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OT Compact florescent light bulb ballast reuse/recycle

R

robert casey

Jan 1, 1970
0
Many times, the part that fails on a bad CFL is the florescent bulb
itself, and the electronic ballast is still good. It turns out that
these ballasts (from CFL's that consume 15 watts off the line, not the
equivalent incandescent bulb wattage) will be quite happy driving a
regular florescent tube, specifically a F15T8. The kind found in
kitchen countertop fixtures, or desk lamps.

You can usually tell a CFL with a bad bulb if the bulb ends are
darkened, both or just one end. Usually the filament inside one of the
ends went open. Carefully break the glass bulb (place inside a plastic
bag, and break the glass tube. Do it outside. After you break off as
much as you can get from the rest of it, throw the plastic bag with the
glass fragments and other toxic waste away in a reasonable manner. Then
carefully break open the plastic shell around the electronic ballast
(those of you who have cracked open wall warts know what to do) by
slowly squeezing it in a vise until you can get a screwdriver in there
to pry it further apart. Keep track of where the florescent bulb's
filaments connected to on the board inside. Unsolder the wire inside
the tip of the screw in Edison base. Getting at the other wire that
connects to the screw shell may be a little hard unless you destroy the
plastic shell (have at it!). You want to keep track of where the
powerline connects to the ballast board.

Unlike a magnetic ballast, the wires that connect to the bulb's
filaments must be kept separate from the powerline wires. With that in
mind, connect the filaments to the corresponding points the old CFL bulb
was connected to, and the line to the same points the powerline did
connect to. Exercise care as you're playing around with high voltages.

Once you are satisfied that it works, then you can package the
electronic ballast to fit inside the housing used for the F15T8
florescent tube, to replace the hot and hummy magnetic ballast.
 
P

petrus bitbyter

Jan 1, 1970
0
robert casey said:
Many times, the part that fails on a bad CFL is the florescent bulb
itself, and the electronic ballast is still good. It turns out that these
ballasts (from CFL's that consume 15 watts off the line, not the
equivalent incandescent bulb wattage) will be quite happy driving a
regular florescent tube, specifically a F15T8. The kind found in kitchen
countertop fixtures, or desk lamps.

You can usually tell a CFL with a bad bulb if the bulb ends are darkened,
both or just one end. Usually the filament inside one of the ends went
open. Carefully break the glass bulb (place inside a plastic bag, and
break the glass tube. Do it outside. After you break off as much as you
can get from the rest of it, throw the plastic bag with the glass
fragments and other toxic waste away in a reasonable manner. Then
carefully break open the plastic shell around the electronic ballast
(those of you who have cracked open wall warts know what to do) by slowly
squeezing it in a vise until you can get a screwdriver in there to pry it
further apart. Keep track of where the florescent bulb's filaments
connected to on the board inside. Unsolder the wire inside the tip of the
screw in Edison base. Getting at the other wire that connects to the
screw shell may be a little hard unless you destroy the plastic shell
(have at it!). You want to keep track of where the powerline connects to
the ballast board.

Unlike a magnetic ballast, the wires that connect to the bulb's filaments
must be kept separate from the powerline wires. With that in mind,
connect the filaments to the corresponding points the old CFL bulb was
connected to, and the line to the same points the powerline did connect
to. Exercise care as you're playing around with high voltages.

Once you are satisfied that it works, then you can package the electronic
ballast to fit inside the housing used for the F15T8 florescent tube, to
replace the hot and hummy magnetic ballast.

From the CFLs I dissected so far I never needed to break the glass. I always
opened the plastic shell and removed the tube as a whole. Nevertheless toxic
waste of course. AFAIK the power requirements of the classic tubes do not
meet the wattage of the energy saving bulbs. I nevertheless replaced a
classic, bad functioning ballast of a 22W circline by a 20W electronic
ballast from a energy saving bulb. Perfect performance for over two years so
far.

petrus bitbyter
 
J

James Sweet

Jan 1, 1970
0
From the CFLs I dissected so far I never needed to break the glass. I
always opened the plastic shell and removed the tube as a whole.
Nevertheless toxic waste of course. AFAIK the power requirements of the
classic tubes do not meet the wattage of the energy saving bulbs. I
nevertheless replaced a classic, bad functioning ballast of a 22W circline
by a 20W electronic ballast from a energy saving bulb. Perfect performance
for over two years so far.

Fluorescent bulbs tend to be very tolerant of being run out of spec, you can
usually go as far as +30%/-60% without serious life reduction. You do need
to be careful not to run them too low to assure proper cathode heating
unless the ballast provides cathode current, which most cheap electronic
types don't.

Most CFL ballasts as well are the cheapest of cheap, low power factor, and
often low reliability, but if you can make one work for you, go for it.
 
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