20w tubes do they exist?

[Welshy]

Hi I gave just been looking for 20w t8 tubes and can't seem to find any that are not by hagen glo, I have read somewhere that fluorescent tubes wattage go up in size, now what this guys saying that a 24" tube is an 18w tube and not a 20 he argues it's just a gimmick, my question is is this true? Can I put a 18w tube in my 20w ballast ?

 

[BigJim]

Usually you can put a lower wattage bulb in a higher wattage fixture, but you'll be overdriving it, causing it to burn out faster. The difference between 18W and 20W is pretty insignificant. It could very easily be an advertising ploy that markets the high end of the ballast tolerance.

 

[Welshy]

Cheers Jim that's what I was thinking and for the price of an 18w store light it's got to be atleast worth a test over the £20 tubes labeled aquarium tubes

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Hi I gave just been looking for 20w t8 tubes and can't seem to find any that are not by hagen glo, I have read somewhere that fluorescent tubes wattage go up in size, now what this guys saying that a 24" tube is an 18w tube and not a 20 he argues it's just a gimmick, my question is is this true? Can I put a 18w tube in my 20w ballast ?

You can't really trade wattages on a florescent fixture. Lower wattage bulbs may work for a time, but will burn out quicker. Higher wattage bulbs generally won't start up. Either way the bulb and ballast can be damaged.

Now if your fixture has a starter (looks like a capacitor), you can switch the starter to fit your bulb.

Sent from my Epic 4G

 

[doogle]

i fried 2 all glass aquarium light strips(t-8) using a coralife 10,000k super daylight bulb, which shoulda worked fine...the a.g.a. light strips are electronic, so be careful with 'em. starters are worth the flicker and are $2 to replace. electronic ballasts have to be replaced if something goes wrong.