Home Repair & Maintenance Tips : How to Change a Ballast in a Fluorescent Light

[MrHeerpie]

T12 lights are terrible for the environment and terrible to see with. Try taking out your two t12's. bumping up the ballast factor, and replacing with one 32watt 5000k t8 with a sweet reflector. you will notice the same light level (Lumens at the task area) Your energy consumption per fixture will jump from like .8 amps to .2 amps... worth it? how many lights do you have? more than two? I think so!

[thunderjohnson]

Not a good video. Instructional videos need to be written so someone who has never done the task before can fully understand how to do it right and what can go wrong.

[golftrailsucks]

you shoudnt leave your blue and red wires too long. try not too leave too much excess. for future replacements, it will avoid bending the wirers. this will make it look clean and easy to view the wire connection for future replacements.

[telosfd]

Is this an electronic balast???????

[TheChemist187]

I did just this, my wires are the exact same as the guy in this videos. red, blue, yellow, and black and white for power. I replaced it and put new bulbs now the only thing I see i orange-ee light at the end of the lights all sides but nothing else happens. Can someone help?

[telosfd]

@TheChemist187 Replace the starters, with the same value starters. And remember if the color in the end of the lamp is to red replace the lamp!

[3Y3ECE]

everyone needs to know this.

[mrxenos]

Wow, you're supposedly an electrician and you don't see that his pliers have a wire cutter and stripper on the underside. It's a very common tool. He is NOT using the pliers to strip the wire. It's an actual wire stripper on the SAME tool, you tool.

[particle409]

I'm replacing the ballasts in my old lights. They look the same as in the video, but the ballast is really old, maybe late 70's? It's a "Universal Therm-O-Matic" rapid start ballast. "For two F30W T12/RS lamps, 120 volts, 60 cycles.

Can I just use replace with whatever ballast depending on the bulbs I use?

[rickyrosan]

very good video and I don't understand how can people criticize this man's good instructions which helped me change my 2 ballasts. There are always some wise guys who think that they can do better. Bunch of empty talkers and pretenders. Thanks for the video

[Hammerman6976]

Thanks! I'm getting in to doing handyman work and I'll need all the help I can get! I want to make sure I know what I'm doing and you made it look very easy.

[jadari12]

YES, THIS HELPED ME SO MUCH! It took me almost so long so i decided to go on youtube, saw the video and at 3:32 i saw how you just slipped it in so I went and did it the easy!

[elmorejones]

Thank You

[shodanxx]

is there a way to fix a ballast that doesn't always start ?

for example, adding a starter cap in series with the tubes

would that work ?

[jjlwis]

i don't know whats worse, expertvillage, or eHow videos....

[chickaperales]

@jjlwis youtube



[CocacolaCowboy1919]

The needle nose pliers might have an angled part so they are like diagonal pliers which many experianced electricians use to strip wires. . My pliers have this, so I did not need to buy a separate diagonal pliers. Bacically he was not using the needle nose part (end)but the diagonal part of it. I am not a certified electrician but I worked with them and worked on electrical stuff.

[youtubbin16]

do the wiring nut colors matter at all?

[kevxsi16v]

use a good old magnetic ballast and you wont get this stupid problem!

[dmanschaumbizzie]

this is not a safe video

[Smokethatchron]

@dmanschaumbizzie Yes it is, this guy is just an idiot, I do these fixtures all the time(I'm an apprentice electrician) and it's a joke.. Almost all the time running on 120 too wich tickles. 347 is where it actually hurts like a bitch.

[JFVC01]

Shit bro I wish I came accross your video before my ballast blew out almost burning down my condo. Good job.

[blue6023]

how can i make a fluorescent light(2 foot) brighter or stronger? what kind of lights bulbs would i might need.

[dsignerer]

Thanks, this help a lot. hahaha~!!! Appreciate~!! ^_^

[cageo2207]

Thank you kind sir.

[pincheguey06]

Thanks for the video - I have a problem ballast that needs to be replaced. Ignore the negative comments - they're just pissed cause we're not callin them so they can gouge a customer over a simple fix!

