Oily one

[wyreman]

Why do really old fluor lamps seem oily ...
Like when you demo an old t12 fixture?
Always wondered

Not pcb ballasts, the lamps- even old t8s

Must be some kind of charge

 

[JFletcher]

I thought the older ones, even non-PCB, had oil in the transformer/ballast.

 

[GoldDigger]

My guess is that it is a sign of how the air circulates around the tubes and dust, oils, and other atmospheric contaminants collect on the surfaces.
Possibly the adhesion of the material is related to the temperature of the bulb surface.
I have seen similar "oily", "dirty" films on very old incandescent bulbs in open fixtures too.

 

[rt66electric]

if you change enough bulbs..............

if you change enough bulbs..............

I can't describe how,but

I can usually tell how old a bulb is by feeling the bulb...

sometimes it is a greasy feel.
sometimes it is a oily feel
sometimes it is a squeaky sound made while rubbing them
or looking at the globs of mercury rolling around.

new ones squeak better.

I know this bulb is over 8 years old.... because only "Joe" put that brand in... He died five years ago

The customer says "I put new bulbs in, must be the ballast" , but I say they were old used bulbs ,and , then put new ones in, and it works..

 

[brantmacga]

I know this bulb is over 8 years old.... because only "Joe" put that brand in... He died five years ago......

We have a guy in town that actually has his company name printed on the lamps.

I've replaced a looooot of his stuff over the years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hbiss]

They used to use a silicon coating that felt oily to keep condensation and humidity from affecting starting. You were cautioned against washing the tubes to remove dirt because it would remove the coating and they might not start. I have even cured starting problems once or twice by re-coating with a silicon spray.

-Hal

 

[dmxtothemax]

the voltage charge on the outside of the tube may attract oil particules
sort of like static cling attracting dust ?

 

[steve66]

It could be from the wax or epoxy type stuff they use to encapsulate some of the parts, or the entire ballast.

Even on new ballasts, they tend to dip circuit boards and coils in a wax or some other substance. Maybe it increases the inductance of the coils, or maybe it just keeps them from vibrating or humming.

 

[CJW66]

Why do really old fluor lamps seem oily ...
Like when you demo an old t12 fixture?
Always wondered

Not pcb ballasts, the lamps- even old t8s

Must be some kind of charge

If its not from the ballast, its probably just Nicotine! No joke...lol

 

[readydave8]

They used to use a silicon coating that felt oily to keep condensation and humidity from affecting starting. You were cautioned against washing the tubes to remove dirt because it would remove the coating and they might not start. I have even cured starting problems once or twice by re-coating with a silicon spray.

-Hal

Like at auto parts store? Or a certain type of silicon spray?