Need help with quad flourescent...


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Old 10-02-10, 03:39 PM
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Need help with quad flourescent...

I have this light in my basement and it is not working. I have done the following:

replaced all 4 flourescent bulbs (the thin kind 32 watts each 48 inch).

tested the line, and there is power.

tested the yellow and black wires going into the ballast, they have power

tested the blue and red wires on the other side of the ballast, they have power

put the tester on each end of each bulb, and it blinks....

still, the light does not work. could it be the ballast is not putting out enough juice to fire up the 4 bulbs, but enough to trip the tester ?.

the ballast in question is REL-4P32-SC.

Thanks in advance. Also, how hard is it to replace a ballast. Is it easier to just buy a new fixture ?.
 

Last edited by fxcarden; 10-02-10 at 04:52 PM.
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Old 10-02-10, 04:12 PM
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put the tester on each end of each bulb, and it blinks....
If you are using a non-contact tester it is not reliable for basic trouble shooting. You need to use an analog meter or test light. You can't really test the ballast though except that it is getting voltage.

It does sound like a bad ballast. Do you have one ballast or two? Any evidence of leakage? Is it cold or too hot to touch?
 
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Old 10-02-10, 04:22 PM
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One ballast. No leakage. Not hot, but the lights in the basement had been off all day before I noticed the problem. How would I use the analog meter or a test light in this situation ?.
 
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Old 10-02-10, 06:35 PM
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Originally Posted by fxcarden
One ballast. No leakage. Not hot, but the lights in the basement had been off all day before I noticed the problem. How would I use the analog meter or a test light in this situation ?.
Check that you have voltage to the ballast. Should usually be a black and white wire. Measure across those two. Also check that all the wires to the bulb holders (tombstones) are firmily in place and there is no corrosion.
 
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Old 10-03-10, 08:52 AM
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More info on this....my son was in the basement when the light quit. He said it was on like normal, then it went off and on about 3 or 4 times in the span of a couple of seconds, and then it quit for good. No noises, and no smells. This fixture is about 5 years old, and it is in a dry environment. Does this sound like the ballast just let go ?. Also, we had power flicker on and off a few times the day prior due to the big storm we had out here. Could that have damaged the ballast somehow ?. Funny thing is the other lights (same style) are still working (all on the same circuit).
 
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Old 10-03-10, 09:38 AM
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Ballast may be electronic and therefore more sensitive to power surges then old style magnetic ballasts. What ever the cause if you are sure there is power to the ballast then best guess is you need to replace the ballast or the fixture.
 
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Old 10-03-10, 02:55 PM
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It's a 4-lamp electronic ballast for 4 F32T8 lamps. They have a fairly high failure rate. Replace it, they cost approximately $20 at most hardware stores.
 
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Old 10-03-10, 03:22 PM
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Yeap. Did just that. Funny, I was all worried about doing this myself, but nothing could be simpler.

Light is back in service.

Thanks for the help, guys.
 
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Old 10-03-10, 04:44 PM
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Glad you got it. Thanks for letting us know.
 
 

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