Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - Fluorescent trouble-shooting help needed.

I'm doing a repair/remodel job on an old house to get it ready to be rented. The only reason that info is important is for budgeting/aesthetic standards purposes. The owner wants everything fixed and looking spectacular... as long as it doesn't cost a whole lot.

The kitchen is lit by two fluorescent fixtures: a 2-bulb model, and a 4-bulb model.

2-bulb fixture problem:
- When switched on, only one bulb does anything, but all it does is glow pink at one end.

4-bulb fixture problem:
- When switched on, the two center bulbs come on but the outer two do not.
- The outer two do not even glow.

I don't know much about fluorescent fixtures, except that they have a heavy black box that I'm pretty certain isn't for show. Another thing I've noticed is that they seem to be affected by the humidity/temp.

My guess is that the bulbs that don't do anything are bad and need to be replaced. But what about the bulb that glows pink at one end as though it's trying to light up? Can a fluorescent bulb be "partially bad?" Or is it a problem with the fixture itself? I've left them on for extended periods and they never came on.

I can replace bulbs easily enough, but can you test the fixture using a multi-function voltage tester?

What I'm hoping to do is avoid having to replace these fixtures; but, if they can't be fixed, I need to know that too.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

~Jeffrey

Yes, the tubes will start to fail and not come to full brightness. Fluorescents do not have a filament like an incandescent bulb.

For right now switch the working tubes into spots that are not working and see if the problem continues or goes away.

The black box is the transformer that steps up the household voltage to a voltage high enough to get the gas to glow.

I switched one of the center bulbs from the 4-bulb fixture with one of the outer non-working bulbs and noticed that the other center bulb turned off. Does that mean that they are wired in a paired series?

Thanks for the help!

~Jeffrey

Turns out the problem was only the bulbs. :D

Thanks again.

~Jeffrey

P.S. The 4-bulb fixture is wired so that you have to have two bulbs installed (i.e. in the two outside sockets, or the two center sockets,) for the light to work.