Why do lights buzz?

There’s this one light in my office that buzzes. There are about a dozen (seemingly) identical light fixtures in there, but only one of them does this. It makes a nasty, constant buzzing sound.

You stop noticing it after a few minutes, but every time I DO notice it, it pisses me off.

Why do lights do that? What can I do about it that does not involve hitting it with something heavy?

what kind of light? my psychic powers are down today due to an abscessed tooth.

If it is a fluorescent: is it the actual tube or is it the ballast?

Solutions: if it is the tube: change the tube, if it is the ballest (most likely a cheap ballast) then change the ballast.

Of course! (slaps forehead) Does part a buzz? Replace Part a.

But that’s the way it is. Something is either defective or loose. Loose parts can vibrate at the power line frequency of 60 Hz (50 Hz in communist countries :D) or multiples thereof. My suggestion is to shut off those ugly sterile white fluorescents and put a nice incandescent lamp with an earthtone shade on your desk.

It most likely is that the ballast transformer is delaminating and buzzing. The windings are on a core that is made of sheets of metal epoxyed together.

Another “me too” answer I guess. I used to work as an electrician and did a lot of work retrofitting fluorescent fixtures from the old magnetic ballasts to new electronic more energy-efficient ballasts.

The buzzing we’d hear was almost always the ballast and if replaced, it should stop.

What in the heck is communist about England, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and other WESTERN European countries? In my experience, all European countries use 240VAC, 50Hz power. I have no idea what they use in communist countries, except that on my one trip (no longer communist) Poland they were also using 240 VAC 50Hz power.

Mort Furd, whooooosh!

BTW, Poland uses 220V 50Hz. For real communists the UK uses something like 230 - 240.