Converting a Fixture from a T12 Ballast to a T8 Ballast. . Remove... Cut the Old Ballast Wiring. After cutting the wires providing input to the ballast, cut the neutral and hot wires that go out on the other side of the socket. … Match Replacement Ballast Wiring to Original Ballast Wiring. : CAT. Cap the wires with wire nuts. If the bulbs fail to light up, then 9 out of 10 times the ballast is culprit. The ballast on a desk or floor lamp may not be standard, so a replacement may be hard to get. This is also written on the label of the ballast. Below is the old Robertson Transformer Co. ballast from 1963. Type A+B: Also known as ‘Hybrid’ T8 LED tubes, Type A+B tubes work with or without a ballast. If you did not do so earlier, make sure you have shut off the power for the fixture at the circuit breaker box. The old one has a brown and a gray wire that are attached to the tube sockets. Remove the fluorescent bulbs from the fixture. Buying the Ballast . If it is in a standard home it will probably be 120. that will help you understand the basics of the electrical wiring system. If a ballast is replaced with the exact same type of ballast, the wire colors usually match. Press the starter down into the base, aligning its pins with the entry openings in the base, then (Meaning that the tombstone should not show electrical Continuity.) What do I do? So if you’re installing a fluorescent light in a walk-in freezer, this is not the most reliable ballast mechanism for the job. Type A: These are also known as ‘Plug and Play’ tube lights. ballasts and most instant-start ballasts do not heat the electrodes once the lamps are operating to reduce lighting system power. The one I recommend is Advance Transformer (http://www.advancetransformer.com). Take out your current bulbs and replace them with the new bulbs. NOTE: There are two types of ballasts: electronic and magnetic. Go to your breaker box and turn off the power for the area you’ll be working on. Unplug the fixture or turn off the power at the main panel. Caution: Disconnect power before servicing or changing lamps. Since LED lights work on low DC voltage, they need a driver. This is a twin tube overhead kitchen light. Now for the moment of truth! I bought a GE T8 G8 432 ballast to replace three GE 6G3706 ballast. 2. Your Ballast bypass and T8 Tube retrofitting are successful. After cutting the wires providing input to the ballast, cut the neutral and hot wires that go out on the other side of the socket. Most T8 tubes will have a hidden ballast, covered with a casing and resting behind the tube light. How to Replace a Fluorescent Light Ballast Remove the Bulbs and Fluorescent Light Fixture Cover. Use the information you got earlier to find your ballast in the online catalog. So, if you are going to install a T8 LED tube light, it will require a ballast bypass unless you choose a ballast compatible T8 LED tube. Snip the old fluorescent ballast wiring several inches … Use the wire cutters to cut the wires connected to the sockets. Ballast catalog no. On the other hand, an. Once you remove the tube and expose the ballast, cut the hot and neutral wires that supply input power. (as shown in the figure). Now that you have all of the information you need, see if you can get the replacement ballast. Have searched all over but can't find answer. Ensure to strip about 1 inch of the wires. Remove the ballast and wave it goodbye. UltraStart® provides greater than 100,000 starts. Need of Ballast. ", http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/peoshweb/pcbib.htm. Our latest electronic ballasts use a compact form factor design, enabling fixture manufacturers to design sleeker, more streamline fixtures. Screw the electronic ballast into the fixture, in … The starter can will usually be poking out under the cover (if there is one) where the lamps are. Since LED lights work on low DC voltage, they need a driver. If there is a "can" near the bottom try opening this up since the ballast is probably inside. These lamps are compatible with newer standard FCxT9 lamps. When the metallic strip of starter flips back or when the starter switch turns off, the ballast provides high voltage through the electrodes of the Fluorescent lamp. Now, strip out the colored insulation covering of the remaining wires. Make sure that you connect the wire nuts securely and that no bare wire shows from under them. As I said earlier, if you are not comfortable with these things then get professional help. Remove the magnetic ballast. Now remove the fixture. Turn on the mains power supply. Replace the whole adapter unit. Take photos, make a drawing - do not fail to record this information as it makes wiring a new ballast far easier. Replace the whole adapter unit. It will usually be warm start (pre-heat) which means there will be a starter with it, or you have to hold down a button to start the lamp(s). Albeit, not knowing (and following) the basics of electrical connections, wiring, and circuitry may lead you into a ‘shocking situation’ (for real)! Usually you will simply match the number of the old starter, or use an FS-U universal replacement starter. Since LED T8 tubes need a single-ended power supply. If your lamps don't have numbers, you can look at the ballast label to see what they should be. Remove the case, lamp, and any cover that prevents you from reaching the ballast. Keystone offers fluorescent ballasts in a variety of case styles to power most standard lamps. There are several ways you can do this. The type of existing lamps, the following are some examples. You must also know that most T8 LED tubes need non-shunted tombstones (sockets). Type B: These tubes are also known as ‘Ballast Bypass’ or ‘Direct wire’ T8 LED tubes. Install the new ballast in the same way that you removed the old one. If it is in a can it will probably just lift out with a little