Can anyone tell me what is a ballast on a florescent lite & how to locate & fix it?

Question

Ok. I changed the bulbs, didn't help. One tube flickers about half lit, the other not at all. I was told the problem is probably the ballast. I'd prefer to fix it myself rather than whine to some man to feel sorry for me. Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi, and good for you! I changed mine by myself.The thing is,yours might or might not take a ballast. Your might use starters,and they look like little beer cans about one inch tall. First thing to do, if you can not unplug it, is buy an electrical tester. They are only about four dollars,so don't let anyone talk you into something more expensive,you don't need it. Always test to see current is off,even if you cut all the power off to the house!Test it first! Then you can take the bottom panel off(facing you) and see if it has a ballast. It would be in the middle,with wires connecting to it. It's black, and very,very heavy. I marked my wires when I took them off,with masking tape.Kind of a map, so I could remember how to put them back on, That might seem silly,but I know me,and I didn't want any wiring mistakes and a fire. Next, take it with you for a new one. Their very hard to get the right one, the new ones go by , watts, how many tubes in the light, how long the tubes are,all that stuff. You might need to ask,I did. Than just put it back in the way it came out.Also,when you turn off the breaker, tape the door to the box closed with a sign on the outside of it saying your working on it. Just to be safe,and only use a wooden ladder and wear rubber tennis shoes.#1 = BE SAFE! Bye P.S. don't take someone elses advice on what a ballast looks like,those are starters,and quite different!

Answer 2

It's inside the fixture. Turn off the switch or the breaker. Cut the wires close to the ballast so you have some slack to use for the new installation. Take the ballast out and bring it to the hardware store. Get a replacement. There is a diagram on the new ballast that will show you how to wire it in to the fixture. This can be a challenging project for a beginner. Make sure you buy some wire nuts. Follow the diagram exactly and good luck. It's not hard, but it can be confusing for a person who is not familiar with the process.

Answer 3

Why replace the ballast??

Replace the whole light fixture. You can buy a new one at Wal Mart for less than the cost of the ballast.

But if you really want to change the ballast follow these steps. <<<<>>>>> BUT BE CAREFUL you are dealing with electricity that can hurt or KILL you... MAKE sure there is no POWER to the fixture when you begin working on it...

1). Find the circuit breaker for the light and turn it off. You can leave the light on and flip breakers until the light goes out. Measure the voltage to make sure it is off. You will be measuring VAC which is Volts AC with a voltmeter. Yes a cheapy meter will work. If you see anything over 1 volt you have not disconnected power from the fixture.

2) Take down the fixture and you will see a black "box' looking thing inside the light with wires coming out of it. (YES its heavy) That is the ballast. Write down the part number of the bad ballast and find a replacement part. If you cannot find a replacement part then back to the top and replace the fixture...

3) OK ..Now you have the new replacement in HAND....Simply remove the old one (Sometimes you can replace the ballast without taking down the fixture depends on size and location.) but it is usually safer to replace it on the ground.

4) With the replacement ballast in hand note the wiring and replace same using wire nuts and black electricians tape to insure the wire nuts don't come loose....

5). Try the light on the ground and if it works rehang the light...Walla you are done....

Back to the above - It is easier and cheaper to replace the fixture. Less than 10 bucks for a whole new light including bulbs... Good Luck

Answer 4

These others are telling you what a starter is, not a ballast. The ball est is a heavy long oblong devise inside the unit. Take it apart after disconnecting it. Inside you'll find the ballast, there will be more then several wires to it. Disconnect these.
Take it to Home Depot or Lowes. You will find about 50 different kinds of ballast there, they're not cheap, some are over fifty bucks. Most are in the thirty buck range.

It's that simple, reverse the order of removal and your ready to go.

Mike above is right, why replace the ballest, you can get a cheap light fixture for less then one third the price of the ballest.

Answer 5

when you get your new ballast make sure you look at the ballast and it will run your bulbs you have there will be numbers on the ballast as well as the bulbs for example

on the bulb you will see something F410/wh42

not real numbers just made up but simalar will be on both
so when you go buy a new ballast make sure you know what bulbs you have your ballast could be real old and not made any more so you will need something to run you bulbs\

good luck

Answer 6

The ballast in most florescent lights look like a small silver device that is plugged into the unit by twisting it to one side. They're tube shaped, about and inch long, and 1 inch around and almost always silver in color. If you can locate this device in your fixture twist it to the right or left to remove it and take it to the hardware store to make sure you get the right replacement part. Good luck.

Eric
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Answer 7

Whine to some man? Then I hope some female electrician comes along to help you out. I won't bother.