[he11ove11o]

@pincheguey06 --- I agree with you

[88electrician88]

not bad, just there are so many different types of ballasts. I always get calls for ballasts that people couldn't figure out how to wire. Here's a simple solution for everyone. Hire an ELECTRICIAN.

[HighestRank]

Here I have an impossible problem: I have tried two new tubes and one new ballast in a florescent fixture but it simply won't light up. In desperation, I unmounted one socket off the end and connected it to a shorter tube and works normally... Just refuses to power up the length tube it calls for! On top of that, the ballast says it would use less current for a higher wattage tube it should have lit, wow! Can I add a starter to an instant start ballast to help?

[elmasbuscado909]

the ballast has to be for that specific lamp type and it tells you how many lamps what type of ballast and what type of lamps are you using

[HighestRank]

I think I am going to add a starter to the setup, but first remove one of the wires so it won't be directly connected to the ballast, which wouldn't be possible if the CFL weren't bi-pin. i already discovered that simply disconnecting one wire will make the bulb brighter but it eventually takes longer to start.

[elmasbuscado909]

what type of lamp are you trying to start up cfl bi pin if so how many watts

[rogerj325]

Great job on the Vidio. Some people just like to Bitch about anything. If you gave them $100.00 they would Bitch because you didn't give them $200.00.

[HighestRank]

You misspelled video, and BTW, where's my $100... and my other $100?

[hanswebb]

save your judgments for yourself 2x dude, adding useful info for others is enough

[Crazeyfor67]

You did a good job. Some people can't explain stuff. Thanks

[userss00]

thanks for sharing. there aint many videos of ballast. thanks a ton for the sincere effort.

[anniecolores]

very useful, muchas gracias!

[missestherlee]

thank you! That was very helpful!

[quagbomb]

What a loser!!!!

[rhynoceros]

make your own video then if your so concerned with public safety, because this is the only one i could find on youtube. and if you already know how to change a ballast, why are you watching this video?

[brianbrian2323]

you didnt mention to connect the white and black wires LAST, after matching up your blue and red wires. this is a serious process for a new time beginner, you are dealing with electricity, and these first time installers need a more detailed step by step description and you go about it like they know what you are talking about...do us all a favor and stop making videos ...terrible

[brianbrian2323]

this was the worst process on how to change a ballast i have ever heard. first you have to check that the voltage of the ballast matches up, because if you install a 277 volt ballast to a 120 volt fixture, you will blow it out. you didnt say anything about first and foremost DISCONNECTING THE BLACK AND WHITE wires before you do anything. those are your most important wires. you dont strip wires with needle nose pliers, you use a wire stripper which is made for that.

[Sucio16]

I have a 3-bulb fluorescent light cover for my aquarium. Each buls is about 48" It has a few wires connected to it (red, yellow, blue...). And, I was told that all it needs is a ballast for it to work. My question is, is there a certain ballast (model and/or volts) that I would need?

[CocacolaCowboy1919]

@brianbrian2323 The needle nose pliers might have an angled part so they are like diagonal pliers which many experianced electricians use to strip wires. . My pliers have this, so I did not need to buy a separate diagonal pliers. Bacically he was not using the needle nose part (end)but the diagonal part of it. I am not a certified electrician but I worked with them and worked on electrical stuff.

[CocacolaCowboy1919]

@brianbrian2323 I agree that the needle nose thing should be explained but if you don't know this already you shouldn't be doing this type of stuff. Also he does have other videos on fluorescent so maybe he talks about voltage in one of the other vids.

[chickaperales]

@brianbrian2323 actualy i only clicked on this video to see if those things were mentioned

[candikrow]

I'm an electrician, firstly, you never strip a wire with needle nose pliers, u can do it but other poeple will damage the wire, creating a weak connection that could lead to a fire from arking, and the first thing you should have mentioned, the voltage of the ballast, 120 isn't that bad but man, stick to carpentry

[jon4721]

does it matter which blue wire goes to blue, and which red wire goes to wich red? Thank you.

[ola3541]

thank you sir!!!! yes!!!!

[paulcalgary]

Great help, thanks.