Will a Florescent Tube work in any position?

[RonRock]

May be a stupid question, but I'd rather ask now than after I mount the fixtures. Can I mount them so that they run uphill on the raked part of a vaulted ceiling?

 

[EricS]

Yes you can,my neighbor has been using that set up and bulb life seems no better nor worse then any other set up.

 

[Norcal]

Yes there should be no problem, metal halide lamps are one type that one needs to be aware of position but florescent lamps do not unless you consider a CFL I have that is marked base down. Go for your plan.....

 

[kbs2244]

I have a shop light of 2 bulbs sitting vertical.
No problems after years of use.

 

[nehog]

Yes there should be no problem, metal halide lamps are one type that one needs to be aware of position but florescent lamps do not unless you consider a CFL I have that is marked base down. Go for your plan.....

Metal halide bulbs come rated for position, you can get base up, base down, horizontal, and universal (operates in any position). Most bulbs are marked, but sometimes you have to look at the number to determine which mounting is appropriate.

As Norcal says, florescent tubes don't care one bit.

 

[RonRock]

Cool guys. After giving it some thought I remember seeing florescent tubes in vertical fixtures. So as I started out it was probably a stupid question. Sometimes I put way too much thought into stuff.

But I did bump my post count. Not that that matters.

Cheers

 

[Provincial]

There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

If you ask a question, you are proving that you are wise enough to not think you know everything.

 

[pattenp]

Would a fluorescent tube standing vertical be brighter at the bottom end than at the top end? My thinking would be that since fluorescent lights use mercury vapor to excite the phosphor and with mercury having a high specific gravity the mercury vapor would be denser at the bottom of the tube than at the top because of gravity. This would cause the bottom end of the tube to glow brighter than the top end at least until the tube heats up.

 

[nehog]

Would a fluorescent tube standing vertical be brighter at the bottom end than at the top end? My thinking would be that since fluorescent lights use mercury vapor to excite the phosphor and with mercury having a high specific gravity the mercury vapor would be denser at the bottom of the tube than at the top because of gravity. This would cause the bottom end of the tube to glow brighter than the top end at least until the tube heats up.

Interesting idea, I'm going to apply for a federal research grant to determine if this happens, and how bad it really is... I figure a million or two should be about right?

 

[Richard Cranium]

nehog, you are too late, been studying this for the last 5 yrs and at 3.6 mil a year I figure in another 15 yrs or so I will have the answer...

 

[nehog]

Blast you Richard, but hope you find the answer sooner, perhaps even in 13 or 14 years!