Re: T5 florescents and Ultralux Ballasts

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Roger Miller asked Diana why she would choose T5s over PCs,
which got me thinking about the new HO T5s.

Standard T5s having nothing on PCs.  But the new HO T5s are
reportedly slightly more energy efficient and, therefore, a
resonable alternative to PCs.  The 4-footers are (rated) 54
watts and about 100 lumens per watt, depending on the make
and model, of course ;-).  Some sizes of HO T5 have a
higher Lumen per watt, most have less, closer to 90 or what
PCs have.

So if you paired two 4-foot HO T5s closely, you'd have the
equivalent in physcial layout of a pair of 55watt PCs laid
end to end.  You'd also about the same watts (108 for T5s
vs 110 for PCs), assuming you used appropriately matched
ballasts for each type, and you'd get about the same lumens
(about 10,000).  A tube of a 55watt PC is the same diameter
as a T5, it's just doubled over on itself.  I don't see
much diff in performance or space used.

The other big boast for HO T5s is that they are dimmable. 
I wonder if the filaments are different or if the same
things are possible with comparable diameter and similarly
power rated PCs?

I think T8s are supposed to be more energy efficient than
PCs or HO T5s, although they certainly ack less light into
a given space.

T8s can usually be found for less money than PCs, at least
if you shop for the 4-footers.  If you're aiming for about
2 watts per gallon, T8s make can often fit your space and
your needs, while being cheap to replace.

It's not clear to me if the Ultralux works well with the HO
T5s as well as "ordinary" T5s.  It's quite possible that
the voltage and current requirements are within the same
range, but then, the "German" style 55 watt PC is a bit
different than the "Japanese" style in terms of voltage and
current requirements.

I'm glad that lamp options are increasing, even it makes
things a bit more confusing than fluorescents already, and
inherently, are.

Scott H.

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