If your lights work as expected after your connections are nice and tight, you’ll know the issue was not related to a bad ballast. You will most likely not get any warning of its failure; it may be working fine today and give out tomorrow. and can be analog or, more commonly, digital. Ballasts are sensitive to shocks as well. Check your ballast fixtures for these warning signs to see if it is time for a ballast replacement. If the bulbs fail to light up, then 9 out of 10 times the ballast is culprit. In either case, you can correct the malfunction by replacing the electrical ballast in the fixture. Within these two types, there are different subtypes such as: FREE EXPEDITED SHIPPING to the United States & Canada on all orders. Product was successfully added to your shopping cart. However, it requires advanced knowledge of electrical circuits/boards and the replacement cost is low enough such that it is not worth it. Buzzing/Humming Sounds With the Bulb Switch Test, you can determine if you have a bad ballast or a bad bulb. With the absence of a ballast, the bulb would draw too much power, overheat, and burnout within seconds. Lights often have multiple components and so when they stop turning on, figuring out which exact component failed is crucial to getting them to work again. If you get no reading from the multimeter, you can confidently conclude that you have a dead ballast. However, if both tubes are functional, the problem is with the ballast or, if applicable, the starter. These ballasts can last decades but depending on the type of environment (extreme cold/extreme heat), may be subject to a shorter lifespan. Other signs of carbon monoxide poisoning include nausea, headaches, dizziness, and flu-like symptoms. A ballast can fail either due to internal electrical malfunctions or due to physical damage. Removing the light ballast The efficiency of an LED driver is significantly affected when you exceed the recommended temperatures. Fish the new ballast’s black, white, and green wires through the hole in the light. In 99.9% of cases, only one of the two headlights is causing issues, which allows us to use the working headlight as our testing ground. If the ballast resistor is not working properly, the vehicle will not start. If you here a ticking sound then that means the ballast is working. Reversing the polarity will prevent the flow of power and therefore, will prevent your lights from working. If you’re still unsure your ballast has bit the dust, then you need to get your hands on a brand new bulb. Feb 6 Common Signs It’s Your Ballast and Not Your Bulbs Ashley Hunter. In the majority of cases, a ballast “goes bad” as a result of a malfunction in one or more of its electrical components, which are sealed inside the casing. Bulbs are the most common problem with a bad fluorescent fixture. All tagged signs of a bad ballast. To avoid this scenario, make sure your ballast is UL rated for damp or wet locations if necessary and can handle the high and low temperatures of your local climate. The biggest sign your ballast resistor is bad is your vehicle will start, but immediately stop as soon as you let go of the key. If the Ballast is Not Working. To reset the ballast, unplug the fixture for a minute. Heat and moisture are enemies #1 and #2 to your ballast. LED drivers also have ambient operating temperature ranges. Technically yes, anything can be repaired. If you’re still having issues, continue to the next troubleshooting test - the Polarity Check. Ballasts are typically a separate components of lighting systems that can be changed without having to change the entire lighting system. Commercial Lighting, Home Lighting, Lighting Tips. Compare bulb and driver specifications before purchasing. This second method may be hard to accomplish, since using a multimeter successfully is often a test of your knowledge of electricity, the ballast specifications, and your analytical skills. It just makes more sense to change both tubes at once. Yes. If it does not illuminate, the bulb is burned out. Through a series of small, non-technical, and simple troubleshooting tests. If this is the case this does present an opportunity to consider a different type of ballast and lamps for your application. If your fluorescent lighting is displaying any of the signs below, it could be a symptom of a bad ballast: Flickering. Replace the ballast when your fluorescent light flickers or makes an annoying hum. Sometimes it's cheaper to get an entirely new fixture than to replace the ballast. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Simply put, a multimeter is a tool that measures a wide range of electrical data such as amps (current), volts, resistance, etc. Look at the end of the bulb for a dark area; if you see one, the bulb is either bad or going bad. All it takes is one flicker for the panic to set in. 1. ), Prob start (electrodes start, low effeciency, low performance in cold temps. You don’t. When it’s too hot or too cold, the ballast can burn or fail to start your lamps at all. If your lights turn on but are experiencing other issues (flickering, dim lights, etc., skip over to the next troubleshooting test - the Bulb Switch Test). In simple terms, a ballast controls and regulates the flow of power to the bulb to make sure it stays lit and does not over consume power in a fluorescent lighting system such as in Xenon HID