I`ve got some floresant lites I can`t get to work.They are commercial type that fit in a 2 by 4 ft drop ceiling(4 bulbs,2 balust,don`t see a starter,don`t know how old they are ,I`d say bout 18-20 yrs old.I put a new bulb in an it just glows kinda low like you can see the gas flowing in it.
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I got some old lites from a dept. store and couldnt get them to work either. I looked at the ballast and found they were made for 3-phase commercial service.Check the ballast to make sure what voltage theyre made for.
Never seen a three phase floresent ballast. Single phase 277V is common for most comercial lighting,
Otherwise you are right, he should check the ballast voltage and make sure it is 120v.
My guess is (A) wrong ballast voltage,or (B) bad ballast.
Either way he can go to HD or Lowes and get two 120v ballast for T12F40 bulbls and just follow the wiring diagram on the ballast to make the conversion or repair.
Dave
Bill,
I have about twenty of them and probably replace a couple of ballasts each year. That is what it sound like.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
Assuming the ballasts are good and the units correctly wired internally I would think the most likely problem is:
1) Wrong input voltage. Check the ballast. There is a good chance there are multiple voltage leads. Some will take 120v, 240v, 277v and sometimes even 480v by just using a different lead. Read the label on the ballasts to see what they are hooked up for and what your options, if any, are.
2) Lack of a ground. Usually you can tell this is the case when the fixture jumps to life if you touch the fixture while it is powered up. Sometimes not. Install a verified good ground lead and give it a go. Solves a lot of cases.
3) Look for a starter. Little aluminum can. A lot of older units had them. Not much seen any more.
change the ballast
I was messin with the bulbs and had one about half way taken out and it did kinda lit up.Does that sound like a ground problem?Its coming off a 100 amp service in an old converted garage(a real rig job)There`s 5 floresent fixtures in the apartment and none of em work.Some hum when you power em up ,some don`t.
If it was only one fixture and it lit when you touched it I would say it was pretty likely a ground problem. Certainly making sure the fixture is properly grounded wouldn't hurt.
Seeing as that there is more than one fixture it more sounds like a mismatch between input voltage and what the ballast is designed to use. This seems the most profitable path to pursue.
Of course, as noted by another, one or more defective ballasts is a possibility.