i notice that flourescent tubes located next to large air conditioner vents start to dim and striatewhen the air conditioner comes on,however when the air conditioner goes off the tubes return to a normal state of opperation.

im guessing the cold draft blowing directly on the tubes causes this am i right?

yes

I find the Philips lamps I got recently striate a lot when new and cool, especially on electronic ballasts. I have a fixture in the garage at home that does this nicely.Tubes are made in Indonesia.

I never noticed cool temp striations back before watt-saver fluorescents came out. Back when the 7-11 near my house changed their outdoor F96T12s from 75W to 60W, they would striate and flicker like crazy at night.

I've noticed that normal wattage F96 (75w) on series ballasts will flicker badly when located near AC, but no striations.

i refering to the fact that flourescent tubes dont opperate well in cold enviroments.

VHOs usually do I believe

My newer F96T12 8' 2-lamp fixture in my garage also has a series ballast but doesn't flicker in cold weather (using 75w lamps). But, I've seen many of these types of fixtures that flicker noticeably in cold temperatures.

When I tried 60w lamps, striations were always present and never went away. Econowatt type lamps are awful. They only light without striations at 65 degrees and above (and even then, after a few minutes of being on). Electronic ballasts seem to do better with them but often still don't eliminate the striations.

Fluoros are quite sensitive to temperature. They are designed for quiet air operation, so here they lost their temperature. Put a cover or another shied.

Fluoros are quite sensitive to temperature. They are designed for quiet air operation, so here they lost their temperature. Put a cover or another shied.

Thanks Medved!