lighting help please

I have a 48 watt current compact flouresent light fixture,i want to replace the bulb,but all i can find locally is 65watt(same connector and length).Can i put a 65 in a 48 watt fixture?Will it hurt anything?

 

I know nothing about pc lighting so I can't say if it would hurt anything. IMO it would be like putting a 95w vho in a fixture with ballasts rated at 30w. They'd light up but not efficiently and all of the gases wouldn't be burning so the spectrum would be way off. That's my guess.

 

I probably know even less about em!lol,but thats sort of what i was thinking,they wouldn't run at full wattage and that would throw the spectrum off or they'd be way dimmer.So thanks for reasuring me,i guess i'll just have to order one online. :-/

 

Well, what kind of socket does the PC fit into? Does the socket have a rating on it?

I ask because on normal bulb sockets, they have a rating of, let's say 45 watts. You can put a 60 watt bulb in there, but it becomes a slight fire hazard because of heat built up in the socket from electrical resistance.

 

Good question,i'll check the sockets rating for watts,but if it's under 65 watts,then i'm not gonna chance it,cause i'm also concerned about the ballast overheating.Thanks for your advice as well.