Fluorescent light without starter

Fluorescent light fixtures have evolved over the last few years. The fixtures no longer require a separate starter to turn the fluorescent light bulbs or tubes on. When the fluorescent light fixture needs to be repaire it is most often the socket or the ballast that need replacing.

Of course, it depends on the fluorescent lamp. Many fluorescent lamps, such as “rapid start” or “instant start” are intended to be used without starters.

I have a modern fluorescent tube with no starter. Without the starter , a steady stream of electrons is never created between the two filaments, and the lamp flickers. Ballast also control the current through the tube to protect it from short-circuiting.

Without the ballast, the arc is a short circuit between the filaments, and this short circuit contains a lot of current. The current either vaporizes the filaments or causes the bulb to explode. It is a small, silvery cylinder that plugs into one of the tube holders.

In addition to the tubes commonly used for fluorescent lighting , this type of light also requires something called a ballast.

A ballast is a long, rectangular box that controls and regulates the output of the fluorescent lights. Many different types of ballasts exist and you can buy one that matches your lighting needs. Others can regulate the light output of different.

A starter is a small box in the light fitting which the tube sits next to. The function of that starter , as the name suggests, is to feed enough energy into the tube so it lights it up. Starters are only found in fittings that are years old or older.

In these older fixtures, a non-working light could often be repaired by simply replacing the starter instead of the ballast. A compact fluorescent lamp is a miniaturized conventional fluorescent tube packaged with an integral ballast on a standard light bulb base so it can be installed into most types of lighting. But once it has lit, you can try to remove the starter and see that the lamp will still light.

Order Now For Next Day Delivery! Shop today at TLC Electrical! Once you have the correct replacement fluorescent starter , you will need to start by removing the bulb to replace it. The bulb will usually need to be removed because the starter is located directly above it. If your light has more than one bulb, you will find that each one has its own starter to make it work.

If you have a fixture but have misplaced the starter , write down the wattage of any of the fluorescent tubes and take that information to the hardware store, lest you be scolded by the mean clerk and sent home without supper. Online shopping from a great selection at Lighting Store.

Many times when a fluorescent light starts to flicker or takes a long time to turn on the ballast or light starter is going bad. One clue that your ballast is the reason for a non-working fluorescent light is the light bulbs struggle to turn on. As I said in the intro, we noticed this happening over a 3-week period. A good way to check that your ballast is the culprit is to turn on a voltage detector and hold it next to the wires supplying power to the ballast. By adding a correct LED shorter, these ETL approved tubes can replace the fluorescent tubes in inductive-ballast-based fixtures without rewiring.

In the following sections, an instruction will be introduced to replace a fluorescent tube with an ETL approved LED tube light in an inductive-ballast-based fixture. In most cases when we buy a fluorescent light it comes in a complete set with all wire connected. If you want do it yourself (DIY), you can buy all the parts individually.