Table of Contents
Can you use a 4 light ballast for a 2 light fixture?
Your options should be listed on a label on the ballast. Some will work with 2 or 4 tubes, some need 3 or 4 . . . If you don’t have the proper number tubes the ballast will generate more heat and shorten its lifespan and the life of the tubes. This also happens when people take 2 tubes out of a 4 tube fixture.
How do you use a 4 lamp ballast for a 3 lamp fixture?
Replace 3 Lamp Instant Start Ballast with 4 Lamp Instant Start Cut and cap one yellow and one red or blue wire with a wire nut. Connect each of the blue ballast wires to the each of the two blue lampholder wires. Connect the red ballast wire to the third blue lampholder wire.
Can a 3 bulb ballast work with 2 bulbs?
A 3 lamp fixture with two rapid start ballasts can be replaced with a 3 lamp instant start ballast. On the 3 lamp ballast, an individual wire is connected to the lampholder of lamp 2 on the left side, and the common wire on the right side.
What to do with the yellow wires on a ballast?
The two yellow wires complete the circuit through the fluorescent tube back into the ballast. The red and blue wires energize the pins the fluorescent tube is attached to, the yellow wires connect to the pins on the opposite ends of the fluorescent light tubes completing the circuit.
How many ballast are in a 4 bulb fluorescent light?
A 4 lamp fixture with two rapid start ballasts can be replaced with one 4 lamp instant start ballast. As seen below, connecting the 4 lamp instant start ballast to the four lamps can be a bit confusing.
How are ballasts wired?
Fluorescent tube light fixtures with two ballasts are typically wired in the same manner. Individual wires of one ballast connect to the one side of the fixture, individual wires from the other ballast connect to the other side of the fixture.
What happens if you wire a ballast wrong?
It will overheat, possibly starting a fire, and then burn out, usually disrupting current flow. Until it does, due to the inductance and resistance, the current will be not quite 90 degrees out of phase with the voltage. Electronic ballasts are 4 or 6 wire devices.
Can you replace a rapid start ballast with an instant start ballast?
The majority of commercial ballasts in the market that operate T8 lamps are instant start. Because of this, when retrofitting a rapid start system to an instant start system, some alterations to the socket wiring are required in order for it to work optimally.
Can you use a 4 bulb ballast for 3 bulbs?
2 Answers. Newer electronic ballasts run fine with lamps removed. Many replacement ballasts can be wired for several combinations of lamps, such that a 4-lamp ballast can be wired to a 3 or 2 lamp fixture. This will be shown right on the label and wiring diagram.
Can you use a 3 lamp ballast for 1 lamp?
Connect each of the individual blue wires from the new 3 lamp ballast to each of the lampholder individual blue wires of the three lamps. Connect each of the common red wires from the new 3 lamp ballast to each of the lampholder common red wires of the three lamps.
What are the blue wires on a ballast?
There are many types of ballasts, but the simplest one is usually found in two-tube light fixtures. The ballast has a hot and neutral wire at one end to receive power, and two blue wires a red one at the other end to supply power to the lights.
Which wire is hot on a ballast?
Generally, the hot wire on the ballast is black, and the neutral is white. The other colors are the wires that connect the ballast to the fluorescent tube holders and to each other.
How do you match a lightbulb with a ballast?
By selecting a ballast with an ideal ballast factor, you can optimize the light output of your fluorescent lighting system and maximize your energy savings. To estimate your total system lumens, multiply the rated lumens of your lamp by the ballast factor. For example, 3200 lumens x 0.77 BF = 2464 total system lumens.
How do I know if my ballast is T8 or T12?
If no markings are available, the size in diameter of the tube is the easiest way to determine the type you have installed. T8 tubes are 1-inch in diameter and T12 tubes are 1 1/2 -inch.
Does a bad ballast burn out bulbs?
The ballast itself can go bad, which causes lights to flicker or even appear to be burnt out, when in fact they aren’t. They require maintenance and energy to power, on top of the power used to light the fluorescent bulb. They are a large part of the equation when using fluorescent lamps.
Why does my fluorescent light come on when I touch it?
Usually it comes from normal background radiation. If one of the filaments is not working the normal background may not be quite enough. Touching the bulb will introduce a new potential source providing enough kick to get it started.
What are the black and white wires on a ballast?
Black wire is for line voltage and white wire for neutral. An instant start ballast uses a single wire which connects from the ballast to each of the lamp terminals.
What size is ballast wire?
Ballast wires are 18 AWG. Use a blue wire connector for up to four 18 AWG wire connections. Use orange wire connector for more than four 18 AWG wire connections. Light fixtures from the factory are wired with the ballast wires connected directly to the lampholders.
Can I use a 2 lamp ballast for 1 lamp?
A 1 lamp rapid start (series) ballast can be hard to find, but it can be replaced with a 2 lamp instant start (parallel) ballast.
Do I need an electrician to replace a ballast?
Yes. In fact, you really need a locking device to replace the ballast. – An electrician replaces the ballast on a fluorescent lamp. He uses a switch on the wall to turn off the fluorescent light.
