Such bulbs aren’t cheap either and no fluorescent fixture appreciates constant ON-OFF usage. In our small laundry room we had a double Circline fluorescent fixture which worked okay, yet it needed periodic bulb replacement. The cost of new ballasts vs substituting LED 4 ft bulbs in the same fixture (minus the ballasts).Īre the LED bulbs as bright and at a COOL WHITE color of about 3000K temperature, anything higher and it would be unpleasantly going towards daylight. Why would these work one day and then fail the next? The others are consistently dead.Ĭould there be a contact cleaner issue on the socket ends? The bulb’s pins are obviously new. The next day only one started up and that is now working consistently. I turned them off for a few minutes to confirm all is well. When I installed the lamps (while hot) some didn’t want to light up until I found a particular rotating location. Three had worked before this exchange but colors weren’t identical. I replaced all four with Home Depot matched bulbs. Our bathroom has four foot size fluorescent lamps over a large mirror. Thanks as always for reading, watching, and being part of our awesome community. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to help. If you’re doing a bathroom remodel and need help, join one of our online courses – they’ll make your bathroom renovation much easier!
If you’re installing other electrical devices we have several tutorials on how to wire a light switch, how to wire a dimmer switch, and how to install GFCI outlets in bathrooms. Rightfully so, too!! But I like saving money for the grocery list that seems to grow every week. Years ago I paid our electrician to do a similar fix at a rental and this is how much the fee was. If you can change out a light switch or outlet you can definitely replace an old ballast that doesn’t work.Īs I said in the beginning, you’ll save yourself $75 to $90 doing this fix yourself. It’ll show you just how easy it is to replace a ballast, or at least I hope so!! Here’s my step-by-step video tutorial for your viewing enjoyment. Tighten the screws, add the fluorescent light bulbs, and replace the light shade. Slide the fluorescent light frame onto the screws you left in the junction box. Push all the wires back into the junction box as neatly as possible. Twist the wire nut until the connection between the wires from the ceiling and the ballast are secure. This time around I recommend wiring the ground first, then neutral (white wire), and lastly the hot wire (black in color). Wire the new ballast in the same fashion as the old one. Place the new ballast on the fluorescent light’s frame and tighten it with the screws that you saved from the old ballast. And in fact, I still ran into a bit of trouble with the ballast I bought (I explain at the end of the video).
I called around to several places that didn’t have the ballast I needed. It’s a good idea to call and see if they have the right ballast in stock. You’ll need to take your old ballast with you to the hardware store. Adding a New Ballast to Your Fluorescent Light That’s how simple it is to remove a fluorescent light ballast. Pull the ballast wires out from the frame. It just makes me feel better to do it in this order. I like to take apart the black or hot wires, then the white or neutral wires, and lastly the ground. Or, if you really don’t like electricity or your friend/relative (just kidding) you can hold the light instead and let someone else unwire it. Have them hold the light while you unwire the ballast from the junction box.
If you’re not particularly strong or have weak shoulders get a friend or relative to help with this part. One clue that your ballast is the reason for a non-working fluorescent light is the light bulbs struggle to turn on.Īs I said in the intro, we noticed this happening over a 3-4 week period.Ī good way to check that your ballast is the culprit is to turn on a voltage detector and hold it next to the wires supplying power to the ballast.