Melted fluorescent light....

[stevo1210]

I was on the computer today looking through the badcaps forum when I smelt something funny. It smelt like someone cooking some fish so I first thought that some one may have spilt tuna or sardines or something around me.... I checked carefully and there want anyone around me or anyone eating fish related content.... also noticed the windows were closed as well.
I then walked across the room and smelt that side of the room and it smelt fine.... only my area smelt like burning fish.... then I ignored it for a while until it started smelling like burning plastic similar to the time I shorted my socket 7 motherboard years ago. I scrambled down looking at my tower and smelling it.... nothing was burnt even though the smell seemed to come from there.
I then hear my father complaining that something was on fire and melting. I dahsed downstairs and went into the kitchen and there it was.... one of the fluorescent lights was melting.... and very hot as well. It had been turned off when I got down there. He also noticed the strong smell but had a look around and didnt notice anything until he looked at the kitchen counter and it was dark.
Now thef luorecent light has beencompletely destroyed. The housing for the light has been melted and looks like dripped plastic. On the brighter side the kitchen cabinets didn't catch fire. The light is one of the small fluorescent ones people use under cabinets as display lights. The light housing is made by Crompton lighting Australia.... a well known good brand here in Australia. The original Crompton tube that came with the unit died last year so it got replaced with this crappy Chinese made tube/ bulb that was purchased about a year ago.
I don't know what could have caused this but I guess there may have been a short somewhere in the fluorescent tube.

Thanks.

[kc8adu]

Re: Melted fluorescent light....

looks like the ballast has no end of life detection.
a bad design and a junk tube.

[stevo1210]

Re: Melted fluorescent light....

replaced with this crappy Chinese made tube/ bulb that was purchased about a year ago.

I take that back because I asked my father today and he said he bought an original crompton bulb to replace the one that died a year ago. Aparently Crompton is the only manufacturer of this size of fluoresecent light here in Australia.

I also confirmed that it was a Crompton original tube today when I went to purchase a new tube. The new tube is identical in every way to the one that burnt up yesterday. Even the text is exact which definitely makes it a Crompton tube.

I am concerned that the new tube may suffer the same fate so to be sure, now I will have to replace the tube every 6 - 12 months.

I have to call Crompton soon and confront them about this issue.... seriously I don't think anyone would want thier house to burn to the ground if their tube suffered the same fate.

Thanks.

[kc8adu]

Re: Melted fluorescent light....

i would not only contact the mfr of the fixture but stop using it and any like it.
here we have the cpsc for things like this.your .gov may have a similar agency.file a report.

[zandrax]

Re: Melted fluorescent light....

As K8 already pointed out, the lamp isn't safe: there should be a starter with OVC protection and yours hasn't one, so the tube did overheat and burnt the plastic cover.
Try looking for a new lamp from reputable manifacturers, e.g. Osram, and discard those Crapton tubes.

Zandrax

[i4004]

Re: Melted fluorescent light....

when it comes to fluos, here's something interesting:
backlight of the philips lcd monitor i had was producing flicker on low values of brightness(i don't like higher values of brightness, don't like to stare at the bulb, so to speak) and this caused me headache.
the fluo bulb i have in hallway is something i cannot detect any flicker on(i use digital camera to establish this...i vary shutter speed and watch preview).


i didn't expect either: i didn't expect pwm controller(and whole backlight assembly) of that philips lcd backlight to be so crappy(although it was cheaper 19" model), and i didn't expect fluo bulb to be so good....

sold that monitor, it's crap for video anyway. laptops shouldn't be as affected, as you'll probably never keep them on such low brightness levels, because that would be too faint, even inside the house.
so it's laptop for reading, desktop and its crt for video.

[starfury1]

Re: Melted fluorescent light....

well not familiar with those things but obviously this is something that should not happen...mostly now whatever standards are suppose to be in place they are not followed like they use to be...basically any junk can come into the country.

the El-cheapo Tube may have been the fault I don't know.

but if it follows normal fluro's for 230VAC
you got a starter, ballast (inductor) heaters in the tube (ideally a PFC Cap)

what happens the starter fails and the tube heaters just sit there burning up...this looks like it might have been the case, As Zantrax said
(Go to your local fish and chip shop Stevo you bound to see fluro's in that state)
of course in normal size battens there is room around them so it far less likely anything like that will happen
(no idea on temps of either thought)

Quote Zantrax

As K8 already pointed out, the lamp isn't safe: there should be a starter with OVC protection and yours hasn't one, so the tube did overheat and burnt the plastic cover.

I am not sure what that is but yes a starter setup or sensing system that aborts after so many try's to shut the thing down is definitely what should be in place, as KC8 said too

KC8 is right it should be reported as its a fire hazard I think (to start with).

Unfortunately I don't know who you suppose to report stuff like that too but yes there should be some Gov agency

I would do as advised don't use any of the same type if they are liable to do this

It is possible the replacement even thought same type was not suitable for this use..but I don't know

Lastly if its 12 volt or something that uses inverter of some kind you would have expected proper safety aspects to be built into it.
(but of souse don't count on it)

Regardless, glad you posted on this stevo thanks

Cheers

[zandrax]

Re: Melted fluorescent light....

I am not sure what that is but yes a starter setup or sensing system that aborts after so many try's to shut the thing down is definitely what should be in place, as KC8 said too

Well, I simply said that a starter should have an overcurrent protection otherwise it may damage the tube, as it happened to Stevo's lamp.
As a comparison, the whole thing is as hazardous as crappy power supplies without protections and with bad caps - an harmful cocktail. So KC8's idea (reporting to national safety organization or, at least, local fire brigade) is good to me.
Last point: I wasn't told I'm as dangerous as antrax, at least until today. So, beware people, Z-Antrax is coming: keep windows and doors closed and do not open suspicious "Merry Christmas" letters in June

Zandrax (or Zantrax? Who never knows ... )