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ZL3VI > INFO 14.07.02 12:08l 75 Lines 2903 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 108_ZL3VI
Read: DB0FHN GUEST
Subj: Re:Economy bulbs
Path: DB0FHN<DB0ZWI<DB0CHZ<DB0ERF<DB0FBB<DB0GOS<ON0AR<ON0AR<ZL2BAU<ZL3VML
Sent: 020713/0954Z @:ZL3VML.#80.NZL.OC #:38584 [Chch-NZ] FBB7.00i $:108_ZL3VI
From: ZL3VI@ZL3VML.#80.NZL.OC
To : INFO@WW
ZL3VI/TPK 1.82 Msg #:108 Date:13-07-02 Time:21:49Z
ZL3VI/TPK 1.82 Msg #:107 Date:13-07-02 Time:21:43Z
>R:020711/1725Z @:GB7DAA.#33.GBR.EU #:25439 [Ware, Herts] FBB7.00g25
>
>From: G3XSE@GB7DAA.#33.GBR.EU
>To : INFO@WW
>
>I have no idea if this is true or not. It may be an old wives tale, or an
>urban legend, dependant on your point of view.
>
>When first switching on *ANY* flourescent, don't just turn it on, say ok thet
>works and turn it off. Leave it on for a few minutes. The reasoning for this
>is supposedly that the gasses get to mix properly, resulting in a longer life
>and greater efficiency.
>Comments please ???
Yes... Its TRUE,
Hi Hugh.
I do some work at a local community center, and there are about 32 5foot
flourescent tubes and about 25 4foot tubes. All are in main rooms and when
these are turned on, they are usually on for hours. When they are off they
can be off for days, or even weeks. All have been up for years, and in the
11 years I have been involved have only replaced one 5ft tube and two
starters. I ment to say all but one 4ft tube, are in main rooms. Yes one
4ft tube is in a small room, a large closet or wardrobe.
Any person going into this room is only in there at most about 20
seconds. What happens is the person enters, turns on the light, waits for
light to come on, gets or returns something, turns out light and exits.
This may happen two or three times the place is used. The life of this
tube would be less than 12 months!!!
As the tube ages it takes longer and longer to come on. After about 6mts
it takes about 10 secs to come on. I fitted an electronic starter to this
fitting which helped but only delayed things by a couple months.
(electronic starters are plugin replacements for standard starters, but are
more reliable, AND cost more than TEN times the price!) As the tube ages,
it comes on alright about a second after turn-on, but only at about two
percent brightness. It syays like this a while untill it gets a bit warmer
and then comes on full brightmess. As I said, after about 6 mts this takes
about 10 secs.
What do I do about this? Replace the tube every 6 months???
Well.. Yes and no. What I do is swap this tube with one in one of
the main rooms, and after a few weeks of being on now for hours at a time
it takes about the same time to come on as the rest of the tubes in the
room.
So... Yes, turning them on for short periods will shorten their life,
But, then leaving them on for long periods, will enable them to recover
this lost life, but for how long, compaired to one used always for long
periods, I dont know. Why do they recover? Again I dont know. Maybe
someone out in packet radio land can tell us.
73 de Baden, ZL3VI
>73's de Hugh
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