Question

[lhousesoccer]

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Edited August 12, 2014 by vtbass

[Ainsley]

The wiring is most likely in parallel, Loads rarely get wired in series. This sounds like a ballast. If you have some basic experience with residential wiring it shouldn't be too hard for you to replace.

[GlennB]

Take the feed into a central junction box then feed each fixture

 

cheers

glenn

[whiskywizard]

I have 3 banks of double 8-foot T-12 fluorescent bulb fixtures that are wired in series.

 

 

Rewire in parallel.

 

I doubt they are really wired in series; it's just the way VTbass is looking at the lamps.

 

 

Fluorescent fixtures fail because the tube, the starter (not many of these left) or the ballast fails.

 

Start by testing tubes. This is probably where your trouble lies. Test each fluorescent tube by swapping it into a known working fixture. On a 4-tube fixture, take out one of the still-working pair of fluorescent tubes and replace it with each of the questionable tubes, one at a time. Bad tubes are your most likely problem. Tubes that have gone dark at the ends are either dead or soon will be. Change them before thay fail and you will prolong the life of the ballasts. A flickering fluorescent tube is usually caused by it or its neighbour being dead or close to dead. Change them in pairs. If either tube is bad, they might both flicker or one might flicker and the other stay off completely..

 

next check the starters. These are becoming rare. Almost all newer fixtures have no starters. The starter is a silver/gray cylindrical device. Looks like a capacitor. Two electrical lugs on the end. You need to do a swap, as you did with tubes, to check the starters. Most likely, you have none and can skip this step.

 

Finally, ballasts. If you've eliminated tubes and starters, it's likely the ballasts. The trouble here is that new ballasts cost more than whole fixtures.

[bassassin]

I doubt they are really wired in series; it's just the way VTbass is looking at the lamps.

 

 

Fluorescent fixtures fail because the tube, the starter (not many of these left) or the ballast fails.

 

Start by testing tubes. This is probably where your trouble lies. Test each fluorescent tube by swapping it into a known working fixture. On a 4-tube fixture, take out one of the still-working pair of fluorescent tubes and replace it with each of the questionable tubes, one at a time. Bad tubes are your most likely problem. Tubes that have gone dark at the ends are either dead or soon will be. Change them before thay fail and you will prolong the life of the ballasts. A flickering fluorescent tube is usually caused by it or its neighbour being dead or close to dead. Change them in pairs. If either tube is bad, they might both flicker or one might flicker and the other stay off completely..

 

next check the starters. These are becoming rare. Almost all newer fixtures have no starters. The starter is a silver/gray cylindrical device. Looks like a capacitor. Two electrical lugs on the end. You need to do a swap, as you did with tubes, to check the starters. Most likely, you have none and can skip this step.

 

Finally, ballasts. If you've eliminated tubes and starters, it's likely the ballasts. The trouble here is that new ballasts cost more than whole fixtures.

 

Look at my ad in the misc... classifieds for cheap ballasts!!!!

[oldschool]

Fluorescent lights are not all designed for use in all temperatures. Your symptoms indicate that you have general use fixtures, and that means that they are most suitable for room temperature situations. The more weakness in your system, such as, weak ballasts, bulbs, will cause the lights to fail. Often the lights will come on only with a low glow, or in colder temps not at all.

 

The best and most assured fix is to purchase new fixtures for cold temperature use, and these will work in all temperatures. You may get by with you current set-up, if you have an optimal situation, for most temperatures when you are able to work in shirt sleeves, but it will never be correct when temperatures get cooler.

[Gerritt]

Also look at the clips that hold the tubes... they have a tendency to bust, break and crack... it could be something as simple as the bulb losing contact

 

 

 

G

[fishindevil]

i change tons of them everyear its part of my job,and from what he is saying its a ballast !!! i have seen them do all kinds of crazy things over the years,but before the light stopped working did it start to turn a pinkish white ?? thats a sign of a weakining ballast,or if it comes on and off most likely the culprit !!! just sayin

[Walshskie]

Older balests don't like the cold . Change all 3 to electronic balests problem solved

[lhousesoccer]

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Edited August 12, 2014 by vtbass

[ccmtcanada]

Whiskywizard has it right....check the tubes first. If one is out, the other wont work making it seem like the fixture need repaired. His step by step is from lowest to highest cost...so start with the tubes.

 

Keep us posted!