In article ,
"Ron" writes:

another thing about fluorescent lights in a garage, when it is cold mine
takes a long time before it stays on steadily, in fact I have had to put
another light socket in with an ordinary bulb because of this. I have a
freezer in the garage and it is annoying trying to find something with the
light flickering .

With switch-start series ballasts, you probably want to avoid
anything over 5' in an unheated room for this reason. You could
try changing the starter which might improve things if it's
marginal, or try using a starter for a higher power tube.

Otherwise, swap out the ballast and starter for an electronic
control gear unit. My garage also has a freezer in it which
necessitates nipping in there for a few seconds, and I
have fitted instant start electronic control gear inside the
fittings (or most of them -- the last one's been waiting for
a round tuit for 5 years now;-).

--
Andrew Gabriel