hello, i am not an electrican, but iam trying to replace the flourescent fixtures in my aquarium with compact flourescents. i have decided to do it myself as opposed to spending $500.00 for a pre-manufactured fixture. the bulbs are 55 watt compacts. i hve asked a few hardware stores for help but they dont have much knowedge about compacts. what kind of ballast would i purchase?

I personally think that there is no reason to replace your fluorescents with Compact Fluorescsents. You're in good shape with the U/L listed original unit, which is pretty efficient.
If you're doing this to save electricity, Thanks
Does the aquarium run on a GFI?


[This message has been edited by electure (edited 08-04-2001).]

Compact fluorescents have a built in ballast.

Why change? Please see discussion elsewhere on cold cathode versus hot cathode.

These lights are probably on all the time. Hot cathode bulbs are more efficient.

Compact fluorescents have built in ballasts?

Are we talking about Edison base lamps? Yes, the ballast goes along with the base.
You do not wire in a separate ballast as with a long tube fixture.

DSpark
Compact fluorescents do not have built in ballasts. The downlight above me has 2 reactor ballasts and 2 PL-13 lamps.
The 10 I hooked up yesterday had electronic 2 lamp ballasts.
The Edison base retros here at the house can be separated by simply unplugging the lamp from the ballast/base combination.
Your statement is totally false.

[This message has been edited by electure (edited 08-08-2001).]

>The Edison base retros here at the house can be separated by simply unplugging the lamp from the ballast/base combination.
Some can, particularly the older models; some can't.

Can you provide a picture of a compact fluorescent which does not use an Edison base, that is, one for which you have to wire in the ballast?

More than happy to oblige, but I don't know how to post it, so I'll have to send it to Bill. (BTW, I did find one @ home that doesn't come apart from the Edison base).

Here you go:







[This message has been edited by Webmaster (edited 08-08-2001).]

Honest! We use these all the time! These were in my garage
Thanks to Bill, we can communicate it without 1000 words.

I thank you both. I've seen many variations of compacts (and circular) with Edison bases. This is the first I've seen compacts with wired ballasts. Are they hot cathode too?

Cool...you got your picture up!

All of mine on every post (except the violations photos) are x-ing out now ?!?!?!

Glad this one worked anyway...

Electure, These are the only kind I deal with. I have seen the Edison base compacts in Walmart and other hardware stores. I always considered them for the homeowner who wants to retro-fit a lamp in the livingroom or something.
DS, next time you are in a retail store or public building look up. 99% of installed recessed lighting since EPACT are just like Electure's posted photo.

Virgil,
"I'm not a bad man, just a very bad Wizard" (quoted from Oz)
Bill posted this for me. I took the path of least resistance. I deserve no credit.
I'm still fiddling with the method you sent me for posting images, but I'm not giving up....ever Thx