[TheForge] heat-tracing flourescents? OT. Brainstorming here...

[wmullett at bright.net]

I would rather just replace the ballast and lamps.  The new ballasts will start at 0 F.

From: "Bruce Freeman" <FREEMAB at pt.fdah.com>
Date: Tue Feb 28, 11:13 AM
To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [TheForge] heat-tracing flourescents?  OT.  Brainstorming here...

All this discussion of lighting makes me wonder if I couldn't make my cheapie fluorescents more convenient by heat-tracing them.  They're already installed as swag lamps from switched sockets.  I could use the other socket in the pair for a strip heater of some sort, thermostated to go on only when it's below, say, 50F.  Then I could flip the switch, the strip heater would warm the bulb, the bulb would go on, and the strip heater would go off when it got to 50F.

Now the question is what sort of strip heater would do the trick.  I could use an ordinaray ceramic-cloth-insulated wired and a step-down transformer, but I'd still need a thermostat.  I'd prefer to just use a commercial device.  Anyone know of such a thing?  It would have to be narrow enough to be wrapped around the tube maybe once per foot of tube length, yet not block much light.  Else, it would have to mount on the top side of the bulb, removably.

Maybe it would be easier to use a higher-temperature wire strung well below the tube, and using a simple bimetallic switch thermostat mounted near the tubes.  

Any ideas, guys?

Bruce
NJ

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