Actinic lamps and neon tubes
The average life of a lamp is 9,000 hours.
However, the luminous flux of an actinic lamp gradually decreases.
Useful life is the number of hours after which a lamp emits only 80% of its luminous flux.
This is 5,000 hours (6 to 7 months), which is the recommended period from which a lamp should be
replaced to maintain optimum efficiency.
The characteristics of the lamps and tubes used by BRC are as follows:
• Soft blue light
• Very high UV radiation: peak at 368 nm (wavelength to which the eyes of flying insects are sensitive)
• Low heavy metal content (RoHS)
• European know-how and manufacturing
• Reference brands: Philips® and Sylvania®
Anti-splinter insect killer tube:
Optional or standard, high-quality “anti-splinter” Teflon® (PTFE) sheaths prevent
any risk of flying glass shards while maintaining the intensity of the light.
96.5% transmission of UVA rays (and 89% of UVC rays)
-> High resistance to extreme temperatures (+ 200° C) and aggressive environments
-> Lifespan of UVA lamps: 1 year
-> Elimination of risks of glass and mercury contamination and risks of injuries
-> HACCP recommendations to avoid splashes in food areas.
How to choose your actinic tube or lamp?
The recommended power in Watts is calculated in relation to the surface area of the room.
Value scale: 20 watts = 50 to 60 m2
Choosing an actinic lamp or a tube?
Economical and easy to replace, the lamps are equipped with an electronic ballast.
The tubes are powered by ferromagnetic ballasts, ensuring reliability and performance.
Other uses:
Diazo printing machines, photopolymerization, chemical processes, mineral detection, various technical applications
The ballast?
A ballast is an electrical component that provides the voltage needed to light the lamp or fluorescent tube while reducing the current in the electrical circuit.
There are 2 types of ballasts: electronic and ferromagnetic.
The table below describes the advantages and disadvantages relating to their properties.
| Electronic ballast | Energy saving | Fragile components with low resistance to voltage variations. Limited lifespan (between 5 and 6 years = 50,000 hours). |
| Ferromagnetic ballast | Durable components resistant to electrical disturbances. Long service life (between 10 and 15 years = more than 87,000 hours). | Energy consumption. |
CELMA, the Federation of National Manufacturers' Associations of Luminaires and Electrotechnical Components for Luminaires in the European Union, has established the following classification of general ballast types (simulation below for a 36 W tube):
| Class | Description | System power |
| B2 | Low-loss magnetic ballasts | < 43 W |
| B1 | Very low loss magnetic ballasts | < 41 W |
| A3 | Electronic ballasts | < 38 W |
| A2 | Electronic ballasts with reduced losses | < 36 W |
| A1 | Dimmable electronic ballasts* | < 38/19 W (at 100% - 25%) |
* Meeting the following requirements:
- at 100% luminous flux setting, the ballast meets at least the requirements of class A3.
- at the 25% luminous flux setting, the total input power is equal to or less than 50% of the power at the 100% luminous flux setting.
- the ballast must be capable of reducing the luminous flux to 10% or less of the maximum luminous flux.