What does it mean when one side of a flor. fixture won’t light ?
Both bulbs work in one side but not in the other!!??
Que pasa??
Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
What does it mean when one side of a flor. fixture won’t light ?
Both bulbs work in one side but not in the other!!??
Que pasa??
Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
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Replies
Oxidation on the tomb stone and / or bulb contacts... Spin the bulb in the sockets to clean the contacts.
Oxidized snap wire connection on the base of one or more of the tombstones... More cleaning.
Ballast out put low or marginal.... Change ballast.
Tube heater output low... One end of the bulb blackened??? New pair of bulbs.
Bulbs not matched... Change both bulbs.
One or more items at the same time.....
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
Instand Start? Rapit Start? CFL?
4ft, 8f, or other?
Magnetic or electronic ballast?
With out all of the answers the most common problem is that you are not making good coontact at the ends.
But if you can get BOTH bulbs to work on one side what more do you want <G>?
It means its broken and you need to buy a new one... : ) cheaper than buying a ballast and changing it out. Ace hardware store frequently has 4' 2 bulb flourescent fixture with bulbs for around $20.00 or less. use them for shop lights they last a few years then die.Then i go get a new one.
There are a few explanations. Some have been covered but IMHO the most common cause is that the preheat filaments have burned out on the dead ends. This isn't uncommon. Likely if you replace the lamps, tubes, everything will be back to normal. Go ahead and replace both tubes.
In a pinch, to get the fixture to work for a few days longer but only until you can get the new tubes, you can sometimes flip the lamps end for end. Don't let the lamps go too long burnt. This can make the ballast continuously try to start the arc and this can overwork the ballast and make a $8 lamp replacement into a $45 ballast replacement. Of course you would still have to replace the lamps so timely maintenance can save time and money.
Guess what it was!!!
tried cleaning the contacts and made sure all the connections were good. No luck.
Took out the ballast to get a new one.(It looks ancient)
took a close look at the ballast to see the specs for a replacment.
Lo and behold there is a wiring diagram embossed into the casing.
So natch I check it out and HMMMMMM!
This is not the way it was put together before!!???
Maybe if I hook everything up the way its spodabee, both bulbs will light.
Well I'll be dipped in dog doo-doo!!!
It works fine now!!
Cancel that trip to Blowes tonight.
The previous owner of my house is a VP for a BIG commercial roofing co. and everthing that I have had to fix with this house was some thing he "fixed"!!!!Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
Good for you.
Always pays to check the basics first. It is often cheaper to replace the fixture than replace the ballast. Especially if the fixture is old and has other worn components.
Thanks for posting back. Too often speculations are made as to the problem. Advice is given to correct the suspected problem and then no word comes back as to the result. Hearing back lets us, I speak only for myself, improve my diagnostic and writing skills.
4Lorn1, tell me one thing. In general, is it better to replace both tubes regardless?
Thanx.
Tom
Ehyep
SamT
I always replace both tubes at the same time. Tubes are a lot cheaper than ballasts so anything that takes a strain off of the ballast, worn tubes can cause the ballast to continuously try to start the arc that makes these beasts run, is IMHO a good idea. Replace both tubes and you should, assuming the ballast and tombstones are sound, be good to go for another five years.
General tip for florescent fixtures: It pays to make sure the fixture is grounded as this makes starting the arc/s much easier. Sometimes fixtures that will not start reliably, particularly in cooler weather, can be made reliable by just grounding the fixture.
Thank you for your thorough explanation as usual.
Thank you you too SamT.
Tom
Thanks for the tip. I had no idea the ground wire did anything for starting.
I always hook them up, but just figured they were a safety and nothing more.