The fluorescent lights in my kitchen are going out often. I replaced them Jul 2020, Jun 2021, and now they are out again 7 months later. What could be the cause of this? They are recessed lighting like in the picture. They take philips f40tw12.

 

The biggest problem is due to the reduction of hazardous substance laws the amount of mercury in fluorescent tubes has been reduced drastically. For the most part tubes available today don't work reliably with older style magnetic ballasts. They do work fine and last a lot longer when electronic ballasts are used.

 

I take it that I would need an electrician to replace the ballasts.

 

No. The ballasts are fairly easy to replace. The wiring diagram is posted on them.

You can upgrade the ballasts to 2F48-T8's too. Same sockets.

 

Get rid of the ballasts all together.
Install LEDs

 

I agree. I would switch the fixtures to hold LED replacement bulbs and be done with fluorescent.

 

manden and Pilot Dane do you have any recommendations, either links or model numbers?

PJmax same question in case I find the LED lights are not suitable? 😁

 

You can use LED replacement bulbs from almost anywhere. There are two basic types. One retains your old ballast to power the new bulbs which I do NOT recommend. The second type of bulb is powered directly by 120 VAC with no ballast.

I have had good luck with these bulbs but you can also get similar from other online sources and your local hardware and big box stores. With this type bulb you make sure the power is off to the fixture. Remove the old ballast or just disconnect all the wires to it and leave it in place. Then you connect the wires to one end of the bulbs to the hot (black) wire from your house. Then you attach the wires to the other ends of the bulbs to the neutral (white) wire from your house.

The nice thing is these bulbs are totally self contained. One bulb can die and the others in the fixture will keep on working so you won't be left in the dark.

When shopping pay attention to the wattage and color temperature of the bulbs. As you'd expect more wattage is brighter. You can also get bulbs in different color temperatures. 5000K like the bulb I linked is good for a warehouse or workshop where being able to see well is your number one concern. For aesthetic reasons you might want a lower, warmer color tone for your kitchen. My personal choice for a home kitchen would be 4000k so it looks "prettier" but I like the higher color temperature as it seems brighter per watt and I find it easier to see fine details.

 

DH ended hassle, when they developed problems, replaced fluorescent lights with Walmart 12" to 48" fixture units costing $8 to $20.

Is often easier and cheaper than bulbs or getting fluorescent fixtures to work reliably.

 

Thank you all. Definitely good information and will be upgrading my lights.