Any dimmers designed for a T5 fluorescent tube?

baby_frogmella

Hi
I'm about to buy a floor lamp which uses a 21W T5 fluorescent tube and was thinking of buying a dimmer switch such as [URL="http:////www.amazon.co.uk/Dimmer-Adjustable-Light-Control-Switch/dp/B003WQ59RI/ref=pd_cp_ce_1"]this[/URL] to enable dimming. But AFAIK that would severely shorten the life of the tube as dimmers aren't really supposed to be used with fluorescent lighting. Just wondering are there any dimmers which you can use with fluorescent lighting?
Cheers

ed110220

baby_frogmella wrote: »

Hi
I'm about to buy a floor lamp which uses a 21W T5 fluorescent tube and was thinking of buying a dimmer switch such as [URL="http:////www.amazon.co.uk/Dimmer-Adjustable-Light-Control-Switch/dp/B003WQ59RI/ref=pd_cp_ce_1"]this[/URL] to enable dimming. But AFAIK that would severely shorten the life of the tube as dimmers aren't really supposed to be used with fluorescent lighting. Just wondering are there any dimmers which you can use with fluorescent lighting?
Cheers

You can get a dimmable ballast for T5 fluorescent tubes. You would need to replace the existing ballast with this. I have only used the ordinary, non-dimming T5 ballasts and am not sure how the dimmer works with a dimmable one, but I think they are fairly expensive.

I found Ebay was the cheapest place I coluld find for fluorescent ballasts - people sell off one or two they have over from big electrical jobs I think.

Edit: you also need to use the right ballast for the wattage of the tube and whether it is HE (high efficiency) or HO (high output)... know this from using them as aquarium lamps.

Edit 2: that dimmer you listed definitely won't work with it, at best the lamp will refuse to switch on if its dimmed, at worst it will be damaged.

baby_frogmella

Thanks. Will i need something like this:
http://www.mr-resistor.co.uk/item.aspx?&t=555&r=597&i=5484&a=1

How easy would it be to change the existing ballast? Will i need a sparky? This is the lamp which i'm planning to buy:
http://www.diffractislamp.com/products

ed110220

baby_frogmella wrote: »

Thanks. Will i need something like this:
http://www.mr-resistor.co.uk/item.aspx?&t=555&r=597&i=5484&a=1

How easy would it be to change the existing ballast? Will i need a sparky? This is the lamp which i'm planning to buy:
http://www.diffractislamp.com/products

Yes, that's the sort of thing you'll need and you shouldn't need to hire someone to fit it. You will need a special dimmer for it though, and that's the bit I'm unsure of as I haven't used one. Maybe someone else here knows about them, but they work by altering the DC voltage so different from an ordinary dimmer I think.