In article ,
Stephen writes:
On Mon, 5 Oct 2009 11:03:59 +0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:


8' tubes can be hard to start in the cold, but I don't think it's
got that cold yet. Given the tube does start eventually, and assuming
it doesn't have darkened (worn) tube ends, my money would be on the
starter having drifted out of spec, but it could still be either.
(The working spec for 8' starters is might tighter than for other tubes.)
It may well be that the electronic (fluoractor-based) starters such
as a Pulsestarter EFS 600 will work better with long tubes; I haven't
tried one on an 8' tube, but it claims it should work.

Secondly, are you sure it has a starter?

Thanks for the fast replies.

I have swapped the starters in the other (smaller) tubes around the
house to electronic ones but never got around to touching the one in
the garage.

Check to see if they are rated for a 125W tube, and if so,
borrow one to check if it solves the problem in the garage.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]