What Is A T8 Fluorescent Lamp

An electric current in the gas excites mercury vapor which produces short wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor coating on the inside of the lamp to glow a fluorescent lamp converts electrical energy into useful light much more efficiently.

What is a t8 fluorescent lamp. T8 fluorescent lamps are available with a variety of rated light output values. A common t8 bulb is the f32t8 which uses 32 watts of power. A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a low pressure mercury vapor gas discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. Philips 32 watt alto linear t8 u bent fluorescent tube light bulb cool white 4100k model 434514 9 85 9 85.

The most commonly available is the t8 bulbs. Fluorescent t8 bulbs have continued growing in popularity since they were brought to the united states in 1981 and have now become the standard in building construction. The t8 bulb s lifetime can exceed that of the t12 while using less energy. The other common lamps are the larger t8 eight eighths inch 1 and t12 twelve eights inch 1 tubes.

Set your store to see local availability add to cart. Limited testing by nlpip found differences between rated and measured light output values. The amount of light generated by 32 watt t8 fluorescent lamps varies considerably from one lamp model to the next and from one manufacturer to another. Tube lights under 1800 lumens require fewer watts than t8 lamps that product over 2000 lumens.

The wattage for led tube lights varies depending on light output as well. The t12 is 1 5 inches in diameter and the t8 is 1 inch in diameter. The t12 runs on a magnetic ballast and a t8 operates on an electronic ballast. Additionally the t8 uses an electronic ballast that is more energy efficient than the t12 magnetic.

These are the basic different characteristics of each different fluorescent lamp type that is most commonly used in offices and commercial industrial lighting all across the world. Lamps are typically identified by a code such as fxxty where f is for fluorescent the first number xx indicates either the power in watts or length in inches the t indicates that the shape of the bulb is tubular and the last number y is the diameter in eighths of an inch sometimes in millimeters rounded up to the nearest millimeter. This type of fluorescent tube lighting is the most popular because of its high cri and many color temperature options. For fluorescent bulbs the number after f tells you how many watts.

A f17t8 is a 17 watt fluorescent t8 lamp. Even if rated and measured light output values were the same the uncertainties of approximately 1 to 2 would blur the differences between models with similar values of rated. The t12 is an older generation fluorescent bulb that generates light through electromagnetic induction which is considered less efficient method of creating light compared to that of newer electronic based circuits.