Re: Fluorescent ballasts anyone?

Jeff L <levy_jeff@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Go to google, type in: 40W t5 ballast - you should get a ton of hits
relating to usable ballasts. 40W means the electrical power, and T5 denotes,
the tube's electrical characteristics. The rest of your bulb type does not
matter, electrically, since that is the light output type, coatings, rated
life, and physical size and shape of the tube, pins, etc.

It does. Germicidal T5 bulbs are very different from regular T5s.
Electrically different. Despite having the same diameter. They will NOT work
(at least reliably) with regular T5 ballast. However they DO work fine with
a regular T12 ballast be it switch start, rapid or instant start, magnetic
or electronic.

I do already run a couple of G36T5VH bulbs off of $20 electronic 2 x 48W T12
instant start ballast (Workhorse) and they are fine.

I did also run a couple of preheat T5 germicidal bulbs with $18 Electronic
Rapid Start 2 x 40W T12 ballast from Home Depot and they are also quite
happy.

Those germicidal lamps, if they are regular, not HO or VHO, all have 425 mA
working current. Regular T5s are different and they are not designed to run
from anything but high frequency electronic ballast at all. Regular T12 are
usually run at 430 mA. T12 HO are 800 mA (exactly as germicidal T5 HO) and
T12 VHO are 1.5 A (exactly as germicidal T5 VHO.)

The other option is to ask the company where you bought the tubes what
ballast to use.

Jeff

"Sergey Kubushin" <ksi@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e8f6ou$9vr$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi everybody!

Does anybody here know intimate fluorescent bulbs/ballasts details?

I'm trying to fix my pool ozon generator and it turned out to be much
tougher job than I expected... First of all, that pool ozonator business
is
a big conspiracy :(( My generator is made by some canadian company called
Ultra Pure Water, model SPP70. It's less than 2 years old but already
almost
impossible to fix...

The generator itself is very simple - a length of aluminum profile with 2
Ozone Producing 40W 30" T5 Germicidal bulbs and corresponding ballasts and
starters. The problem is my pool builders don't want to fix it suggesting
I
have to find those bulbs and replace them myself. OK, it didn't look like
rocket science so I started digging.

First it turned out that it's almost impossible to find an Ozone Producing
Bulb, everybody cares about our health so 99.99% of all germicidal bulbs
available are proudly "No ozone", i.e. made with doped quartz blocking
that
185 nm ozone producing line. Those who do have such bulbs charge for each
one more than original weirdo with two bulbs were worth. And what's even
worse nobody tells you what's their bulbs are - they are "Replacement bulb
for Acme Aquatic model X.Y.Z-0121-x.y.z" and that's all.

After an entire day spent in the Net I learned that one company,
Aqua-something, claims that they are using Ozone Producing bulbs in their
sterilizers so I bought 2 of those of appropriate size and wattage and
with
a little bit of metalworking installed them into that "Ozone Generator".

To my astonishment they didn't start! I didn't check all the parts before
installing them because I was 100% sure that that was bulbs that failed.
As
a matter of fact those two already non-working bulbs did have burnt
filaments. But as it turned out two ballast also went south, they are both
open. This is the simplest type of fixture, 2 wire magnetic ballast, a
bulb
with two filaments and a glow tube starter. Both ballasts look OK, no
signs
of overheating or burn marks. Just open ...

So I decided to replace that ancient circuit with a more modern 2-bulb
ballast and that's where I've got confused and have to ask for a
collective
wisdom...

Those ozone bulbs are T5 size but they are not those new T5 sophisticated
bulbs, they are listed as preheat type and their working current is 425mA.
Now I'm trying to find a suitable ballast and I'm totally lost - it looks
like there thousands of different ballasts out there and I don't know
which
one to choose :((

First of all, I didn't find what is the working current for regular T12,
T8,
T5 bulbs. What I was able to find were unconvincing. So does anyone know
what is the working current of regular T12, T8, and T5 bulbs? It looks
like
those old T12 ones were working at 430mA so I should be able to use a 40W
T12 ballast for those germicidal bulbs. Am I right or I'm missing
something
and bulb current is not enough and I should look for something else? Can I
use a rapid start ballast or should I stick with the old preheat variety?
Another problem is that its powered with 220V, not regular 120V. There are
some 277V ballasts at Home Depot, will they work on 220V? Do those T5
germicidal bulb filaments work at the same voltage as T8 and T12, i.e. can
I
use e.g. T12 Rapid Start Ballast?

And one more question, how can one use a dimming electronic ballast? It
has
two separate grey wires for dimming so it seems to be that 0-10V type
(Made by Prescott). I can't find what makes it 100% brightness, 0V or 10V?
If I want to use it as a regular non-dimming ballast, should I short those
grey wires, live them unconnected or feed them with 10V DC (as I
understand
polarity doesn't matter 'coz both wires are grey)?

Any information is highly appreciated...

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* Las Vegas NV, USA < > Miracles require 24-hour notice. *
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