Do fluorescent tube bulbs have a problem at lower temperatures?

[SubLGT]

I bought a cold start rated T8 twin tube 4ft fluorescent shoplight for my garage about 6yrs ago from Lowes or Home Depot (don't recall).

I was just out in the garage and it's 0degF out. It fires up to full brightness. No need for special bulbs. It's all in the ballast for T8s.

I've had much the same experience in my unheated garage for the last 17 years. The coldest it has gotten in my garage is 10F. It takes about 2 minutes for the bulbs to fully brighten when that cold. As I recall the ballasts were rated at -10F.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Mine are T8’s. They are 10 years old but had daily use use for the last 6 years. My garage is heated to 60 F. Now, the end of the 4 ft bulbs are black for about an inch. A bulb in one fixture went dark. I bought a contractors package of 10 bulbs and replaced one. I’ll replace the others as they fail, but if the ballasts go, I’ll get rid of them and rewire them for LED’s.

Fast forward 3 years. I ended up replacing all 34 bulbs ( yes, 34 - 4 ft tubes) T8 Cool white 4100 tubes that are on for no more than two hours per day. That’s just over 2100 hours in 3 years. Now, I’m getting burned out bulbs, so far 3 out of 34. The original tubes lasted 10 years. The replacement bulbs that lasted three years are Philips Alto II bulbs. The garage was heated to 60 F this whole time. I could go to LEDs but only if they have the same 4100 Hz frequency, and they can be popped in with no electrical work. I don’t feel like going up on a ladder and rewiring 17 sets of fixtures.

Here is a photo of a tube that lasted only three years. By the way, they are fine during those 3 years, had no flickering or humming, and were on instantly. That part was satisfactory.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Here is another burned out bulb. They are both Philips Alto II but one was D3 and one was an F2. Not sure what that means. I replaced them in packs of 10 over the course of a year.

 

[alarmguy]

Be careful going to LEDs, a lot of the cheaper ones don't have the same output.

Yes, agree, also all LEDs will grow slightly more dim over time. You may or may not notice it. Because it is slow (im most cases) and will lose 20 to 30% of its brightness over time. I have personally noticed this at various times.

"Lifetime of LED Lighting Products
The useful life of LED lighting products is defined differently than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). LEDs typically do not “burn out” or fail. Instead, they experience ‘lumen depreciation’, wherein the brightness of the LED dims slowly over time. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED “lifetime” is established on a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent."
https://www.energystar.gov/products/learn-about-led-lighting

Like fluorescent lights have ballasts, LEDs have "drivers" that degrade or fail over time too, not just the LEDs.

 

[mojoe]

So that says it's more the ballast than the bulb? I switched a few to LED and they work fine.

Correct - the ballast is the main problem. Replace with LED fixtures (preferrable), or non-ballast dependent LED bulbs, by-pass the ballast and wire straight to the sockets, and problem solved.

 

[mojoe]

Yes, agree, also all LEDs will grow slightly more dim over time. You may or may not notice it. Because it is slow (im most cases) and will lose 20 to 30% of its brightness over time. I have personally noticed this at various times.

"Lifetime of LED Lighting Products
The useful life of LED lighting products is defined differently than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). LEDs typically do not “burn out” or fail. Instead, they experience ‘lumen depreciation’, wherein the brightness of the LED dims slowly over time. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED “lifetime” is established on a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent."
https://www.energystar.gov/products/learn-about-led-lighting

Like fluorescent lights have ballasts, LEDs have "drivers" that degrade or fail over time too, not just the LEDs.

While the ballasts for fluorescent lights are always external to the lamp (a separate part), drivers are often integral to the LED lamp itself. If the LED light source is an array of LEDs integral to a fixture (as opposed to an LED lamp/bulb), then they will usually have a separate driver.

 

[Arc]

Yes, agree, also all LEDs will grow slightly more dim over time. You may or may not notice it. Because it is slow (im most cases) and will lose 20 to 30% of its brightness over time. I have personally noticed this at various times.

"Lifetime of LED Lighting Products
The useful life of LED lighting products is defined differently than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). LEDs typically do not “burn out” or fail. Instead, they experience ‘lumen depreciation’, wherein the brightness of the LED dims slowly over time. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED “lifetime” is established on a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent."
https://www.energystar.gov/products/learn-about-led-lighting

Like fluorescent lights have ballasts, LEDs have "drivers" that degrade or fail over time too, not just the LEDs.

It's the heat killing many LED's. A plastic heat sink doesn't work very good . In our bathroom vanity we still have some twenty year old utilitec LED's burning. They probably weigh twice as much as the newer lamps.

 

[anderson]

I have about a dozen 4 footers in the basement and some of them are dim while a few are dead. Bought some LED replacements, but when I go to remove and jiggle the old bulbs out, they spring back to life. It's probably in the low 60°s down there. Do these fluorescent bulbs have a problem at lower temperatures?

all mine hate the cold. either flicker , are dim or do not even turn on will its warmed up inside the shop

 

[Snagglefoot]

Amazon has a record of me ordering 2 packs of 10 bulbs each. I put in a complaint and told them I want my money back because they were supposed to last 24,000 hrs and some just made 1500 hours. The last ones were ordered just over two years ago. Think I'll get my money back?

 

[mojoe]

Here is another burned out bulb. They are both Philips Alto II but one was D3 and one was an F2. Not sure what that means. I replaced them in packs of 10 over the course of a year.

View attachment 321756

I don't think D3 and F2 mean anything, except maybe a production date or batch maybe. Both are F32T8TL941 and are effectively the same bulb.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I picked up a set of two Philips T8 Cool White bulbs. They look the same and the hue is the same after the initial first warm up. This one says H4 and still “Made in Poland”

 

[spasm3]

I think the OP is gone!

 

[Snagglefoot]

I think the OP is gone!

Yep. I high jacked this dead thread and used it to share findings on the same florescent bulbs I originally commented on.