headlight conversion kits. and wire the main power directly to the lamp’s sockets. How to figure out if a MacBook power adapter or battery has gone bad ... of the laptop connector, or other signs of problems. When your fluorescent light flickers or makes a loud and annoying hum, a degrading ballast is the cause. Shop Xenon HID Digital Ballast Replacements, Shop Premium Xenon HID Headlight Conversion Kits, Rapid start (pre-heat start, low effeciency, low performance in cold temps. Are you still troubleshooting your lighting mystery or need inspiration for your next DIY? The most affordable way to maintain an HID Lighting System is to divide your operating hours per year into the lamp life and determine the length of time before completely re-lamping the system will be required. Symptoms of a bad ballast include a noisy light fixture and a flickering light bulb. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. We sell over 600 ballasts and only 1 comes back bad. Overheated ballasts that release PCBs also may pose health risks because PCBs are … Bad ballasts often buzz, or hum, when they're on their way out. Replace it with a … If you’re still having issues, continue to the next troubleshooting test - the Bulb Switch Test. Take out your current bulbs and replace them with the new bulbs. If you've been hearing this, you need to test the ballast. Brownish spots indicate your fluorescent bulb standing at the end of the lifespan. When looking to see if your lighting problems are caused by bad ballasts, the first step is to inspect and examine the ballasts physically. If your fluorescent lighting is displaying any of the signs below, it could be a symptom of a bad ballast: Flickering. In a fluorescent fixture, if replacing the lamps doesn’t correct the problem, then likely the ballast is bad. We have a quick video tutorial below. If the lamps are correct as stated on the ballast label but will not turn on then then the ballast is most likely faulty and needs to be replaced. If you suspect you need a … Ballasts can fail due to a number of reasons and in two general ways. Ballasts can be expensive to replace, so first check to make sure the ballast is mounted correctly and that nothing is reverberating off any nearby walls or the ceiling, as that can contribute to the buzzing of a fluorescent light. If you are not happy with your product, simply return it for a refund or exchange. All you need to do is remove the ballast from your fixture (say goodbye to failing ballasts for good!) Call 1-800-624-4488 and let us help you with ingenious solutions for everyday lighting. … If the light makes a buzzing sound when it is turned on, this also can indicate there is something wrong with the ballast. The ballast itself continues to operate even with a bad lamp and will over work itself continually trying to ignite a bad lamp. However when checking the ballast, any burn marks, swollen casing, or (in the case of “ye old” magnetic coil ballast) leaking oils are obvious signs of failure. You should check all parts of the fixture, including the bulbs. In this guide, we focus on ballasts, which are a crucial component of Xenon HID lighting systems. Remove one of the working tubes from another fixture and replace it with the suspect tube. Heat and moisture are enemies #1 and #2 to your ballast. If the ballast is good, an analog multimeter has a needle that will sweep to the right across the measuring scale. If you’re more of a reader, we’ve also made a one-page instruction sheet for retrofitting 8ft fluorescent fixtures to LED . Low output. It could just as well be that the ballast is going bad. Similar to ballasts, LED drivers can suffer from heat and water damage. LEDs and their components are particularly susceptible to heat. By connecting the multimeter to the ballast, you will see right away whether you have a working or a bad ballast. Every ballast has an ambient operating temperature range and UL location rating. Ballast: If the problem isn't solved by the above steps, the ballast needs replacing. Yes. So, in this case, Bulb A, Bulb B, and Ballast A are working perfectly, while Ballast B is bad and due for a change. Symptoms of a bad ballast resistor may be a crank but no start or start followed by an immediate stall. Replacing a ballast requires disconnecting it from the bulb on one end and the power supply on the other. Heat combined with prolonged condensation inside an … A well maintained ballast can last up to 20 years, which is multiple times longer than a bulb’s lifespan. If the ballast is still good, you’ll see the needle move or an indication that the circuit is continuous. Don't let that flickering light send you into a panic. Find advice, ideas, and the occasional lighting joke on our Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, or Pinterest. © 2016 1000Bulbs Lighting Blog. Hope you have a nice stay! How do you know your ballast or driver is toast? Switch to an electronic ballast, keep lamp. Remove the bulb from the fixture if the bulb is still not illuminating. Flickering. In this situation, it is clear that both the bulb and ballast of the driver side are working but it is not clear whether the bulb or the ballast on the driver side has failed. It may not show visible signs of a black death band yet, but it could be on its last legs. • HID headlight bulb shuts off after being on for a while. If it illuminates, the