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I just replaced a ballast in a six foot light fixture and now, even though the lights work well, the fixture buzzes like a bee hive. I installed the ballast the hardware store recommended and I’m sure the wires are hooked up right. So what gives? It’s a weekend and I would rather not call my electrician for advice. He may not be so free with his advice next time.
Thanks for your help in advance.
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The buzzing in a fluorescent light fixture is usually caused by a poorly built or improperly mounted ballast.
Make sure that the mounting screws are tight. If there are isolation spacers, check them. You may need to try another ballast.
Also check to make sure that the fixture itself is not amplifying the sound. You may need to change the mounting of the fixture.
Barry
*DougLook on the ballast label. They come with different sound classifications. I have forgot, but I think that "A" is the quietest.
*Buzzing from a fluorescent ballast is normal. Manufacturers rate their ballasts for noise on a letter scale, usually A thru D, with A being the quietest and D the noisiest. F72's are usually rated C, which means they are noisy, and not recommended for residential applications. They should be ok for shop use, though, since there is usually some background noise in a shop that will override or cancel the ballast noise. F40's are the quietest (A), and HO's and VHO's are the noisiest, D. Also note that noise will vary from ballast to ballast, and can be exacerbated by loose mounting. If the old ballast wasn't as noisy make sure the new ballast is mounted tightly to the fixture. If the mounting is tight and the ballast is significantly noisier than the old ballast, I'd return it and ask for another one. If the noise is objectionable turn up the volume on the radio, turn on your dust filter, or convert to F40's, but recognize that buzzing from F72's is normal. Be glad you didn't put them in your kitchen!!
*Buzzing is normal for a ballast with transformers. Transformerless ballasts are quiet, but spendy and harder to find.
*Check the label to see if the ballast they sold you matches your lamps ("tubes"). If the ballast is for T8 lamps and you are using T12, or vice versa, you might get noise. Check everything else, too, for example, voltage, length of lamps (4-footer or 8-footer), type of lamp, and number of lamps. You mentioned your light fixture is 6-foot. That's a really unusual size. It's normally used only for high output lamps. If you purchased a ballast for standard lamps and are using it for high output lamps, you could get a buzz.
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I just replaced a ballast in a six foot light fixture and now, even though the lights work well, the fixture buzzes like a bee hive. I installed the ballast the hardware store recommended and I'm sure the wires are hooked up right. So what gives? It's a weekend and I would rather not call my electrician for advice. He may not be so free with his advice next time.
Thanks for your help in advance.