electrical question

[Piff]

Just turned on a twin tube fluorescent light. Brief flash then nothing.
Other lights on same circuit are ok. As it is twin tube, unlikely to be both tubes at once?
Fitting is about 4 years old.
It is a decorative fitting & will be a PITA to strip down. I also don't have my testing gear at home - can't access the gear until Sunday.

What is the likely fault?

 

[Dec]

Have you got another starter to try?

Dec

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3wu2r1RWpA

[YOUTUBE]K3wu2r1RWpA[/YOUTUBE]

 

[GordonTarling]

Does it have one starter or two? It might also have an electronic ballast without a starter.

 

[219]

The term 'starter' is a bit of a misnomer since they are really capacitors for power factor correction ( fluorescent tubes are inductive loads with current seriously lagging behind voltage ) and most tubes will generally 'start' without them .

Remember CIVIL

 

[Piff]

It's one of these - Linear T5
Electrician I was using at the time fitted it for me and I can remember him swearing about how much of a fiddle it was to fit.
I will have to take it apart..............

 

[GordonTarling]

We also have one of those in our kitchen - we had it fitted by the chap who re-wired the house, so I'm afraid I have no idea what's inside it, except to say that it's almost certainly the electronic ballast type, as it comes on a soon as it's switched on. My bet is on a ballast that's 'gone' somehow.

 

[Piff]

Just found the fitting instructions, but of course there is no specification to say what is contained inside the fitting

 

[Piff]

Can't strip it down until Sunday and at that point I will be able to see the electronic ballast and search for an exact match.
But, as it is a T5 2 x 28w, is this the sort of thing I need?

 

[Dec]

Look something like this... https://www.google.ie/search?q=T5+B...ved=0ahUKEwjGwY2FwKHQAhWsBcAKHX4xDr0Q_AUIBigB

All depends what you find in there.

Dec

 

[Piff]

On a related track, I have normal fluorescent batten fittings in the garage which are very slow to fire up (always have been from new). Is there something I can do to make them quicker to start?
IIRC they are 1.50m, 58W

 

[Satch]

On a related track, I have normal fluorescent batten fittings in the garage which are very slow to fire up (always have been from new). Is there something I can do to make them quicker to start?
IIRC they are 1.50m, 58W

Yes

LAP Electronic Ignition LED Batten 23W 2680lm 5ft | LED Batten Fittings | Screwfix.com

 

[Piff]

Yes

LAP Electronic Ignition LED Batten 23W 2680lm 5ft | LED Batten Fittings | Screwfix.com

not as simple as changing the starter or similar then

 

[Satch]

not as simple as changing the starter or similar then

Could be or might need new tubes.

 

[Piff]

Could be or might need new tubes.

They were slow from new. Cheap fittings though as they were "only" for the garage.

 

[markmifsud]

Could be or might need new tubes.

as above but the starter will be the cheapest item to replace. you could always break it open and check the condition of the starter bulb. see this YT for an insite into the starter tubes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4UpxHb6NxE

[YOUTUBE]Q4UpxHb6NxE[/YOUTUBE]

also
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z55566ep0Hg

[YOUTUBE]z55566ep0Hg[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Dec]

On a related track, I have normal fluorescent batten fittings in the garage which are very slow to fire up (always have been from new). Is there something I can do to make them quicker to start?
IIRC they are 1.50m, 58W

I had a tube die last week so replaced starter but that didn’t fix it so replaced the tube, which solved the problem.

My tube is the same as yours, 1.5m x 58w and the original starter is ok, pictured below, it lights in less than a second, just how slow is yours?

Mine is a 1 tube unit so a different starter may be required for a 2 tube unit like the one in the first video in this thread.

Dec

 

[Piff]

I've got 2 in the garage and they take between 4 & 10 seconds to fire up

 

[Dec]

Is that 2 separate light fittings or a double unit? It would matter as the starter would be a different rating for a single and a double unit. If it’s always been 10 seconds to light then maybe the wrong starter is fitted, the are cheap anyway, probably 2 for a £1.

Dec

 

[renault12ts]

Wouldn't a double unit have two starters?

 

[Piff]

Is that 2 separate light fittings or a double unit? It would matter as the starter would be a different rating for a single and a double unit. If it’s always been 10 seconds to light then maybe the wrong starter is fitted, the are cheap anyway, probably 2 for a £1.

Dec

2 separate fittings on separate switches.