# Why do lights buzz? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-lights-buzz/66408 "2001-05-24T23:17:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Grok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grok)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-lights-buzz/66408/1 "2001-05-24T23:17:09Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-lights-buzz/66408/2 "2001-05-24T23:32:07Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-lights-buzz/66408/3 "2001-05-24T23:47:02Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-lights-buzz/66408/4 "2001-05-25T00:43:44Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-lights-buzz/66408/5 "2001-05-25T02:27:06Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-lights-buzz/66408/6 "2001-05-25T10:11:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Attrayant \* > \*\*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. \*\* 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. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-lights-buzz/66408/7 "2001-05-25T16:54:35Z")
Mort Furd, whooooosh! BTW, Poland uses 220V 50Hz. For real communists the UK uses something like 230 - 240.