How long ballast last

Water-damaged or faulty ballasts often struggle to regulate current. Your faulty ballast might have burned them all out! Your lights should consistently shine at the same brightness and hue. If you notice a variance in color, your ballast might be on the fritz and surging sporadic voltage levels to your bulbs. Remove the cover over your light and the bulbs themselves before examining your ballast for:.

If the plastic is bulging, your ballast is a goner. Very likely, energy overloaded it and damaged the box. Sometimes you have to crack the ballast open to see internal damage. If you see burn marks inside the device or on wires, replace it. If this is the case, you may need to replace your bulbs too. If you have an older magnetic coil ballast, it could be leaking oil and malfunction. Carefully clean the area before replacing it. Here are a few signs that your ballast might need replacing: 1.

Know if your light even requires a ballast. The first thing to check is whether the ballast casing is swollen. A swollen ballast is identified by looking at the plastic condition. If it is bulging out, then the ballast is damaged probably from energy overload, which damages the plastic box.

One opens up the case and looks for any burn marks. If present on the device or its wires, one should consider replacing it. In most cases of burn marks of wires and the case, the bulbs are likely to be damaged and need replacement.

One should check if there are any moisture traces. If present, water was the most probable source of damage to the ballast. When moisture is present in a fluorescent ballast, it leads to condensation, which causes corrosion on its interior parts. The other sign to look out for is oil leakage. For the older magnetic coil ballast, oil leakage is a malfunction. One should clean up the area and replace the fluorescent ballast in such a case. It mostly happens in the older magnetic fluorescent ballasts.

People start thinking of what might cause flickering in their bulbs, buzzing, delayed turning on, reduced light output, and inconsistent lighting levels. Fluorescent ballast may fail prematurely. All fluorescent ballasts come with their specified operating temperature range.

When the temperature is too high or too low, the ballast can burn and sometimes fail to start the lamps and bulbs. When moisture gets its way into an electronic ballast, it may lead to condensation, especially when combined with heat.

Such an environment eventually leads to corrosion of internal parts of the ballast. Some people opt for removing the case and clean the corroded part but returning the case is complicated.

To avoid such situations, one should consider replacing the ballast. To prevent corrosion from moisture congestion in the ballast, one should ensure their ballast is UL rated for moist and humid locations and have the ability to handle both high and low temperatures.

Some bulbs require specific fixtures and ballast, as some may carry more current than the bulb can hold. The following are essential things to consider when replacing fluorescent ballasts to prevent further damages:. One should ensure that the replacement ballast has the same ballast factors as the previous ones.

Ensure that enclosed fluorescent ballasts are protected from harsh weather, especially if installed outside. All ballasts and associated fixtures should be properly grounded.

Locate your ballast. Cut the hot and neutral wires. Cut the socket lead wires. Remove the ballast. Connect the input wires to the output wires. Cristiam Osazuwa Pundit. How do you change an electronic ballast? However, electronic ballasts can require replacement over time to keep the fixture working normally and safely.

Turn off the circuit breaker that supplies power to the fixture at the main electrical box. Remove the fixture cover's screws with a screwdriver. Visually locate the electronic ballast inside the fixture. Reem Tenhaaf Pundit. How much do electricians charge to change a light fixture? Carmenza Orient Pundit.

Can a bad ballast cause a breaker to trip? It's possible that the ballast has gone bad!! If the primary winding in the ballast goes bad they almost always trip the breaker , unless there is a fuse installed just ahead of the ballast. After checking all of the wiring, as you have been directed to do, the last chip is a bad ballast.

Lindy Malkorra Teacher. Why won't my fluorescent light come on? A dead fluorescent can be caused by lack of electrical power tripped breaker or blown fuse , a dead or dying ballast, a dead starter or a dead bulb s. Check for power first then the starter if applicable and then the bulbs. When all else fails, the ballast should be replaced. Rodolphe Kreisz Teacher. How does a ballast work? In a fluorescent lighting system, the ballast regulates the current to the lamps and provides sufficient voltage to start the lamps.

Without a ballast to limit its current, a fluorescent lamp connected directly to a high voltage power source would rapidly and uncontrollably increase its current draw.

Emilee V'Yun Teacher. How do you test a fluorescent starter? How to Test Fluorescent Starters. Turn the power off. Starters correspond to the wattage of the fluorescent bulbs they run.