T5 28W/54W Tube

Get complete new fixture for 54W tube.

Does T5HO contain mercury?

Lyn is right. The same size bulb will operate at nearly any current level if you have the correct ballast. Changing from a 28 Watt bulb to an High Output 54 Watt bulb will accomplish nothing without a change in ballast.

The lamp will operate a little hotter but the socket is probably the same socket used in all fixtures. Still, you may want to try one before you commit.

In general, the wattage is increased by increasing the arc (bulb) length and supplied lamp voltage (lamp voltage at about 10 volts per inch) at rated lamp current. If you double the lamp current you get High Output lamps. If you triple the current you get Very High Output lamps. Of course the electrode has to be beefed up with increased current or it will fail prematurely.

Messing with either lamp voltage or current, to change the wattage, requires a different performance level for a ballast.

You might consider buying the highest lumen output color for your 28 watt lamps. Colors are not all the same. You will pay a little more for a "designer color" but you will get more light output for the same 28 watts. It pays to read the catalog carefully.