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I have four 4ft long single-tube fixtures sitting behind crown moulding around the perimeter of a 4ft x 8ft opening in my kitchen ceiling. The tubes are Philips Ultralume 3500 degree Kelvin. The fixtures themselves are cheap shop units I bought at HD about 4 years ago. Lately, the ballasts have started buzzing . . . . ALL of them.
The old ballasts are Advance R-140-1-TP. Concerned about noise, I purchased two MagneTek electronic ballasts (B240R120RH), each capable of driving two F40T12 tubes. I thought electronic ballasts shouldn’t buzz at all, both of these do.
I scrapped off some paint where the screw holds the ballast to the fixture to make sure I had a good ground, still buzzed.
I added a separate ground wire between the two fixtures, still buzzed.
I swapped the hot & neutral wires, still buzzed.
I tried different tubes, still buzzed.
Finally I decided to add some dampening material in the form of a bitumen pad that is approx. 1/16″ thick between the ballast and the fixture.This pad is about 2″ x 5″. I’m still able to make a good ground connection between the ballast and the fixture, as the lamps light. This is the only thing that has reduced the buzzing, but it’s still audible.
Am I mistaken in believing that electronic ballasts shouldn’t make any noise AT ALL? Is MagneTek a good brand? Should I go to an electrical supplier like Graybar, I do have an account there, and buy something else?
Any suggestions?
Replies
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I have four 4ft long single-tube fixtures sitting behind crown moulding around the perimeter of a 4ft x 8ft opening in my kitchen ceiling. The tubes are Philips Ultralume 3500 degree Kelvin. The fixtures themselves are cheap shop units I bought at HD about 4 years ago. Lately, the ballasts have started buzzing . . . . ALL of them.
The old ballasts are Advance R-140-1-TP. Concerned about noise, I purchased two MagneTek electronic ballasts (B240R120RH), each capable of driving two F40T12 tubes. I thought electronic ballasts shouldn't buzz at all, both of these do.
I scrapped off some paint where the screw holds the ballast to the fixture to make sure I had a good ground, still buzzed.
I added a separate ground wire between the two fixtures, still buzzed.
I swapped the hot & neutral wires, still buzzed.
I tried different tubes, still buzzed.
Finally I decided to add some dampening material in the form of a bitumen pad that is approx. 1/16" thick between the ballast and the fixture.This pad is about 2" x 5". I'm still able to make a good ground connection between the ballast and the fixture, as the lamps light. This is the only thing that has reduced the buzzing, but it's still audible.
Am I mistaken in believing that electronic ballasts shouldn't make any noise AT ALL? Is MagneTek a good brand? Should I go to an electrical supplier like Graybar, I do have an account there, and buy something else?
Any suggestions?