How do I know if its the ballast or bulb?

How do I know if its the ballast or bulb?

Take out your current bulbs and replace them with the new bulbs. If the bulbs fail to light up, then 9 out of 10 times the ballast is culprit. You could also try using a multimeter set to measure resistance.

How do I know if I have a ballast?

Simply turn the light on, then take a photo of the fixture using your smartphone or digital camera. If there are no dark bands on the resulting image, you have an electronic ballast that will work with direct drop-in LED tubes.

Is the ballast part of the light fixture?

Simply put, the ballast is the heart of a fluorescent light fixture sending energy (pumping blood) through the lamp. A ballast provides the correct amount of voltage to start the lamps and regulates the amount of current that flows to them once they’re on.

How do you know if a fluorescent ballast is bad?

If your fluorescent lighting is displaying any of the signs below, it could be a symptom of a bad ballast:

1. Flickering.
2. Buzzing.
3. Delayed start.
4. Low output.
5. Inconsistent lighting levels.
6. Switch to an electronic ballast, keep lamp.
7. Switch to an electronic ballast, switch to a T8 fluorescent.

How do you know if you have a bad ballast?

Depending on the ballast, you may have only red and blue wires. If the ballast is bad, the needle on the multimeter will not move. If the ballast is still good, the needle should sweep to the right across the face of the multimeter.

How do you tell if a fluorescent ballast is bad?

Where is the ballast located on a fluorescent light?

Remove the Cover Plate Locate the wiring cover plate, usually in the center of the fixture. On either side of the cover, there will be tabs that catch in slots in the fixture. Squeeze the sides of the cover inward to slip the tabs out of the slots, and pull the cover down. This will expose the ballast and its wiring.