Re: Fluorescent light question

Bill wrote:

> I think my best suggestion is to post with the group, rather than
> about the group, and you'll have less stress and reduce the length of
> threads you don't care for.
>
> Bill

I think my best suggestion is to ask you what in the hell you are talking
about.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

> Checked grounding this morning starting at
> the shop end and while I was at it went all
> the way through the house to the meter drop.
> All is solid.
>
>
> When I bought the place 20+ years ago, I
> got a 'wiring fault' error on a UPS. Found
> just one wire serving many rooms along the
> outside wall of the house wasn't grounded.
> Easy fix, but surprising all the same.
>
> If the lights hadn't been strange the beginning,
> I'd suspect the ballasts were old and tired by now,
>
> With a set of inside ones of different style and
> age that do the same thing, and another set that works fine,
> the mystery deepens.
>

Actually no. It seems to point to a wiring problem - either votage or
ground. It is very consistent. Back to the recommendations that have
already been made to you. The hardest part in troubleshooting this kind of
thing is sometimes the ability to ignore what you think you know, and simply
go back to the basics as if you didn't know...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

Keith Nuttle wrote:
> On 4/26/2012 12:33 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
>> The hardest part in troubleshooting this kind of
>> thing is sometimes the ability to ignore what you think you know,
>> and simply go back to the basics as if you didn't know...
>
> I can agree to that. I worked six months trying to solve a drain
> problem, and "Thought" I had checked everything. Then someone on this
> group suggested the sink overflow. It was plugged. When cleared
> everything worked normall

I remember that discussion, and I hate it - because my suggestions were
wrong!

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

Swingman wrote:
> On 4/26/2012 12:01 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
>
>> Now... not trying to put you on the spot Keith, but trying to ask a
>> real question... If you had called in a real plumber, or if you had
>> posted your question to a better group - does it not seem realistic
>> that you could have received an answer in shorter than the time
>> frame you experienced? That's not to put you on the spot by the way
>> - it's to suggest that it really is better to take questions to the
>> right forums, or the right research tools.
>
> Actually, and in theory, and IIRC, Doug Miller hit the nail on the
> head immediately ... it was indeed a "venting" problem ... sink
> overflow mechanism arguably being part of "venting" in a plumbing
> system. :)

Doug did hit it - but by the wayside. What Keith ultimately discovered was
only remotely related to Doug's post - if I recall correctly. And hell... I
seldom do that! It think it took a while to arrive at the overflow
suggestion. If I remember correctly - there was a ton of conversation and
contribution from a lot of us in that thread. My only point was that it's
better to go to more appropriate sources for various types of info. That
may offend the "capabilities" of some, but in the end, I think it's a better
approach.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

> Checked grounding this morning starting at
> the shop end and while I was at it went all
> the way through the house to the meter drop.
> All is solid.
>
>

Convince me. How did you "check" the grounds?

The only way I can think of - for sure - is to measure the resistance from
the fixture to some outside dirt.

On 4/26/2012 12:01 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:

> Now... not trying to put you on the spot Keith, but trying to ask a real
> question... If you had called in a real plumber, or if you had posted your
> question to a better group - does it not seem realistic that you could have
> received an answer in shorter than the time frame you experienced? That's
> not to put you on the spot by the way - it's to suggest that it really is
> better to take questions to the right forums, or the right research tools.

Actually, and in theory, and IIRC, Doug Miller hit the nail on the head
immediately ... it was indeed a "venting" problem ... sink overflow
mechanism arguably being part of "venting" in a plumbing system. :)

--
www.eWoodShop.com
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)
http://gplus.to/eWoodShop

Mike Marlow wrote:
>> Checked grounding this morning starting at
>> the shop end and while I was at it went all
>> the way through the house to the meter drop.
>> All is solid.
>>
>>
>> When I bought the place 20+ years ago, I
>> got a 'wiring fault' error on a UPS. Found
>> just one wire serving many rooms along the
>> outside wall of the house wasn't grounded.
>> Easy fix, but surprising all the same.
>>
>> If the lights hadn't been strange the beginning,
>> I'd suspect the ballasts were old and tired by now,
>>
>> With a set of inside ones of different style and
>> age that do the same thing, and another set that works fine,
>> the mystery deepens.
>>
>
> Actually no. It seems to point to a wiring problem - either votage or
> ground. It is very consistent. Back to the recommendations that have
> already been made to you. The hardest part in troubleshooting this
> kind of thing is sometimes the ability to ignore what you think you
> know, and simply go back to the basics as if you didn't know...

