Peter wrote:
I bought an FS-4 starter today. Things started looking good when I
removed the glow bulb from the can and it looked to be the same
dimensions as the faulty glow bulb I originally removed. I soldered the
FS-4 in place and the fixture works perfectly.

Thanks to all who made constructive suggestions for pinpointing the
problem and for suggesting the fix. For whatever reason, the 18W lamp
bulb seems to require a starter normally rated for 30/40W bulbs.

It was worth the time and effort. Cost me $2 in parts (1 failed attempt
with the FS-2, and the successful attempt with the FS-4) and about $2 in
gasoline to salvage a lamp that I would have had to spend at least $70
to replace.


The wattage of the lamp is only half the story. Narrow diameter tubes
are typically run at lower current, so to get the same wattage the tube
is designed to drop a higher voltage. The starter is sized to match the
voltage of the lamp, and the wattage printed on the starter is for the
lamp types it is typically used with.

Glad to hear you got it working, it's always nice to fix something,
especially when it is not really designed to be fixed.