Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - T8 Fluorescent Upgrade half works
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Al from Ottawa
01-23-08, 08:59 AM
Upgraded the ceiling fluorescent fixture in our kitchen to use the new T8 bulbs and ballasts, hoping to save power and reduce hum. The fixture had four 48" tubes and two 40w ballasts.
Bought four t8 bulbs and two magnetic T8 ballasts (32w each) since I was warned at the store to get only ballasts with the same wiring as the old ones. Each has black and white power wires, and 1 pair each of yellow, blue, and red wires. The old ballasts had identical wires.
Installation was easy, connecting all wires to same coloured wires exactly as with the old ballasts. Only the two outer bulbs (one on each ballast) light up. The two inner bulbs stay dark though I think I have seen a few slight flickers. The ground wire from the incoming power is still properly connected to the grounding screw on the fixture (in fact has not been touched). Swapping bulbs makes no difference.
The original wiring connected the red blue and yellow wires from a ballast all to the same end of the fixture. In other words the yellow wires at one end of a pair of bulbs came from one ballast and the red and blue at the other end came from the other ballast. The wiring diagram of the new ballasts shows the yellow going to the far end of the same bulbs, which makes more sense to me. I've tried both ways, and still get only the outer bulbs lit.
I could return the ballasts and get the more expensive but quieter electronic kind. But they have only red and blue wires, no yellow. I think I could connect them to my fixture, based on their wiring diagram, but I am far from sure that it would work and be safe.
So two questions:
1) Is there any obvious way to fix my present installation?
2) Is there a standard way to connect electronic ballasts in a fixture designed for magnetic?
Bought four t8 bulbs and two magnetic T8 ballasts (32w each) since I was warned at the store to get only ballasts with the same wiring as the old ones. Each has black and white power wires, and 1 pair each of yellow, blue, and red wires. The old ballasts had identical wires.
Installation was easy, connecting all wires to same coloured wires exactly as with the old ballasts. Only the two outer bulbs (one on each ballast) light up. The two inner bulbs stay dark though I think I have seen a few slight flickers. The ground wire from the incoming power is still properly connected to the grounding screw on the fixture (in fact has not been touched). Swapping bulbs makes no difference.
The original wiring connected the red blue and yellow wires from a ballast all to the same end of the fixture. In other words the yellow wires at one end of a pair of bulbs came from one ballast and the red and blue at the other end came from the other ballast. The wiring diagram of the new ballasts shows the yellow going to the far end of the same bulbs, which makes more sense to me. I've tried both ways, and still get only the outer bulbs lit.
I could return the ballasts and get the more expensive but quieter electronic kind. But they have only red and blue wires, no yellow. I think I could connect them to my fixture, based on their wiring diagram, but I am far from sure that it would work and be safe.
So two questions:
1) Is there any obvious way to fix my present installation?
2) Is there a standard way to connect electronic ballasts in a fixture designed for magnetic?
mattison
01-23-08, 11:37 AM
T-8's get wired differently than T-12's. Look closely at the wiring diagram on the ballast and follow it's directions.
Al from Ottawa
01-23-08, 01:41 PM
T-8's get wired differently than T-12's. Look closely at the wiring diagram on the ballast and follow it's directions.
As I said in my original post, the new electronic ballasts do indeed have different wiring. I'm looking for advice on adapting one of them if I return the ballast I bought. But I bought the T8 equivalent of my old ballast, and it appears to have a wiring diagram identical to the old one.
As I said in my original post, the new electronic ballasts do indeed have different wiring. I'm looking for advice on adapting one of them if I return the ballast I bought. But I bought the T8 equivalent of my old ballast, and it appears to have a wiring diagram identical to the old one.
mattison
01-23-08, 01:54 PM
Can you post the model and brand of ballast you're attempting to use.
french277V
01-23-08, 05:40 PM
I don't know why you have to buy 2 lamp T-8 ballast there is a 4 lamp T-8 ballast verison so you only need one ballast for all 4 lamp.
are you using the Advance Ballast or other brand because i can tell by connection.
and by the way with old T-12 connection on 4 lamp set up one ballast work with outboard lamps while second ballast work for inboard ballast so you have to watch out with that one and also some ballast do have a shunt device on the tombstone if you go with electronic verison get rid of shuntted tombstone[s] they will screw up the electronic ballast operatiom.
Belive me i did see that and done that before so i know before hand and i do alot of commercal work with this kind of set up.
and with 2 lamp T-8 electronic ballast here a quick run down of connection this is pretty typical but check the label to make sure anyway here it is red and bleu will go one end and the single yellow lead go other end of luminaire and the yellow one is connected in parallel connections so all the yellow one are tied together but watch the tombstone postion normally most T-8 electronic they change the format so one half side is one set and other half is on other set [ this is true with 4 lamp verison ] i wish i can make a drawing but let me get a link diagram part 1 [ 4 lamp verison] (http://www.lightbulbdepot.com/additionalimages.asp?image=03093BWIREDIA.GIF&name=Wiring%20Diagram&item=03093B)
here is link diagram part 2 [ 2 lamp verison ] (http://www.lightbulbdepot.com/additionalimages.asp?image=01688BWIREDIA.GIF&name=Wiring%20Diagram&item=01688B)
but one thing you will have to is check the connection to make sure you have the right one because each manufacter have slightly diffrent colour and connection styles than what i will prodive to ya
Merci, Marc
are you using the Advance Ballast or other brand because i can tell by connection.
and by the way with old T-12 connection on 4 lamp set up one ballast work with outboard lamps while second ballast work for inboard ballast so you have to watch out with that one and also some ballast do have a shunt device on the tombstone if you go with electronic verison get rid of shuntted tombstone[s] they will screw up the electronic ballast operatiom.
Belive me i did see that and done that before so i know before hand and i do alot of commercal work with this kind of set up.
and with 2 lamp T-8 electronic ballast here a quick run down of connection this is pretty typical but check the label to make sure anyway here it is red and bleu will go one end and the single yellow lead go other end of luminaire and the yellow one is connected in parallel connections so all the yellow one are tied together but watch the tombstone postion normally most T-8 electronic they change the format so one half side is one set and other half is on other set [ this is true with 4 lamp verison ] i wish i can make a drawing but let me get a link diagram part 1 [ 4 lamp verison] (http://www.lightbulbdepot.com/additionalimages.asp?image=03093BWIREDIA.GIF&name=Wiring%20Diagram&item=03093B)
here is link diagram part 2 [ 2 lamp verison ] (http://www.lightbulbdepot.com/additionalimages.asp?image=01688BWIREDIA.GIF&name=Wiring%20Diagram&item=01688B)
but one thing you will have to is check the connection to make sure you have the right one because each manufacter have slightly diffrent colour and connection styles than what i will prodive to ya
Merci, Marc