Any home electricians out there? : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

PR3VS56 · 10-11-2008, 10:03 PM

I have a problem with my garage fluorescents. Sometimes, like now, they start up no problem. Other times (and this is really stupid), I need to stand on a stool and touch/rub the tubes before they start. It's a static electricity thing that gets them going I think. It's VERY windy today, and dry, and they start right up. Some days it takes forever to get them to go, other days like today it's instant on. What am I missing?

They're mounted on the ceiling, 4 sets of 4'x4 bulb units with ballasts. There are 2 3-way switches (at either end of the garage) to turn them on/off. Doesn't matter which switch I use, same story. I also have another 2 sets of 4'x4 bulb units on a separate switch, same thing.

What the heck is wrong? Very frustrating most of the time.

oh1deuce · 10-11-2008, 10:07 PM

How many lights total?

Bargain lights have cheap slow starting ballasts.

jerry34208 · 10-11-2008, 10:27 PM

Yup, get new balasts or just replace the fixtures. I have finiky ones in my garage too. One day I might just go ahead and fix them. Naw.

PR3VS56 · 10-11-2008, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh1deuce

How many lights total?

Bargain lights have cheap slow starting ballasts.

16 tubes on 1 switch, and 8 on another.

I hate to replace the units, so I'll do the ballasts. How do I know a good one from a bad one?

oh1deuce · 10-11-2008, 11:26 PM

The best ones are instant start, but they are not cheap.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...TPI&lpage=none

oh1deuce · 10-11-2008, 11:35 PM

Maybe try a couple of these cheaper ones first.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...TPI&lpage=none

CHIPMAKER · 10-11-2008, 11:41 PM

Mine did that, gave them a little twist,(reseated them) fixed them.

PR3VS56 · 10-11-2008, 11:51 PM

oh1deuce, how many do I need? ie: How many tubes will each ballast light?

huskerbob · 10-12-2008, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR3VS56

I have a problem with my garage fluorescents. Sometimes, like now, they start up no problem. Other times (and this is really stupid), I need to stand on a stool and touch/rub the tubes before they start. It's a static electricity thing that gets them going I think. It's VERY windy today, and dry, and they start right up. Some days it takes forever to get them to go, other days like today it's instant on. What am I missing?

They're mounted on the ceiling, 4 sets of 4'x4 bulb units with ballasts. There are 2 3-way switches (at either end of the garage) to turn them on/off. Doesn't matter which switch I use, same story. I also have another 2 sets of 4'x4 bulb units on a separate switch, same thing.

What the heck is wrong? Very frustrating most of the time.

No pornographic content is allowed in threads...

blkfalc4 · 10-12-2008, 08:19 AM

They light but are very very dim, correct? They need to warm up.
Is the garage temp controlled?

Outside, ie: not climate controlled, we use HO fixtures which have cold starting capability and are brighter all around. Uses different lamps and are not cheap. It's what I use in the garage.

Now on to your fixtures,,, are they T12 or T8 lamps? T12 is the older fatter one, which is slowly being discontinued.If it's T8 then most likely uses an electronic ballast for energy savings.
You can get these ballasts to run all 4 lamps w/one ballast. But some use a 2x2 in their fixtures.
The number on the lamps tell you the brightness of them, ie: 3500k, 4100k etc, the higher the number the brighter. For a garage setting use at least 4100k rapid start lamps.
Open the fixtures, remove lamps, take out the back reflector and look at the ballast, will tell you everything you need to know on it.

BTW, I'm a licensed electrician.

Good Luck Bro

oh1deuce · 10-12-2008, 10:25 AM

What he said, but I doubt cold weather is your issue.. LOL!

We use the cold weather ballasts here as well. You for sure get what you pay for with flourescent lights. Even down to the tubes.

PR3VS56 · 10-12-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blkfalc4

They light but are very very dim, correct? They need to warm up.

They're not dim. Starting is the problem, and it's worse in the summer. I've replaced bulbs with lower wattage to reduce the load, to no avail.

What prompted the post was the last few days where a cold snap blew in & all of a sudden no more problem.

I'll pull one apart today and post info from current ballasts.

oh1deuce · 10-12-2008, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR3VS56

They're not dim. Starting is the problem, and it's worse in the summer. I've replaced bulbs with lower wattage to reduce the load, to no avail.

What prompted the post was the last few days where a cold snap blew in & all of a sudden no more problem.

I'll pull one apart today and post info from current ballasts.

How old are the lights?

PR3VS56 · 10-12-2008, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh1deuce

How old are the lights?

OK, confession time.

They were pulled out of a school about 5-6 years ago. The school replaced them, and I took them for free for the garage. They buzz a little, and I figured that's why they took them out of the school.

EDIT: Oh, sorry, you were asking about the tubes themselves I'm now thinking? They're all just 2-3 years old. New bulbs don't help the problem.

oh1deuce · 10-12-2008, 11:22 AM

Okay....... Now we know the rest of the story! LOL!

Make sure they're 120V....

The ballasts are showing their age. I would experiment with one light. Throw one of the cheaper rapid fire ballasts in one just to see if it does the trick.