On Wed, 21 May 2014 20:25:54 +0100, Ian Field wrote:



"Uncle Peter" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 21 May 2014 16:25:19 +0100, Ian Field
wrote:



"Uncle Peter" wrote in message
news On Wed, 21 May 2014 13:26:32 +0100, Daniel
wrote:

On 21/05/14 02:21, Ian Field wrote:








Sorry, your bug zapper already had a PFC capacitor *AND* you had to add
"electronic ballast"!!

Something seems wrong there!!!

Electronic ballasts are more efficient. And the non-electronic one
probably wore out.

The ****wit electrician that installed the luminare fitted the wrong
ballast, from day one the florescent tube did a fair bit of buzzing and
flickering before it started - it got so much worse that I had a problem
waiting for the light to come on so I could ****!

I tried an electronic starter, there was still a long wait but at least
the
light came on eventually without a major drama.

When the tube refused to strike at all, I bought a new tube and an
electronic ballast on Ebay. The old tube worked OK with the electronic
ballast and I got more or less its life expectancy from there.

When the fire alarm contractors did the corridor lights, I won a couple
of
spare electronic ballasts and tubes, as well as the photo-sensor I
mentioned
on chatter.

When one of my fluorescent fittings dies, I remove the fitting and fit
something that takes LEDs.

The housing association insisted on a splashproof luminare in the bog - I
only just managed to persuade the electrician not to put one in the kitchen
too.

Who gives a **** what they insist on? When he leaves, remove it.

A few years ago Morrisons did a special offer of CFLs for 99p - then
extended the offer to buy one get one free, at that price I filled a couple
of carrier bags.

While LED bulbs are still at least £9.99 and I'd need 3 to give the same
light as a CFL, there isn't much incentive to make the change.

£15 gives you 150W equivalent. £10 gives you 100W equivalent. £3 gives you 50W equivalent. And that's including postage.

There's not much point figuring out a conversion for the enclosed unit that
I have 2 spare ballasts and 2 spare tubes for - way back when I bought
replacement parts, there weren't the options that are available now.

Might start visiting the dump again - if I can salvage a few GU10 fittings,
Home Bargains sometimes have 5W bulbs that are allegedly equal to 40W - 3 of
those in the bog fitting should be plenty.

LEDs that fit in GU10s run very hot and don't last long. I've gone off CREE LEDs and go for the corn on the cob ones. Hundreds of tiny SMD LEDs.

Just out of curiosity - does a GU10 fit in the socket for a florescent
starter?

I can't tell you that as I gave away my 4 spare starters on freecycle, and for some reason the only remaining ballast fluorescent here (under a kitchen wall unit) has no starter I can see. Unless it's hidden on the side against the floor of the cupboard, or internal. They do look similar sockets though.

--
I do not think it is necessary to believe that the same god who has given us our senses, reason, and intelligence wished us to abandon their use, giving us by some other means the information that we could gain through them -- Galileo Galilei