So - posting to my own post... I'm going to tell you that you should not
experience slow starts when temperatures rise to moderate levels. If you
are (as you say...), then you can look at 1) - your fixtures/balast, 2) your
voltage, 3) your ground. In short - what you are experiencing is not a
characteristic of fluroescent lights. If the discussion to date continues
to confuse you, then I suggest you call in an electrician.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

Keith Nuttle wrote:
> On 4/26/2012 12:33 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
>> The hardest part in troubleshooting this kind of
>> thing is sometimes the ability to ignore what you think you know,
>> and simply go back to the basics as if you didn't know...
>
> I can agree to that. I worked six months trying to solve a drain
> problem, and "Thought" I had checked everything. Then someone on this
> group suggested the sink overflow. It was plugged. When cleared
> everything worked normall

Now... not trying to put you on the spot Keith, but trying to ask a real
question... If you had called in a real plumber, or if you had posted your
question to a better group - does it not seem realistic that you could have
received an answer in shorter than the time frame you experienced? That's
not to put you on the spot by the way - it's to suggest that it really is
better to take questions to the right forums, or the right research tools.

So often we hear "I trust the folks here..." and like your experience, we go
on and on with lots of well intendend stuf that only results in months of
delay to get the answer.

So - why don't people just do some googles, subscribe to some more
appropriate groups, or just spend a few bucks if the problem is that
important to them?

I know - that's almost rhetorical. Sorry for that. Just seems that we can
spend too much time on too many things that just create nothing more than
long threads.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On 4/26/2012 12:33 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
> The hardest part in troubleshooting this kind of
> thing is sometimes the ability to ignore what you think you know, and simply
> go back to the basics as if you didn't know...

I can agree to that. I worked six months trying to solve a drain
problem, and "Thought" I had checked everything. Then someone on this
group suggested the sink overflow. It was plugged. When cleared
everything worked normall

On 4/26/2012 1:01 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:

> Now... not trying to put you on the spot Keith, but trying to ask a real
> question... If you had called in a real plumber, or if you had posted your
> question to a better group - does it not seem realistic that you could have
> received an answer in shorter than the time frame you experienced? That's
> not to put you on the spot by the way - it's to suggest that it really is
> better to take questions to the right forums, or the right research tools.
>
> So often we hear "I trust the folks here..." and like your experience, we go
> on and on with lots of well intendend stuf that only results in months of
> delay to get the answer.
>
> So - why don't people just do some googles, subscribe to some more
> appropriate groups, or just spend a few bucks if the problem is that
> important to them?
>
> I know - that's almost rhetorical. Sorry for that. Just seems that we can
> spend too much time on too many things that just create nothing more than
> long threads.

I think my best suggestion is to post with the group, rather than
about the group, and you'll have less stress and reduce the length of
threads you don't care for.

Bill

Keith Nuttle wrote:
> On 4/26/2012 12:33 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
>> The hardest part in troubleshooting this kind of
>> thing is sometimes the ability to ignore what you think you know, and simply
>> go back to the basics as if you didn't know...
>
> I can agree to that. I worked six months trying to solve a drain
> problem, and "Thought" I had checked everything. Then someone on this
> group suggested the sink overflow. It was plugged. When cleared
> everything worked normall

Glad to be of service. One of those little tidbits of experience that
is useful maybe once in a lifetime.

--
G.W. Ross

A good pun is its own reword.