Fluorescent light question

[fecmech]

Gentlemen: I have a 2 bulb 40wt florescent fixture with a marginal ballast. When I turn it on (new bulbs) the bulbs don't quite light until I lightly touch both bulbs with my 2 fingers. What is actually happening by the touching of my 2 fingers that causes the lights to instantly light?? I know I need a ballast but what does the touching of the fingers actually do?

[Finster101]

It would probably be cheaper to just replace the entire fixture with an LED one. Better light too.

[fecmech]

It would probably be cheaper to just replace the entire fixture with an LED one. Better light too.

That's my plan when the finger thing quits working

[.45Cole]

have you looked into rope leds, after doing that here and there that's what I would do now. Half the cost of individual fixtures, run them on the perimeter of the garage ceiling and down the center for no shadows.

[Winger Ed.]

what does the touching of the fingers actually do?

Good question.

I think it works along the lines of when our parents used to beat us kids.
We'd straighten right out and get with the program.

[sparky45]

Can't an existing Fluorescent fixture be retrofitted with LED?

[Finster101]

Good question.

I think it works along the lines of when our parents used to beat us kids.
We'd straighten right out and get with the program.

I think more like putting a piece of bacon on the rabbit ears so you could get that one channel.

[Finster101]

Can't an existing Fluorescent fixture be retrofitted with LED?

Yes but for $30.00 or less you can replace the entire fixture and have all new.

[DickelDawg]

Could be a loose connection at the tombstone prongs (fixture connector at the end of the tube) or the prongs at the end of the lamp are not inserted properly (make sure the indicator((the bump on the metal end of the lamp)) is facing directly down.

[Frosty Boolit]

Maybe static electricity discharge giving a little bit more juice to get the voltage up to the necessary voltage to fluoresce

[Winger Ed.]

Can't an existing Fluorescent fixture be retrofitted with LED?

Unless the fixture is something really fancy, it's not cost effective.

You'd have to change the ballast and the (smaller) 'tombstones' the bulb ends fit into.
Even then, the fixture's slots the tombstones fit in may be a different size too.

[Ithaca Gunner]

They make direct replacement LED bulbs for existing fixtures, BUT unless you by-pass the ballast and rewire the fixture, they don't last very long at all. You may have something loose or broken in your fixture, just replace it with an LED and be done with it.

[Shawlerbrook]

Ditto on just getting a new LED fixture.

[405grain]

I replaced the old florescent lights out in the garage/shop/man cave with LED fixtures years ago. It's much brighter, uses less electricity, bulbs seem to last forever, and they don't contain any mercury vapor like florescent lighting. There's no ballast to wear out, they never flicker like a worn out neon sign, and are just in every way better. I agree with everyone here that says just make a direct replacement with LED lighting.

[Hossfly]

Loose connection, clean with sand paper till shining.

[fecmech]

Guys: while I appreciate your suggestions on a fix, that's not my question. My question is: Why does a very light touch on the glass surface of the florescent tube cause the light to lite?? What is going on there to make the tube lite from the touch? I want to know why that happens, not how to fix the light.

[Winger Ed.]

They work sort of like a stick/arc welder to start & light up.
The arc (and light bulb) takes more power to start than to keep the light or welding bead going.

As the bulbs and/or ballasts age, it takes a little more and a little more burst of power to strike the arc and light it.
In the old days, floresent lights had a separate starter you could change.
In modern times, the starting extra burst of electricity capability in inside the ballast.

Our body works like a capacitor and stores a little bit of static electricity.
Touching the bulb grounds it, and it gets a little 'omph' to help it start up.
As it continues to age/wear out, it takes more and more power to strike the arc until
even touching it isn't enough, and the bulb is just dead.

[Scrounge]

Can't an existing Fluorescent fixture be retrofitted with LED?

They can, but it's usually more expensive to do it that way. For some reason, the fixtures are generally cheaper than the replacement lamps. Also, with the old ballasts still in there, you're using more power than you would with pure LED lamps, so you lose some of the benefit of switching to LED's.

Another also, but only important to those who have friends or family with Lupus or other autoimmune disorders, fluorescents put out a lot of UV, where LED's don't. UV aggravates the Lupus/immune disorders to some extent.

Bill

[bakerjw]

You draw the plasma charge from one end to the other.
A year ago, I pulled all of my ballasts and put in replaceable LED bulbs. NEVER looked back.

[fecmech]

Thank you Winger ed and bakerjw I thought it might have something to do with a the body's static charge.