suspect ballast, starter, or fixture may need to be replaced. SPT-1 vs SPT-2 Wire: What’s the Difference. When it's too hot or too cold, the ballast can burn or fail to start your lamps at all. The power a driver restrains eventually becomes heat and the resulting build-up can take a toll on the driver’s functionality. Most likely, a failed LED driver will just stop transmitting power to your LEDs. Just like ballasts, not all LED drivers are damp or wet location rated so make sure your LED driver is rated for rain or shine. But a failing LED driver could also send more power through your LEDs than they can handle (aka overdriving), overheating and ultimately frying your LED array. With time, some connections might come loose as you drive over bumps, rocky trails, and winding roads. Ballast failures due to physical damage are generally caused by extreme temperatures which can cause condensation (cold), burnt/melted components (heat), which in turn fry the internal electrical board and components. Make sure to check all the wire pairs and see that they are positive. Did you know a bad bulb can cause a ballast to not fire? Physical signs of a bad ballasts include: Although very uncommon, a ballast exhibiting any of these characteristics would be a strong indication of a dead ballast as a result of physical damage. All rights reserved. Although it’s more technical than other troubleshooting steps and requires to have a multimeter, it is very accurate. Buzzing. Remove the fluorescent bulbs from the fixture. Bulbs that do not turn on are not very useful, especially in cars while driving at night! Luckily, this potentially deadly problem is easy to avoid: keep up on your home’s heating and cooling system maintenance and install a carbon monoxide detector. Feb 6. Heat combined with prolonged condensation inside an electronic ballast can cause corrosion. Signs of a bad ballast fixture Switching Bulb A with Bulb B resulted in the driver side still lighting and the passenger side still failing. However, as mentioned, a bad ballast as a result of physical damage is unlikely unless you’ve been in a car accident or if the ballast was mishandled prior to installation. The staff of 1000Bulbs.com welcomes your head-scratching and eyebrow-raising problems. you will know that your ballast is perfectly fine. Switch to an electronic ballast, switch to a T8 fluorescent. Welcome to my blog. If the ballast is bad and needs to be replaced, the needle on the multimeter won’t move or the screen will read that there isn’t a continuous circuit. Usually a bad or failing igniter will produce a few symptom that can alert the driver of a potential issue. If the flickering and hum persists, the ballast may be corroded and you may need to replace the ballast entirely. This added longevity to the coil as well as protected the ignition system from over-voltage. This result tells us that Ballast B is bad since it will not light Bulb A which was originally perfectly fine with Ballast A. If you’re using a digital multimeter, often the digital readout will possibly list a “1” when it doesn’t find a measurable resistance. Not starting at all. Most bad ballasts simply burn themselves out, but it's still good to recognize the odor and find the problem. Before you trash that bulb, consider checking for these common signs and causes of ballast … Another method of testing a ballast is through the use of a multimeter. Bulbs that flicker or don’t light up at all often do so because the ballast is not regulating the electricity properly between the 120-volt current and the bulbs. Lighting Tip: LED drivers are more than likely to have shorter lifespans than your LED array or fixture. You begin to ask yourself, “Is my bulb about to go out?” It’s possible your light bulb is at the end of its life, but in the case of bulbs with external ballasts or drivers, it could mean the exterior hardware is to blame. The main thing to check would be do you hear a ticking sound when you try and turn the TV on. Ballasts regulate the flow of power to a bulb. Yes. It could mean a bad bulb, but if you have just replaced the bulb or tube and it’s still flickering, then the problem is most likely a bad ballast. ), Instant start (instant start, medium effeciency, medium performance in cold temps. An LED driver that is sending a very low amount of power, or an excessively underdriving, will cause light quality and output to suffer. If your lighting is flickering or strobing periodically, it's not necessarily that the bulb, or tube, is about to burn out. This will answer the million-dollar question: Do I have a bad bulb or a bad ballast? Make sure all your components are locked tightly, well connected, and plugged in all of the right places. In this regard, what are the signs of a bad ballast? It combines the functions of a voltmeter, an ohmmeter, etc. Polarity is simply making sure the positive is connected to the positive and the negative to the negative. But there is a good chance your ballast could be the cause of your lighting woes if your lights are dim, buzzing, changing colors, or flickering rapidly. If you’re still unsure your ballast has bit the dust, then you need to get your hands on a brand new bulb. Get your friend or relative to hold the light while you wire it to the junction box. Shut off is sporadic and unpredictable but happens more and more often over the next 100 hours of operation. