Starter For Ten

[Mattenstein]

Hi All

So the fluorescent light in my cellar probably needs a new starter. Started making banging noises and flashing orange as it started up a few days ago. Then tonight I turned it on and as I had been expected, was left with just a glow at either end. This light was installed by a professional electrician (in case anyone was wondering) in 2014 and I had never had one before but I had heard that the glow at either end generally meant the starter was frigged.

What confuses me is when I removed the starter, the light came on! So now I need to switch it on with the starter in, then twist it out of its socket to get the light to come on properly.

Just wondering how this works?

 

[endecotp]

The starter puts the tube in a state where the electrodes at either end are heated up. Then after a while it stops doing that and the tube works normally.
If the starter gets stuck in the "heating" mode, the electrodes will glow but the tube won't light.
If you remove the starter the tube will be in its normal mode, and it will light as long as the electrodes are warm enough.

 

[Mattenstein]

Gotcha

So I need a new starter??

 

[endecotp]

Yes.

 

[Mattenstein]

Thanks. Didn't even want a fluorescent, it was the electrician's idea. It throws out considerably less light than the 100w incandescent bulb that wash cellar previously had.

 

[winston1]

Thanks. Didn't even want a fluorescent, it was the electrician's idea. It throws out considerably less light than the 100w incandescent bulb that wash cellar previously had.

Must be a pretty small fluorescent then! For a given wattage a fluorescent gives a
out about 4 times the light of an incandescent lamp.

 

[ericmark]

Fluorescent lamps using a HF ballast give out around 95 lumen per watt, with a magnetic ballast it is a little less around 80~90 lumen per watt depending on voltage, so should be far better than tungsten, CFL or LED bulbs, the latter around the 60 ~ 80 lumen per watt, LED tubes however give around 100 lumen per watt.

So much for which to select, but as to starter, in the main as the tube reaches end of life it gives the starter more work, so in the main when the starter fails that means tube is on the way out, so the normal thing is when either tube or starter fails the change both.

The life of a fluorescent tube depends on voltage, most magnet ballasts will work from around 210 volt to 250 volt, but the current is not linear, so at 210 volt has a problem striking, but will last for ages, at 250 volt strikes every time, but short life and up to a 1/3 more than rated power. This is why we use HF ballasts they extend tube life and in the main use less power.

But the magnetic ballast is cheap, so where not used that much, then a magnetic ballast and accept the tube and starter need changing more often.

 

[ericmark]

Oh as a PS, the LED tubes are often lower wattage than fluorescent, but also lower lumen output, so if already low in light do not fit a LED tube as a replacement, but if there is loads of light, then using a LED tube means the starter is replaced with a special fuse supplied with the tube and with ballast left in place around 90 lumen per watt and a life around the same as a HF ballast. Although a HF ballast is best option, a LED tube is the easy option to reduce maintenance.

 

[winston1]

I've never heard of anyone replacing a tube with a failed starter. I heard the other way round however replacing a starter with a failed tube but believe it is unnecessary.

For a replacement an electronic starter is a good choice. Both tubes and starter will last much longer.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I've never heard of anyone replacing a tube with a failed starter.

You can't - the starters are too short.

 

[Taylortwocities]