force. Then, fix the new T8 fluorescent tube light, and that’s all. Instant Start ballasts provide approximately 10,000 starts before 50% of lamp failure. Turn off the power. Look at the label of the ballast. Installing them means you will have to remove an existing fluorescent tube ballast. Using the wire cutters, cut both power (brown) and neutral (blue) wires coming into the fixture. Use push-in connectors or wire nuts to complete and secure the connection. Turning off the Mains Power supply will ensure that you won’t get an electric shock during the process. The question is, I h … read more Pull the 2 sets of wires that would be attached to the lamps out of the holes they run through. Remove the case, lamp, and any cover that prevents you from reaching the ballast. In general, the hot wires are black, and the neutral wires are white. A lighting system that does not meet ANSI guidelines for lamp current crest factor, lamp operating electrode voltage, lamp current, and ballast factor may also cause increased lamp-end darkening and reduced lamp life. The ballast on a desk or floor lamp may not be standard, so a replacement may be hard to get. Remove these. The tube lights that use a magnetic ballast will also have a starter. The ballast will either be on the top of this fixture or on the bottom. They are compatible with linear fluorescent tube ballasts. Preheat Start ballasts require a starter (usually built-in) to establish the circuit through the ballast and pre-heat the lamp filaments. Pull the light diffuser off of the body of the … The new ballast says I can use 3 or 4 tubes. Once you are confident about working with electrical wiring, sockets, and light fixture. The most important measurement is the distance between the center of each screw hole or slot on the ballast but write down all of the dimensions anyway. Otherwise it is probably screwed in, so find and remove the screws. Congratulations! Retrofit Wiring Diagrams. … It is a thin metal box … A rapid start ballast relies on a preheating method that keeps the mechanism always primed to instantly light the bulb when the switch is turned on. Now, install the T8 LED tube on the fixture. Now, you must take out the ballast by unscrewing it. 4. Remove the bulbs and covers, and locate the ballast inside the lighting fixture. For a ceiling fixture, make sure that you connect up the ground wire to preferably a dedicated ground screw (a small green screw usually marked GND) or if there is none, to one of the ballast mounting screws. If the existing fluorescent tube fixture you want to replace has a non-shunted tombstone, you can proceed with the ballast bypass procedure. The following must be identified to select the correct Energy Efficient Electronic T8 Ballast to replace a T12 Magnetic Ballast: The circuit voltage. in 2018, Alan Cornwell wrote this question: I have a modern fluorescent tube with no starter. Wrong ballast types can cause fires or shorts. The advantage of this is that there are many more ballasts that you can order on the internet than hardware stores stock. Here is a guide that will help you understand the basics of the electrical wiring system. Once the light is on, the ballast acts as a current regulator. Turn off the electricity to the fixture at the power breaker box. Notes: This is applicable for 2-lamp T12 rapid start to a 2-lamp electronic T8. The new one does not. I want to replace a rapid start flourescent ballast with an electronic instant start but the new ballast has fewer wires than the old one. If it does not light up, see "Troubleshooting. Most. Recommended troubleshooting sequence: Problem Check Corrective Action Lamps do not start and known “good” replacement lamp does not start Once you are confident about working with electrical wiring, sockets, and light fixture, Performing the following steps will allow a successful ballast bypass: Turning off the Mains Power supply will ensure that you won’t get an electric shock during the process. 3. Wiring diagrams and descriptions to help you understand fluorescent ballasts, A fluorescent tube circuit includes a ballast, wires, lampholders, and the tubes. What kind of ballast your fixture has: The types that are most often used with Circline fixtures are Pre-Heat (warm-start), Instant Start and Rapid-Start. Note the ballast provides all of the information needed to replace it. Nonetheless, if the existing fixture offers a shunted tombstone, you should replace it with a non-shunted variant. A word of warning if your fixture is old, before 1979, you should call for a professional as your ballast probably contains highly toxic PCBs. 1. Some fixtures will have more than one type of lamp in them, so get all of the numbers. When the filaments have heated up, the ballast then provides a suitable voltage to the lamp. 1Ballast has a very important role in starting the lamp and protecting it from the high current. Make a close cut and ensure that there are no longer than 2 inches of wires left. The voltage of the fixture: This will probably be 110 or 220. Remove the fluorescent tube by giving it a half-turn until its pins align with the slots in the sockets. You get this information by removing the fixture and measuring the ballast. The old ballast required starters. If you are trying to replace the ballast in a Circline adapter, (a round plastic thing that screws into a standard light bulb socket and has a place to snap a Circline lamp in around the outside), it is not easily possible. Connect the input hot and neutral wires (black and white) coming from the build to the output hot and neutral wires coming from the fixture. Turn Off Electricity. Switch on the LED tube light and check if it is working. Make sure that the wires that connect to the lamp(s) are through the appropriate holes so that they connect to their appropriate lamps. Place a stepladder beneath the light fixture, if necessary. If the existing fluorescent tube fixture you want to replace has a non-shunted tombstone, you can proceed with the ballast bypass procedure. Most T8 LED tubes do not need a ballast. The problem with this type is that the lamp will have trouble turning on if it is sitting in sub 50-degree climates. In any case, it will be held on by 1 or 2 screws. The connectors on the ends might be a little tight but they will fit. Flipping the light switch to the “off” position does not necessarily end the flow of … . Cut Socket Wires. Nonetheless. Turn electricity off. (Meaning that the tombstone should not show electrical Continuity.) 