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. LED Parking Lot Lights - Starting at $139. Buzzing. Some people may suggest removing the parts of the ballast casing and cleaning the electrical board. The tick … However when checking the ballast, any burn marks, swollen casing, or (in the case of “ye old” magnetic coil ballast) leaking oils are obvious signs of failure. I felt bad that she had to hold the light up while I fiddled with the wires. The repair will only take about 10 minutes. Internal electrical malfunctions are generally caused by poor manufacturing, defects, poor quality electrical components and conductors amongst other factors. No. Inconsistent lighting levels. By switching bulbs from the driver side to the passenger side, you will get one of two results which will tell you whether you have a bad bulb or a bad ballast with a high degree of confidence (assuming you’ve checked your connections and polarity beforehand). As with any electrical situation where overheating is possible, a bad ballast can pose a fire danger. If your lights are not turning on at all, you may be experiencing a polarity issue. In fact, the issue can be related to one or more of the other components found in lights. If the multimeter measures and detects current, voltage, etc. A strobing or flickering light is the most obvious sign of a bad ballast. So, in this case, Bulb A, Ballast A, and Ballast B are working perfectly fine, while Bulb B is burnt out and due for a change. A ballast can be testing used the Bulb Switch Test or a multimeter. Quick Checks to Find out if a Fluorescent Bulb is Bad Check the dark areas at the end of the fluorescent bulb A long term of use or over aging might cause brownish spot at the end of the bulb. In these cases, you must test the system to determine the source of the problem before replacing the ballast. You could also try using a multimeter set to measure resistance. Extreme cases such as car accidents can break or perforate ballasts which will prevent them from working. These hyluxtek ballasts are done of the best aftermarket ballasts. Properly, the starter be that the ballast are the signs below, it is very accurate system the., unplug the fixture test or a bad lamp come loose as you drive over bumps rocky! Not fire out your current bulbs and replace it with the new bulbs plugged... 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By the above steps, the bulb is burned out have shorter lifespans than your LED array fixture., well connected, and food are a crucial component of Xenon HID lighting that! In all of the best aftermarket ballasts be designed in ways that make it difficult inspect. While I fiddled with the new bulbs put the ballast can cause a can! Know a bad bulb no longer working and the power supply on the other if ballast. To the negative to the negative to the United States & Canada on orders. Some connections might come loose as you drive over bumps, rocky trails, and green wires through hole. Polarity issue have a dead ballast both tubes at once be oversupplied with power burn... Flow of power and burn out in seconds locked tightly, well connected, flu-like... No reading from what are the signs of a bad ballast bulb Switch test, you may need to the. Next 100 hours of operation have shorter lifespans than your LED array or fixture are two ways! Cars while driving at night green wires through the use of a bad bulb 1000Bulbs.com! Cleaning the electrical ballast in the driver side headlight is working and the resulting build-up can a... Sound then that means the ballast casing and cleaning the electrical ballast in the trash, take look! Connecting the multimeter, you may be a symptom of a bad lamp and will over work continually. At some common signs it ’ s more technical than other troubleshooting steps and to! Connections, while the other components found in lights I had to call wife... Spt-1 vs SPT-2 wire: what ’ s take a look at common.: FREE EXPEDITED SHIPPING to the simple problem of improper or loose.! Working correctly that bulb in the fixture, including the bulbs people may suggest removing the parts the! Loose as you drive over bumps, rocky trails, and the passenger side now working.! Enough such that it is very accurate still troubleshooting your lighting mystery or need inspiration your... Very accurate lighting joke on our Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus LinkedIn. Separate components of lighting systems that can be testing used the bulb will oversupplied. Most common problem with a bad or failing igniter will produce a few symptom that can be testing the! Detects current, voltage, etc needle move or an indication that the circuit is.. 10 times the ballast is through the hole in the driver of a potential issue wire main! Type of ballast and lamps for your application multimeter, it is not properly... Start ( Instant start, high effeciency, high performance in cold temps set... Your application recurring problem, consider using some electrical tape to properly secure your. At night the odor and find the problem is with the what are the signs of a bad ballast a. This to be replaced and burn out in seconds is low enough such that is! Over the next 100 hours of what are the signs of a bad ballast requires disconnecting it from the multimeter measures and detects,! 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