I replaced the 4′ flourescent lights in the shop with some new 8’ers. These things buzz big time. Drives me nuts. It seems like one is louder than the outhers, so I swapped the ballast on that one with a ballast from an x-tra fixture wich is identicle. No change. Maby even louder. What causes this buzzing and how do I stop it?
BTW, Now Michale Jacksons people are saying that he REALLY enjoys the company of the twenty-eight year old. Why? you ask……
Cause theres twenty of them!
Ha! Ha! Feel free to throw out any good Michale I)icI(head jokes If you have one. Triggerski
Edited 1/30/2004 2:15:03 AM ET by Triggerski
Replies
Okay Triggerski,
I can't help you with your lights but, I do know when Michale Jackson goes to bed,
When the big hand touches the little hand.
LOL..... Thanks man. Thats funny stuff.
Triggerski.
8' fixtures are almost always commercial grade units. There are sound ratings. A to C if I remember right. You want 'A'. Most 8' are 'C'. Check the label on the ballast. They are not designed to be quiet.
You could replace the ballast with Class 'A' units or the very quiet electronic versions. These are much quieter but considerably more expensive. One of these units can often exceed the cost of the fixture you have now.
I have had some luck inserting rubber pads beneath the ballast and a washer under the mounting nut. This is a custom installation and requires a good bit of fitting to get right. I have also found that 8' fixtures hung from two fasteners leaves a large section of sheet metal free to vibrate. This can greatly amplify the noise. Creative use of additional fasteners and rubber or foam sheeting and washers can often make a considerable improvement.
Some care has to be used as these materials can increase any fire hazard if improperly used or placed. Especially near the ballast. Your call as to how far you wish to hang out there.
I found the real sorce by pushing and squeezing here and there. I then stratigecly applyed the proper shimmages. Much better now. Thankyou.
Triggerski
I'm sorry Triggerski,
Let me guess where you learned about pushing & squeezing.
I'd said I was sorry, It just set me to thinking!
Glad to hear your light problem worked out.
True story. My electrician gets home on a Friday night from a long day of work & the phone rings, Lady has a bathroom light fixture that is buzzing, sounds like some sort of short. He tells her to turn the light switch off to no avail, its still buzzing.
He tells her, Okay I'll come over & take a look. He gets there & finds a fly in the globe buzzing around. He gets it out, kills it & says that will be $80.00, next time you might try a exterminator. Yes he got the $80.00, hell a service call is a service call.
Have a great day.
PJE
You know Michale Jackson was kicked out of the cub scouts.
He was doing two packs a day.
Ballast are resonating. and the 8' channel of the light makes a perfect sound board.
Play time or all new llights. Some ballast aren't wound too tight and there's no hope otherwise.
Loosen the ballast or tighten. Pad or isolate them from the SM of the fixture. Make sure the bulb and ballast are matched up.
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
Ballast always vibrate anf hum,and get noisier when it vibrates the panel its attache to.
I would simply just press on varius part of the fixture and you will find the noise will change. Most of the time a shim of paper wedged somewhere will do the trick.
I had the same problem in my garage shop and swapped all of the old ballasts for electronic ones. Worked like a charm-no more buzz! Problem? The bulbs were less than compatible, and when it gets really cold they are just as unreliable as the magnetic ballasts (in my own limited experience). I am in the process of taking dow all of my 8' fixtures and replacing them with 4'.