How to Replace an Old Fluorescent Light Ballast With a New One
If your fluorescent light fixture starts to hum or flicker, or if you notice an unpleasant burning smell, the ballast may be at fault. The ballast creates a surge that causes the gases in the bulbs to glow. Replacing an old ballast is a simple process for anyone who is confident working with electrical wiring. Take basic precautions, such as turning off the electricity and handling the bulbs carefully. If you think you have gotten in over your head, call an electrician to do the job for you. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Turn off the power to the fluorescent light.
-
2
Remove the cover. Usually, you can accomplish this by gently pinching the sides of the cover in toward the center and pulling it off.
-
-
3
Take the fluorescent bulbs, or lamps, out of the fixture. Rotate the bulbs until the prongs at the end line up with the slot in the holder, and gently pull the bulbs out.
-
4
Open the cover of the ballast. Locate the metal tabs near the center of the fixture, and turn them to release the cover.
-
5
Locate the wire nuts connecting the wires that go into the fixture to the wires that come out of the ballast. If the wires are not connected by wire nuts, cut the wires about 10 inches from the middle of the fixture.
-
6
Unscrew the nut that holds the ballast in place with the nut driver, and remove the defective ballast. Screw the new ballast in place. Make sure that you position it so the wires face the same colored wires in the fixture.
-
7
Attach the white wire on the ballast to the white wire on the fixture. Strip 1/2 inch of the insulation from the end of each wire, and attach the two wires with a wire nut. Repeat with the red, black and blue wires.
-
8
Reattach the ballast cover, and put the bulbs back in. Test the fluorescent fixture before you put the cover back on. The first time you turn on the light, it may take a few moments before it fully illuminates. Replace the cover.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
A fixture with four bulbs may have two ballasts. Replace the ballast with exactly the same model.
Fluorescent bulbs shatter easily.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit The author
