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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 73
OP
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Yesterday I decided I am just going to have to get one. I replaced a ballast about 2 weeks ago customer calls me back its not working anymore. I change the bulbs, because I don't think I put in two new ones after I changed the ballast, And only one lamp lights It took a few minutes till I figured out From the old set and the new set one lamp was bad. It is very frustrating.
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 73
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,391
Moderator
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I agree with electuure entirely on this subject. Gas Lamp Testers? I drove around with one in the truck for way too long. I find them absolutely useless. I also bought one thinking it would help with the work I did in a maintenance position. I found it only benefited the people selling it. Bob
Bob Badger
Construction & Maintenance Electrician
Massachusetts
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 615
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The only time gas lamp tester has helped my brother was when struggling with a bulb-ballast compatability issue. The owner insisted it was the ballast because he personally bought the new lamps. It may well have been the ballast to start with, but 3 trips, 2 ballasts, 2 bulbs, and a gas lamp tester later, he figured out the problem. Not every 175 watt MH bulb will light with any replacement ballast. Don't know if the gas lamp tester would have saved more time than it's worth though.
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 101
Member
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The way I handle a flourescent fixture service call is to bring the ballast and enough tubes with me.
replace everything but the tombstones and charge the customer for the lamps as well as the ballast.
It's not hard to convince the customer that he will find a use for the tubes he had in the back office for the last three years.
Lamps go bad regularly and the cost of me supplying the new lamps, whether or not he had his own, is much less than the cost of me making a trip to the supply house on his time.
As for a gas lamp tester, never bought one, never will.
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 680
Member
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I change alot of HO tubes. I've found the shorter the tube the more chance it won't light right out of the box. Because I might travel 100 miles or so to retube, reballast a sign, I make sure I have extra tubes with me. Its really frustrating to not get a sign lit because of a bad tube. Any time I change a ballast, the tubes get changed also.
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Posts: 28
Joined: March 2011
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