# Haunted Flourescents? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haunted-flourescents/409714 "2007-06-28T00:49:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haunted-flourescents/409714/1 "2007-06-28T00:49:58Z")
My bedroom is illuminated by a pair of flourescent bulbs several years old…they are prone to flicker and dim if additional load is placed on the circuit, such as if the air conditioner is running. I also have a flourescent flashlight powered by a rechargeable battery…part of a cordless power tool kit. In any case, when I have the room’s flourescents on and also click on the flourescent flashlight, the room’s bulbs dim. I click off the flashlight, and the room’s bulbs come back on full strength. What strange electromagnetic fields are interacting to create this haunted flourescent phenomena? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haunted-flourescents/409714/2 "2007-06-28T00:59:43Z")
Probably noise from the portable’s ballast. Those little handheld fluoros run an inverter at several tens of kHz, and the cheaper ones typically emit a lot of electrical noise–try turning one on near an AM radio. Most likely something in the room light’s circuit, such as the ballast, is being interfered with.