45 The number on the lamp(s) in your fixture: This will probably be FC6T9, FC8T9, FC12T9, or FC16T9. To install a new starter, Select the right starter for your fluorescent light fixture - see the FS- starter guide we give below in table form. There are several manufacturers of ballasts. Once you have found the ballast, remove the wire nuts or cut off the crimp nuts. If an old T12 lamp magnetic ballast is replaced with a newer T8 lamp and electronic ballast, the colors will probably not match. Get free shipping on qualified Replacement Ballast Replacement Ballasts or Buy Online Pick Up in Store today in the Lighting Department. NOTE: There are two types of ballasts: electronic and magnetic. So, you only have to connect the input wires to one side of the output hot and neutral wires. 1. Starter is used in magnetic ballast to generate high voltage for starting the ionization ; It opens after the bi-metallic contact gets heated up in few seconds and choke coil will generate high voltage pulse to start the ionization. If you like someone else, for instance Sylvania, theirs will work too. Replacement ballast should always match in voltage, wattage and brand. If it works, congratulations! LED tube light retrofitting involves installing an energy-saving LED tube light by replacing an existing T8 fluorescent tube. Now, locate the ballast on the existing fluorescent fixture. Store Finder; ... Optanium 120/277-Volt 4-Lamp T8 Instant Start Electronic Fluorescent Replacement Ballast (217) Model# 520387 $ 20 98. If you are trying to replace the ballast in a Circline adapter, (a round plastic thing that screws into a standard light bulb socket and has a place to snap a Circline lamp in around the outside), it is not easily possible. If you have a starter which is a little plastic or metal can that has to be replaced occasionally in your fixture, then your fixture is warm start. I've replaced the tube but it still only lights at the end as if the starter has died. So, locate the circuit breaker switch that provides power to the area where you will carry out the bypass and turn it off. TR-30 416 Or if it is portable lamp, unplug it before continuing. Remount the fixture making sure no wires get caught under it, and reinstall the lamps and the cover. Halide Ballast has an automatic resetting thermal protector, which will turn off the ballast if the fixture or ballast becomes overheated. UltraStart® have the equivalent energy savings and convenience of instant start ballasts but with the long lamp life of a programmed start ballast. Wiring a T12 Fluorescent Fixture for a T8 Energy Efficient Ballast. Understand that the ballast is responsible for providing a fluorescent lamp with an initial spike of high voltage. Connect the ballast common red wire to the yellow pair of lampholder common wires. The tube lights that use a magnetic ballast will also have a starter. Their online catalog is the best out there and they make the largest variety of ballasts on the market. Before starting to … For those of you using retrofit LED tubes, you'll want to note that, with fixtures that have instant-start ballasts, you'll need to replace the G13 socket (also known as "tombstone" or "lampholder") nearest where the power comes into the fixture to a non-shunted G13 socket. Some older fixtures have FCxT10 lamps where x is 6, 8, 12, or 16. Keystone ballasts are burned-in at the factory to ensure both exceptional performance and superior reliability. Ballast Wire Colors. In order for you to get all of the necessary information to replace your ballast, you need to remove it. When replacing with a 4 lamp ballast, cap the fourth individual blue wire with a small wire connector. What the form factor of your ballast is: This means what kind of box it is in. When you find the ballast you need on the internet, you can order it there, or if it is a fairly standard one, buy it at your local hardware store. Detach the wire nuts that hold the wires from the ballast to the ones from the ceiling by turning the wire nuts counterclockwise. . Optanium 120/277-Volt 4-Lamp T8 Instant Start Electronic Fluorescent Replacement Ballast Philips Advance Optanium high efficiency Philips Advance Optanium high efficiency electronic ballasts are engineered to optimize lighting performance and maximize energy savings. It will be marked as Rapid-start, Instant-start or maybe even Trigger-start. Connect each of the individual blue wires from the instant start ballast to each pair of the lampholder individual wires (red, blue and blue-white). If your tube light uses a magnetic ballast, make sure to locate and remove the starter before moving on to the next step. Before you go to the trouble of replacing the ballast, you should determine if a bad ballast is indeed the likely cause of the problem. On the other hand, an LED driver converts the high voltage AC to low voltage DC. Ballast gets very hot, so wait a few minutes before you work on florescent light fixtures that have been turned on for a while. You can go to Home Depot or Lowes and see if they have the ballast you need, but I recommend looking it up on the internet first. 2-Lamp Electronic Instant Start. 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