Take the old ballast with you to purchase a new ballast. He has professional experience in building, electrical,plumbing, woodworking, cabinetry and automobile restorations. Website operating Turn the power off and verify with a noncontact voltage meter.

Replace it with a fresh one. Fluorescent lights are filled with neon gas that, once electrical current is added, illuminates. Wiring. His work has appeared in both print and online publications, including "The American Chronicle."

Troubleshooting these fixtures falls into four basic categories -- power, bulbs, bulb retainers and ballast. Most fluorescent fixture covers snap on and off.

Read on to learn how to test and identify common causes associated with fluorescent lights that do not illuminate. Finally, remove the fixture cover and check for the presence of power at the fixture, with the light switch on. Set the ballast into the top of the fixture and secure the ballast with the retaining screws. The fixtures no longer require a separate starter to turn the fluorescent light bulbs or tubes on.

They all worked for several yea... Wiring a Light Switch in the Middle of a Ciruit, Fluorescent Garage Lighting: 3 Wiring Tips.

Match the wire colours from the ballast to the fixture and twist them together with plastic wire caps. Fixtures made since at least the year 2000 generally do not have a starter, just a ballast. When cutting the wires, cut them close to the ballast so that you will have plenty of fixture wire to connect the new ballast. If it does, use caution as you work. Do this by dipping a cotton swab in alcohol and scrubbing the contacts. Replace discoloured fluorescent tubes with new tubes when reassembling the fixture. If the tube is black or dark gray, then the light is broken and needs to be replaced. You'll need to remove the covering, the light tube and the socket in order to see the wires. FixItClub.com: "Fluorescent Lighting Repair". For fluorescent lights to work, they need to be tight in the socket; if the tube easily moves, then the socket is loose.

Press the starter in and twist to remove it and replace it with a new one.

Set the light tube off to the side. Press the starter in and twist to remove it and replace it with a new one. Fluorescent Light Repair: How to Replace... Fluorescent Light Repair: How to Replace a Socket. If the contacts on the outside are not oxidized, remove the socket and inspect the contacts where the wires connect, and clean them in the same manner. If the bulbs are all in working order, proceed to checking the bulb retainers. In the old days, magnetic ballasts were the standard. I have a four tubes fluorescent lighting fixture and it's not working. They are typically cylindrical and screwed into the fixture below one of the tubes. Check them by rotating the malfunctioning bulb into its clips; there should be a definite stop when the bulb's electrodes engage. Copyright© If the prongs of the socket are bent or broken, then you need to replace it. Bulbs are the most common problem with a bad fluorescent fixture. Press the new starter into the starter seat and turn clockwise until tight. All rights reserved. When the fluorescent light fixture needs to be repaired, it is most often the socket or the ballast that need replacing. Dr. Marvin Phillips, known affectionately as Dr. Phil, retired from the practice of pediatrics in 1999. Fluorescent light fixtures are commonplace in both residential and commercial settings. submitted to our "DoItYourself.com Community Forums". He currently is the CEO of a start-up ambulance service, and has been writing since college. If it is a two-bulb or four-bulb fixture, replace the pairing of tubes. DoItYourself.com®, founded in 1995, is the leading independent Check the continuity of each clip through the output wire of the ballast; if there is none, replace the clip. Install the fluorescent bulbs back into the fixture and reinstall the fixture cover. When the fluorescent light fixture needs to be repaired, it is most often the socket or the ballast that need replacing. Remove the light fixture cover and twist the fluorescent tubes out of the fixture. When... What type of light should I put over my kitchen sink? In time, fluorescent lights, their fixtures or other small parts will fail or work only sporadically. This can be an issue in older homes with fluorescent lights. This may be as simple as pressing up on the plastic, but it may involve removing several screws or clips. Disconnect the power to the light fixture. Some fixtures can be unplugged from the wall outlet. If any burn spots are present, replace the clips. Check for the presence of voltage with a non-contact voltage tester at each clip, with the power turned on. To ensure our content is always up-to-date with current information, best practices, and professional advice, articles are routinely reviewed by industry experts with years of hands-on experience.

Strip a half inch of insulation from the ends of the ballast wires. Remove the four screws that secure the ballast to the fixture with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Crawford holds an associate degree in business administration from Commonwealth College. Replace the socket cover and secure the cover with the retaining screws. Gently push on the tube. This can be an issue in older homes with fluorescent lights. Also, when poking around sockets or wires, use a voltage tester to make sure the electricity is off. You only need to remove a few screws and disconnect the wires. When the fluorescent light fixture needs to be repaired, it is most often the socket or the ballast that need replacing.

Pull the socket out of the fixture to access the wires. Some fixtures can be unplugged from the wall outlet. The fluorescent starter size is not universal. Slide the wire leads from the fixture on to the terminals on the new socket. They are typically cylindrical and screwed into the fixture below one of the tubes.

suggestions. Fluorescent light fixtures have evolved over the last few years. Turn the power back on to the fluorescent light fixture. Fluorescent light fixtures have evolved over the last few years. Remove the plastic wire caps that connect the fixture wires to the ballast wires. Remove the light fixture cover. The ballast ratings are stamped on the top of the ballast. Touch the socket and check to see if it is loose; if it is, correct it by tightening the screws. Replace the Starter. problems contact webmaster@doityourself.com. Fluorescent light bulbs have a typical lifespan of 8,000 to 15,000 hours, and ballasts often work for more than 50,000 hours. Use a noncontact voltage tester at the breaker box to check that the circuit breaker is on and that there is power present in the output wire from the breaker.

If there isn't, the clips are weak and need to be replaced. For fixtures that are hard-wired, turn the circuit breaker off inside the home electrical panel. You'll be able to easily spot either of these issues. Pull the wires off of the socket and take the socket with you to a hardware store to purchase a new one. If the problem is not the bulb, the starter, the connectors or wiring, and especially if the light fixture was humming the problem is probably the ballast. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. It is these magnetic ballasts that cause most humming sounds in a fixture, as well as the delay and flicker when a fluorescent light is turned on. Remove the four screws that secure the ballast to the fixture with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Very old fluorescent lights have a starter inside the fixture. Kenneth Crawford is a freelance writer with more than 10 years of experience.



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