On Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:54:32 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

Fred wrote:

It's very much the issue! I recall stories as the poster had where the
starting of a fluorescent tube was equivalent to 1/2 hour running.

Analyse that statement logically and you will see it makes no sense...

First off, it's true, and it may be the basis for the original post,
so it's worth discussing.

Secondly, I would say that it does make sense**, but it's not accurate
and for someone who knows anything about the topic, it's not
believable.

Something that makes no sense, to me, would be something whose
intended meaning I can't discern.

**A lot of things use more electricity on start-up, so the sentence is
not illogical. But the numbers are wrong.



How much current would be drawn by say a single 56W tube? 230mA.

How long does it take to start? say 3 secs

So the current drawn in those three seconds would need to be 600 times
(i.e. 1800 secs over 3) the nominal current so as to consume the same
amount of energy, or 138A.

Any guesses as to how many tubes with that sort of inrush current you
could start on a circuit protected by a 6A breaker without tripping it? ;-)