Special starter for fluorescent lights??

[FishKeepingNoob]

I guess I need a starter as I've tried several bulbs and the same thing happens- flicker on and off. Kind of starts good, then fades out, restarts, and does the same thing over and over.

So I pulled the starter out and see fs22h. I went to Lowes and the closest thing I could find was FS2. Will these work?

Also, I'm not even sure if it's the starter. I know on other flourescent lights, if I turn them on, I can pull the starter out and they will stay on. But these turn on. They just go off and on. Sometimes they will even stay on for a few minutes.

 

[bob965]

I have a few of those lights, and when they go bad, I just replace the entire magnetic ballast + starter with an instant-on electronic ballast. Much nicer. No more flickering when you turn it on.

 

[FishKeepingNoob]

I'll check it out, thanks.

 

[kevinfleming21]

yeah, it is the ballast that is the problem, you should be able to replace it fairly cheap.

 

[FishKeepingNoob]

Cool, thanks.




FYI, you can make your sig look like this:

apparently if you shave around it, it makes it look bigger!!! HTH

If you want. Just saying.

 

[n0n4m3]

The starter must be rated for the fluorescent tube, there are different sizes of starters.
The starter is pretty much just a time delay switch, when electricity passes the metal inside it heats up the bimetal contact switching it off... allowing electricity through the filaments of the fluorescent tube creating electrons ......yada yada yada
in simple words you don't use a starter rated for a 18w tube with a 36w tube

 

[n0n4m3]

oh, and if the magnetic ballast fails I believe the tube will gradually use more and more power until it can't take no more.. so it's probably not the ballast

 

[Zander_The_RBP]

Honestly why are you even using magnetic ballasts anymore ? Have you been under a rock for the past 5 years ? They don't even make/sell magnetic ballasts anymore (atleast not in canada im pretty sure they don't sell them in the US either)


Change those suckers out ASAP no one realises this but just becuase it's, say a 32 watt ballast dosen't mean it's only drawing 32 watts. 32 watts is what is delivered to the bulb ballasts actualy a bit more and electronic ballasta draw less than magnetic ones. This applies to all wattages of ballasts.

 

[FishKeepingNoob]

Honestly why are you even using magnetic ballasts anymore ? Have you been under a rock for the past 5 years ? They don't even make/sell magnetic ballasts anymore (atleast not in canada im pretty sure they don't sell them in the US either)

I guess I have been under a rock. You'd probably be surprised how many people don't know the workings of a fluorescent light. I had no interest in them until a couple of weeks ago when my light in my 29 gallon died.

Also, they do sell magnetic ballasts still. I saw many different kinds when I went to Lowes shopping.

And for the record, while I was there, I bought a dual tube t5 unit to replace my failed light. I installed in the hood, and it's been working great the last couple of days.