Florescent shop light

[Alan L.]

I just picked up 2 48" bulbs and installed in my new Craftsman workbench overhead light fixture. When I first put them in they each buzzed pretty good and there was no light except on the very ends. Fiddling with them, turning them around in the socket I finally get them to light up and the buzzing subsides. But if I turn them off and back on they go back to buzzing and no light until I fiddle with them some more. Any ideas?

 

[Bird]

Alan, I've not had a lot of experience with florescent lights other than changing starters in the old style and a couple of ballasts, but my first guess with what you're saying is a bad contact or connection; something not lined up exactly right to make good contact.

 

[kcbarnes]

If you look at the end cap of most bulbs you will see a dimple of some sort possibly at 90 deg. to the pins, you can use that to help tell if the bulb is seated in the socket correctly.

 

[Thomas]

Alan,
You may want to check the temp range on the ballast than your shop air temp.
Thats if you are useing F40,RS cool white bulbs.

 

[Boondox]

Alan -- Doesn't sound like you live in a cold clime, but I've got to ask. Just how cold is it where you live? Here in Vermont I use cold weather ballasts because the cheapie shoplights do what you describe unless the temp is above the fifties. Around here, that means the regular ballasts work well in September and October.

Pete

 

[bky]

alan first a couple questions
1. is the fixture a new one? if so make sure you are using the right lamps newer fixtures may require t8 lamps not t12 lamps.
2. what is the temp in the aera? if is like stated in a earlyer reply make sure you are using a ballast for the tempture range that the fixture is in.

make sure that the wires on the sockets are in tight and the lamps are in the sockets all the way (like was stated earlyer) there is either a dimple or a raised notch should be faceing the way the tube was installed

 

[Turfman]

How cold is it there? Mine won't light in the cold.

 

[Alan L.]

Thanks for the info guys. I have a thermometer in the shop and its 60 right now in there. I pulled both lamps out and put them back in, with the dimples lined up with the canal. Turned them on and they just buzzed and only the ends lit up. Rotate the lamps 180 degrees and they light up OK and buzzing stops. Turns the lights off. Wait a few minutes and turn them on - same problem. Rotate to original position and now they work - until I turn them off.

The lamps are FEIT Electric. The notations are F400W/ES, 34 Watts, Energy Saver. I can't tell from the Craftsman docs or from the fixture itself if there is a particular type of lamp that goes in there. I wonder if the fixture is just defective.

 

[roysallis]

Replace the fixture with one that has an electronic ballast.

 

[Bird]

Alan, do let us know what you find out because I'm curious. I bought about the cheapest two bulb 48" florescent light fixture the hardware store had to hang over my workbench about 3.5 years ago and have never had a problem with it. And I've used it in all temperatures from 25 to 100 degrees.