Fluorescent tubes

[Anonymous]

Our cellar/laundry/workshop/computer room/studio/glory-hole is lit very effectively with two 6ft fluorescent tubes. Not pretty, but they do the job.
However, every time they need replacing, my husband and I have a full and frank discussion about how maximise their lifespan. I seem to remember reading somewhere that switching them on and off is a bad thing, and it's better to leave them running. He disagrees.
I am relying on Those-Who-Know-All-About-Such-Things to put us both out of our misery. Please help.

ps.. Does anyone have a suggestion about what to do with deceased tubes? We now have six of the darned things.

 

[Anonymous]

Although tubes are now Hazardous Waste I believe individuals can still dispose of the odd tube in the domestic refuse. Your local amenity site may recycle them. I believe the old style fat tubes have their life severely shortened by turning on and off all the time.

 

[Anonymous]

How long have you had them? I have NEVER had to replace a tube. I have replaced starters a few times and "twidled" the tube occasionally but never actually failed to get one working...

 

[Anonymous]

Peter - ours are roughly 1.5 inches diameter, and have "F100W/35" printed on the side of the tube. Does this mean they are the old-style ones?

George - the tubes seem to last several years on average. Like you, we twiddle the tubes and replace the starters, but eventually they go blackish at the ends and get dimmer and dimmer. Do you leave yours running, or switch them on and off a lot?

When we've got the time, enthusiasm, and spare cash, I'm thinking of replacing them with ordinary lamps, which are so much easier to change and dispose of.

 

[Anonymous]

well, id keep the florrys, personaly.

once every 8 years is an exelent lifespan and i think you must have the old style spring fittings rather than the new twist ones

as for disposal, take em to the dump - household waste for you

and it wont make much difference to modern fittings, obviously more wear overall happens if your turning them on and off but this is no more cost effective than leaveng them on and offsetting against the increased electricity bill

as i said before, if they are old spring type, replace them with modern high efficiency fittings, Thorn are good, twist the tube to change it, will last years and years and cheeper in electricity and you will change a tungsten bulb atleast once a year depending on usage!

 

[Anonymous]

We leave some on and turn others on and off a fair bit. Doesnt seem to make much odds...

 

[Anonymous]

I'd either keep them or replace with smaller florries, which are easier to store and handle.

Linear fls give best energy efficiency and the longest tube life of all domestic lighting types. The only gotcha is you should avoid the nasty tube types.

Break them, shuffle it into a box and bin. 2' tubes are much more user friendly in this respect, just place in bin.

Are you sure theyre 6'? From the markings it sounds like theyre 8', which are monsters.

I had a twin 8 footer once for photography, it pretty much lit up the whole house.

Yes theyre the old halophosphate ones, 3500k. Probably my favourite old type of tube. I hope you know about fl tube colours, there are some horrors about.

Ha, nearly forgot: the old thing about it being better to leave fl lights on is a myth. Switch off any time you dont use them.

NT

 

[Anonymous]

Just to add the electronic engineer's response(!):

As for lifespan then, as one post has already suggested, the tubes do suffer from a greater 'shock' when switched on and so lifespan should in theory improve if they were left on. However the tubes will have a finite lifespan anyway measured in number of hours (anywhere from 5000 to 45,000 hours) and this is based on the idea that they are switched on for 165min and then off for 15min.

So basically if you are going to switch the light off for less than 15min then back on again - don't switch it off in the first place!

There is also an efficiency issue - starting a tube does use significantly more energy than maintaining a glowing tube so you would also save a few pence through less switching.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you all so much.
But then, what else would you expect from the PPUKF?

I'm printing off the whole thread, for future reference.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx M

 

[Anonymous]

I've just measured one and you're right - it's 8ft long!

x M

 

[Anonymous]

Being a bit free with your favours today, aren't you, Moo? A girl can get into trouble like that.

 

[Anonymous]

The sun is shining, there's a warm breeze, spring's in the air, and all's right with the world.
It won't last, of course.
I'll soon be back to normal, so don't worry, David (xxxx).

 

[Anonymous]

If you think you've gpt warmth and sunshine, you should be where I am (smug smirk)!

 

[Anonymous]

Well - we've been enduring the "French" market over the bank holiday. Does that count?

 

[Anonymous]

- and it's a gloriously sunny day, too. And everyone speaks English (including some of the Liverpudlian "French" traders).

 

[Anonymous]

Life, you think, is plodding along OK until you get a call at 8.30 am to say a dear friend, at aged 35, was killed last night in a road accident. Leaving of course another dear friend as a widow etc.

There are times you wonder why you get out of bed in the mornings.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh Evelyn!! I am so sorry to read this.

Carole xxxxx

 

[Anonymous]

Tragic news like that gives one a better-than-usual reason for getting out of bed, surely? The new widow is going to need all the support you can give her.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a very dark landing (terraced houses tend to) and there is a low energy bulb up there.
They last about 5 years
HOWEVER - the one in the passage at the bottom of the stairs is switched off fairly often - they last about 2 years.
There is obviously a trade off here - buy 5 and switch them off or 2 and leave them on... tricky maths needed - apart from the H&S aspects of climbing up the step ladder to replace them.

 

[Anonymous]

I reckon that Evelyn and/or Biff are the people who could solve that puzzle, Hazel. We, too, have got low-energy bulbs in those dark places that need lights on full-time after dark.
Do we need to factor in the environmental costs of manufacture and disposal?