Many people have different reasons for using high output fluorescent lighting in their homes and offices. Some prefer the hip and trendy industrial look of fluorescent lights while others prefer the brightness from the high-output fluorescent bulbs.
“HO” or High output fluorescent lights provide more light than the standard fluorescent lamps. The high output lamps have the same diameter and length as standard fluorescent lamps but produce more light. They are ideal for workshops, commercial buildings, kitchens, and bathrooms.
A standard fluorescent tube operates at 430 mA; however, a high output lamp uses 800 mA, and some even use 1.5 Amps. The power level will vary between 33 and 82 watts per meter of tube length.
High output fluorescent bulbs are cylindrical glass tubes containing a small amount of mercury and filled with argon, xenon, neon, or krypton gases. The tubes are coated on the inside with phosphors. The electrical current passes through the lamp which excites the gases which produce the ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light is absorbed by the phosphor coating on the tube and is redistributed as visible light.
The brightness and the color of the light are mainly determined by the temperature, and the chemical used when creating the phosphor coating.
Fluorescent lamp colors such as “cool white” and “warm white” are produced with halophosphors coating the inside of the tube. Other colors are produced by an adding a coat of tri-phosphors or rare-earth phosphors over a layer of halophosphors, or it can be used alone.
Because of the way fluorescent lights works, they do not use as much electricity as incandescent lights. The high outputs fluorescent lamps are high efficiency, rare-earth phosphors that produce more light than the older phosphor lamps.
High output fluorescent lights can easily brighten a space. They are available in different lengths and diameters and have a longer lifespan than incandescent lamps.
