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Shop light not staying on? Help...?
I have a pair of shop lights in my garage that have been wired by an electrician.
They both plug into outlets that are switched by one switch.
Last week, one of the fixtures stopped working. Both bulbs in that fixture will light up for a second, then go dark. No humming or burnt bulbs.
Could this be a bad ballast?
I took the bulbs out of the "non-working" fixture, and put them in a "working" fixture, and they work fine.
I did have a fan plugged into the socket with the lights, before the one fixture quit working, the fixture quit working when I shut the fan off.
5 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
The ballast is probably bad. When they go out, a fluorescent light will usually flash just like an incandescent light does when the filament finally goes. Ballasts often contain hazardous chemicals known to be carcinogenic. Find some way to dispose of your old one safely. Uusually once a defective ballast "zaps" your lights they will no longer work. You will have to replace them as well.
Source(s): I used to "relamp" entire rooms in food service facilties at the university I work at. - THE SHADOWLv 51 decade ago
does the fixture have a starter on it.a small silver thing about an inch and a quarter in diameter.it will only be sticking out above the surface of the fixture about 1/2 inch.it will be located on one end of the fixture where the bulbs are.if it has no starter then the ballast is gone bad.or the socket is bad.usually you will have a warning that the ballast is going out like it will take longer and longer to come on and there will be times it will just flicker,so check the socket first
- Judge JulieLv 71 decade ago
A bad ballast will usually burn out your bulb - so look for a Dark area near one of the ends of the tube. If no dark area - and you have checked that tube in another fixture and it works, then you have a bad fixture. Stringing one or more lights on the same line generally will not have that effect. I've got two sets of three in my garage, and they are wired consecutively. When I pop one switch one side (of 3) blinks on and when I pop the other switch - the other gang comes on. You may just have a bad switch - maybe the poles aren't wired tight enough. If you're brave - try taking the switch out and checking the connections. (be sure to turn off your electricity)
- 1 decade ago
Do the bulbs have black spots close to the ends? if so possibly it bulbs, if not then it is usually a balast. you can usually get a new shop light for about the cost of a ballast. Hope this helps. Harold
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