I have a fluorescent tube lighting fixture in my basement—it’s quite old (it was here when I moved in 18 years ago, and it looked old then, so who knows when it was put in). Both bulbs went out at the same time–just a faint orange glow on the end of both.
I tried replacing the bulbs, but they do the same thing. Youtube and various websites keep telling me to change the starter, but I don’t see anything on this fixture that looks remotely like what they’re changing in these videos.
Do all of these fixtures (at least these old ones) have a starter, and I just can’t locate it? Or is there something else going on? I’m guessing the fixture is getting power, since there’s that faint orange glow when I turn the switch on.
Starters have largely disappeared. The Ballast has probably gone bad. I wouldn’t bother replacing the ballast.
I would return the 2 new bulbs and then price out a LED tube style light instead. They’re more efficient and probably cost as little as the Ballast. Is it a 4’ fixture? You can find a nice selection between Lowes, Home Depot or Amazon for $30 to $60. The replacement ballast might cost as much and your still using old tech.
And is a pain in the ass to change out.
Varies, but true. Sometimes takes a few minutes, sometimes you end up cursing the engineer that designed the damn light fixture. The Navy ones were all pretty easy. In my civilian life I’ve run into a few were I was cursing the designer.
Thanks. Looks like I’ll be replacing the whole fixture. This light may well be as old I am. Wasn’t looking forward to taking the thing apart anyway
Depending on the quality of the fixture, it might make sense to leave it but bypass the ballast and install ballast-bypass LED lamps.
But I doubt you could go wrong doing a full-fixture replacement either.
If it is as old as you are the ballast may contain PCBs. so you ag=re better off changing it.
Thirding the suggestion to get LED bulbs. You don’t need to replace the fixture. Just snip the leads going into the ballast and wire the hot/neutral directly to the bulb terminals. Leave the ballast in place; it’s not worth removing.
As others have said best just get a replacement LED tube.
The LED tubes these days are just tubes, no extra fitting except a couple of plastic clips to hold the tube in place.
Thing to remember with LED, they are polarity specific so be sure to get the pos and neg the right way round 
I think I’ll be replacing the whole fixture --as I said, it’s hideously old and looks it. Now if I can only find some easy to follow ‘how-to’ instructions that aren’t an annoying youtube video…Probably won’t get around to it for another week or two because of work etc.
Here you go - you only need the first option, taking away the whole of the old fitting and hanging the new LED tube on the provided clips.
None of that horrible flashing when you switch on, almost totally cold and negligible running cost.
Do recycle your flurorescents, this is not as easy and free to do as CFLs in most places. Businesses like Batteries Plus will take them for $3, though when I brought it 4 they waived the fee as I think it’s more for pallets. Then as far as I know LEDs can just go in the trash if you retrofit it.
Yea, I would also recommend replacing it with an LED fixture. But I thought I’d also use this opportunity to point out a little-known idiosyncrasy with some of those old fluorescent fixtures.
On some of those fixtures, the metal reflector had to be connected to ground, else the bulbs would not light. Why? Because after power is applied to the fixture, a few microamps of current would flow from the bulbs to the metal reflector via capacitive coupling, and this was necessary in order for the bulbs to start. So check to see if the reflector is connected to ground; if it’s not, then perhaps it somehow lost the ground connection, and fixing it could solve the problem.
(I have always found this little factoid interesting, since it’s the only device I’ve ever heard about that will not work correctly if the ground wire is not connected.)
A lot of this is way above my incredibly basic knowledge of wiring and electricity. Pretty much anything that doesn’t involve just swapping the existing fixture by hooking the same wires to the same spot is going to get done by a friend who works as an electrician. I’ve changed out outlets and switches, but anything beyond that is likely beyond my willingness to experiment. Frankly, I’m not even sure what the ‘ballast’ is in a fixture and suggestions about re-wiring it are way beyond what I’m willing to attempt.
But I know a guy who does this sort of thing for a living that will gladly come by one weekend and help me out so I don’t electrocute myself.
That’s totally fair, though you may want to ask questions of your friend as he’s helping you.
The ballast is a black box inside the fixture, maybe 6-8" long. You can’t miss it. The hot/neutral (black/white) line inputs will be connected to one side. The other side will branch out to the bulb terminals. Bypassing the box just means snipping the wires and connecting the line inputs directly to the terminals. You’ll probably need a few extra wire nuts.
There are, or used to be, separate plug and play lamps designed to work with your existing ballast as well as lamps designed to work with the ballast bypassed. If you go this way make sure they’re compatible with what you’re trying to do.
Don’t know why you guys are still talking about ballast and the like, must be very confusing for someone who has admitted to limited knowledge of electricity.
When LED’s first started to make an appearance you could just replace a fluorescent tube with an LED tube, all you needed to do was replace a starter that came with the LED.
Things have moved on and now you can replace the whole fluorescent fitting, tube and everything with just a LED tube. No need for any of the old fluorescent fitting to remain, unless you have a reflector you want to keep.
If a fluorescent has stopped working the best thing is to take it all out so you are just left with two wired coming out of you wall or ceiling, and get a replacement LED tube.
The LED tubes are just a tube with a couple of wires at one end Pos/Neg to connect to the original wires from the old fluorescent fitting. The whole fitting is mounted on a slim compact plastic strip with a couple of clips to hold it up.
Easy Peasy
thank you. That sounds a lot more like something I can handle. I’ll probably still call my friend over when I do it anyway, because I’ve found over the last nearly 20 years in this house that even the simplest job rarely is as simple as it was supposed to be. Unexpected stuff always turns up.
Your house wiring is DC? Where do you live?
Of Couse not.
I live in Thailand, where when it’s working, we have regular 230v @ 50Hz unlike most of the USA that has 110v @ 60Hz.
Different voltages but the shops would only stock electrical stuff that worked in the country that you’re in, so what I said in my previous post still applies, no matter where you are.
Thailand is considered (by some) 3rd World and these LED tubes that wire straight to the mains without any additional fittings, except a reflector if you want, are readily available here so should be no problem in any of your “advanced” countries.
Of course we are nearer to China, where most stuff seems to come from these days, so maybe some of these new fangled things have not reached the States yet (tongue in cheek) 