My house built in 1998 has 2' preheat fixtures in two of the closets. Each fixture has a single F20T12/CW Alto. Here's the problem. When either fixture is switched on, it does absolutely nothing for at least 10 seconds (no end glow, no hum, NOTHING). After at least 10 seconds, the ends of the tube glow briefly and the lamp lights normally. The starters are Vemco FSV-2. My question is, can this be corrected by replacing the starters? I don't have any spares on hand so I wired in a cheap GE electronic undercabinet light to the fixture in my closet so I could actually see in there. I just want to make sure it's a starter problem before I buy new starters.

It looks like it...

Are the starters exposed (at least partially). If they are plastic or metal can with hole, check if lighting with a flashlihgt at the starter (plastic) or into the hole (metal can) wakes it up faster. If thats hte case you have "uncommon failure" but cool starters there - Ones that depend on external light to start

Didn't know starters could be sensitive to light, but I'll give it a shot.

Yes, the gas in the starters, especially Neon can be sensitive to light. Just change the starters.


Powell

Will do. Thanks!

Also some older starter designs used some radioactive aids. When these are getting really too old, the radioactive element may have decayed over time (depend on the isotope used and on it's dose) so, it's radiation become insufficient to start the discharge in the starter, so the starter need the external light instead. The extra time may then well be the waiting for the decay event to happen...

Anyway replacing the starters should solve the problem...

Swap the starter, I've seen this failure mode too except on F15T8. In fact I have a video of this (see the right lamp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz19czf1P24

I replaced the starters a few weeks ago and all has been going well.

Swap the starter, I've seen this failure mode too except on F15T8. In fact I have a video of this (see the right lamp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz19czf1P24

I think that the glow starter of internal starter HPS lamps, can also do this, as I've seen internal starter HPS lamps, that took a while to strike (In Rosh-Pina, I've seen last year an internal starter 70W HPS lamp, which during streetlighting turning on, I had to wait approx 2 mins until the glow starter fired and the lamp is lit. also, there is a 70W internal starter HPS in an AEG Minikoffer, which the starter takes many times to start the lamp, often its firing speed getting faster and faster toward striking the lamp).
I think that this caused by similar reasons.