Advice sought:

We have a kitchen fluorescent light fixture with two concentric fluorescent circular bulbs, 8 inch/22W and 12 inch/32W.

Last weekend we noticed both bulbs were out. I decided to upgrade to LEDs.

After installing the LEDs, the 8 inch lit up very dimly but the 12 inch did not light up at all. I figured it was a bad ballast, so I replaced the ballast. The symptoms were unchanged.

So today I returned the LED bulbs and came home with new flourescent bulbs. Now, the 8 inch lights up just fine but the 12 inch does not.

To summarize: two new flourescent bulbs, and a new ballast. Still no light from the 32W.

Is it relevant that there are two light switches to this fixture? (One at each end of the kitchen.)

Thanks

Ben

 

Are you sure the LEDs were made to be used with a ballast and not wired straight to 120v?

 

Can you post what lamps you are trying to use? (links or pictures)

 

If you replaced ballast and then used new fluorescent lamps and one of the two lamps work I'd say you have a bad lamp socket connection. The three-way switches have nothing to do with one lamp lighting and the other not lighting.

 

Thanks each of you for your help.

The LEDs were supposed to work with a ballast, but I returned them so that's not the issue anymore.

The new lamps are traditional fluorescent circular bulbs:
8 inch
12 inch

Both the old ballast and the new ballast are TLE54. The bad socket connection would make sense to me, except the sockets are integrated in the ballast that I replaced. In other words, it is a new socket too.

 

Did you check with a meter to make sure you have 120 volts at the light? Is either of the 3 way switches a dimmer?

 

Neither switch is a dimmer. I have not checked with a meter; I’ll do that but probably not until later in the week. What might cause a voltage drop?

 

I don't expect any voltage drop, but I would just want to make sure that there is 120 volts at the box before continuing.

 

I had one of those round fluorescent fixtures and had problems with the lamps not lasting. The last time I got new lamps, right out of the box one lamp didn't work. I ended up replacing the whole fixture with a LED fixture.

 

The LEDs are probably designed to work off an electronic ballast and you have an old magnetic ballast. The best thing to do would have been to just replace the entire fixture with a new LED fixture.

 

120v to the fixture. I guesss it’s time for a new fixture!