft of the tubes are mauve in colour and the "cloudy" is still there. Leaving them on for about 10 minutes and the 2 ft has reduced to about 1ft but the ends are clearly white and the centre is still dimmer and "cloudy". Placing the original tubes back the whole tube is white, (bit brighter at the ends), but still cloudy.

I purchased a new fluorescant fitting also (this came with a bulb). This bulb when placed in the said fittings above work just the same as the old tubes I took out. This tube is a GE F36w White.

So are the fittings faulty in the garage?

Tomorrow I will wire up the new florescant fitting and try it with the new Osram l36w 830 bulb. If this works fine then the fittings in the garage are the problem. if not Osram l36w 830 bulb wrong for the fittings I have in the garage??

 

[Diyisfun]

F/Tubes show dif light depenadant on temperature, but there is also a differeence between, cool white, warm light, daylight & how many other whites there are I do not know.

 

[Steve]

fluorescents are dim when cold, especially when the ambient temp. is v cold, as at the moment. We have some in the unheated cellar at work, when we turn them on in the morning, they are around 2/3 of their normal brightness, takes about 5 mins to heat up to full brightness.

For the new tubes, try leaving them switched on over night, to burn them in, this may remove any "cloudiness".

 

[Lectrician]

Lumilux lamps (osram) are designed for cold starting - we fit them, with HFreq fittings in cold stores (-30 ambient, -80 if in the air stream)