My helper got freaked out today.....

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ultramegabob

ultramegabob

Senior Member
Location
Indiana
He was installing plastic sleaves on 8' t-8 fluorescent tubes and then installing them into strip light fixtures. The fixtures were not energized, but every time he installed one, he said the lamps flashed and he kept on insisting that I had the breaker turned on or somthing was wired wrong until I showed him that the wires were not even landed in the panel, so I went down and watched what he was doing, and he wasnt making it up, every time he installed one it flashed, I finally determined it was static electricity causing it, the friction of sliding the plastic tube onto the lamp and then touching the fixture was making it flash, and the area he was working in was pretty dark, so it was more noticable....
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
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Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
ultramegabob said:
I finally determined it was static electricity causing it, the friction of sliding the plastic tube onto the lamp and then touching the fixture was making it flash, and the area he was working in was pretty dark, so it was more noticable....
Click to expand...

That was my guess. Rub a fluorescent tube against your clothing at night in the winter and watch it glow.
 
S

scrooge

Member
Location
Texas
Last month.

Last month.

ultramegabob said:
He was installing plastic sleaves on 8' t-8 fluorescent tubes and then installing them into strip light fixtures. The fixtures were not energized, but every time he installed one, he said the lamps flashed and he kept on insisting that I had the breaker turned on or somthing was wired wrong until I showed him that the wires were not even landed in the panel, so I went down and watched what he was doing, and he wasnt making it up, every time he installed one it flashed, I finally determined it was static electricity causing it, the friction of sliding the plastic tube onto the lamp and then touching the fixture was making it flash, and the area he was working in was pretty dark, so it was more noticable....
Click to expand...

Ditto.....
 
mikeames

mikeames

Senior Member
Location
Gaithersburg MD
Occupation
Teacher - Master Electrician - 2017 NEC
Put one in a microwave and watch it light up, neat experiment. Not a 4' lamp but a 12" lamp is possible.
 
S

sparky76

Senior Member
Location
So Cal
Sounds cool...until it explodes or damages micro. Try a CD also...its a neat lightning show. Better to try it in someone else's micro.
 
G

got_nailed

Member
Put 3 hot dogs in there in a triangle. Give about a forth inch between the ends. A small cup of water helps and nukes it for 3 min. Lots of sparks but the cup of water makes it safe for the nuker.
 
Mr.Sparkle

Mr.Sparkle

Senior Member
Location
Jersey Shore
petersonra said:
he probably would go ape if he had one under a high tension line.
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When I was a kid my uncle brought me out to the lines behind his property at night with a bunch of tubes under his arm and all I was thinking was "What are we doing?"..........what followed was one of the weirdest and most interesting things I have ever seen.
 
C

charlie k.

Senior Member
Location
Baltimore, Md.
Many years ago I had 2 8' tubes taped to the ladder rack on the van. It was early in the morning and the boss called me on the 2 way radio. Every time I would key the mike to talk to him I could see a glow above the van.
 
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scrooge

Member
Location
Texas
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... ......

charlie k. said:
Many years ago I had 2 8' tubes taped to the ladder rack on the van. It was early in the morning and the boss called me on the 2 way radio. Every time I would key the mike to talk to him I could see a glow above the van.
Click to expand...

Used to hold a F40 to a CB antenna at night. It would glow when someone keyed the mike, also.
 
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