With the advent of smaller light fixtures, Sylvania developed the FBO31T8 fluorescent light bulbs for a variety of lighting applications. These have been particularly used in 2x2 fixtures where space is at a premium. Like most fluorescents, FBO31T8 fluorescent light bulbs are a great way to get a lot of light output with relatively little energy usage.  Compared to it's less efficient cousin, the FB40T12, the FBO31T8 is definitely an improvement which will save you money in the long run. You can tell the difference between a T12 and a T8 by measuring the diameter of the bulb. The FB40T12 bulb will be 1 1/2 inch in diameter, compared to 1 inch for the FBO31T8 light bulb.  The T12 is the standard cool white or warm white lamp that's been used in offices throughout the world.  As with all fluorescent bulbs, they rely on ballasts inside of the fixtures in order to make them work. Ballasts are available from Universal, Magnetek, Advance, Osram Sylvania, among others. Almost all fixtures for these bulbs come with ballasts already mounted and wired. The ballast is important because it is specific for each type of lamp.  You can't change from one type of fluorescent to another without changing the ballast in most cases.  On a rare occasion there may be a ballast that is made for several different types such as in the case of T8 lamps. Most of the time the ballast in the lamp are matched electrically and so it's good to make sure the ballast you have is the right one for the lamp you choose.

You can get these in almost any color you want including the more desirable full spectrum light.  The full spectrum has special phosphors that give it a similar color to daylight or natural sunshine.  These are also available in FBO31T8 fluorescent light bulbs.  It produces light the way our eyes naturally use it, giving better visual acuity and reducing problems like eyestrain.  But fluorescents can come in many other colors as well and are identified by their Kelvin temperature. By definition, virtually all are full spectrum in that they contain some of all colors in their spectral range. However, the term full spectrum is primarily used when referring to those lamps that fall into the white to blue/white color temperature range. Color temperature is measured by a term called Kelvin. 3000 Kelvin would be a warm tone color and 5000 Kelvin would be a white color. The standard T12 types of fluorescents don't always use these terms but sometimes are called by a certain color such as "cool white" or warm white" or "daylight".

There have been times when people have had a hard time finding these at their local supply house, but we keep plenty in stock so you will always have a good source to buy from, ServiceLighting.com. Use us for any type of light bulbs you have, but keep us in mind the next time you're looking for something that isn't all that common. And because the FBO31T8 is made by Sylvania, you know that you're going to get the best service from Sylvania's premier online distributor, ServiceLighting.com.  Having the light bulbs you need like this one make us special among others, we have the entire Sylvania catalog available to you.  That means you get the best quality light bulbs and the service to the door of your home or business.

Because it's still very pervasive in many office environments across the country, we make the FBO31T8 fluorescent light bulbs a substantial part of our offering. There will probably never be a time when these will not be in use. Remember that there are many types of fluorescent lighting, we describe some of the most common used in commercial lighting here.  Whatever type of fluorescent you choose or have, you will be saving energy while getting the most light you can for your money.  We have a large inventory of fluorescent bulbs for nearly every type of light fixture in the field.  If you need help identifying the bulb you have, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have.