It’s time to learn all about fluorescent lighting! Why should fluorescent lighting be used instead of incandescent light bulbs? There are at least two reasons that come immediately to mind.
The components that all fluorescent light fixtures share are:
Note: Some fixtures also have trigger switches or starters.
Different applications demand different fluorescent temperatures and colors. The temperature (rated in degrees Kelvin) ranges from warm down to cool. Cool tubes are 4000 K and higher and their harsh light is sometimes described as “factory light”. It’s a good choice for task lighting, such as over a wood shop’s work bench.
Warm tubes are classified as 3000 K and less. They approximate the light that an incandescent bulb gives off. Medium temperature bulbs are also available. The fluorescent tube’s temperature and wattage is generally found on the tube, near the end.
What is color rendering? Simply the tube’s ability to illuminate objects. A CRI (Color Rendering Index) of 100 is considered standard, which is logical since it approximates true sunlight. So, tubes with a CRI in the 90’s are used for plant grow lights and the typical standard warm tube is around 50.
It’s easy to identify a burned-out tube. Fluorescent tubes use cathode filaments. In time they wear away leaving sooty-looking deposits on the tube ends and don’t do their job properly anymore. This is the normal “burning out” process, unlike incandescent bulbs that work fine until the filament fails abruptly and quits working.
With a new tube, the black deposits are very faint. The darkness progresses until it’s very black and reaches the end of the tube. Time for a new one! A common misconception is that a blinking or flickering bulb indicates a burn-out. Not so; that could be several other things, such as a bad ballast, a faulty starter, or simply a dirty bulb.