Installed 6 fluorescent lights, massive radio interference

Just put up 6 4 lamp t8 fixtures, with intentions on putting up 3 more.
Flip the switch on just 3 (doesn't matter which set) and it turns my garage into one of those CIA bug free quiet rooms ya see in the movies..

People pay thousands of dollars for that kinda safety, and apparently all they'd have to do is have me put up 3 fluorescent lights in their garage.

I'm talkin ya flip the switch and no radio stations, phone signal is lost (and I get great 4g reception) planes start veering off coarse, pigeons crash into trees, it's pretty bad.


Does anyone have any suggestions? Only thing I could think of is to recheck all connections and make sure they have good ground, which they do.

You purchased fixtures with non-consumer ballast (commercial). Check the ballast for residential use. There should be an FCC listing.

As suggested, check for FCC part 15 compliance.
The basics of it are that devices must not emit RF energy beyond a certain level, and they must also tolerate RF energy at specified levels without impairment.

Great, I purchased these because they were the only 220v lights available. So ya guys are tellin me my only option is to buy all new ballasts? Cant even return the lights because the boxes are ruined.

carlr said:

Great, I purchased these because they were the only 220v lights available. So ya guys are tellin me my only option is to buy all new ballasts? Cant even return the lights because the boxes are ruined.

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Where are you located? Is 220/240 volt the normal practice for lighting there?

The use of both sides of the line, as in 240 volt, actually makes the problem worse, since both line sides act as radiators.

Solution is to use residential 120 volt fixtures, if 120 is available.

Most wireless will be doomed, FM signal may fare better. Use internet/Pandora to bring in music but will need wired internet since WiFi will most likely be impaired also.

Yeah this was my first real electrical/lighting project, still have a lot to learn. Man I musta been distracted when I wrote my last post because it wasn't accurate at all, ha.

I picked up the lights on sale and they happened to be 120/240 compatible. At the time I was thinking all about the 240, cutting the amperage in half. After thinking about it I realized the lights didn't draw that much, and I could just use the 12-2 wire I had for 120V, which is what I did.

Doesn't matter though since they're still commercial ballasts.

My two options I'm considering;

1) External radio antenna and use the 'I was in the garage and had no service' line for phone, which'll probably come in quite handy.

2) Post ads on craigslist to rent out garage for secret meetings for people afraid of wireless surveillance. Little side money never hurt anybody right.

The commercial ballasts have power factor correction that helps keep the peak current draw in phase with the voltage. If you multiply the amperage times the voltage on a commercial, the watts will come pretty close whats on the name plate.

On residential ballasts, since the peak amperage draw is not in phase with the peak voltage draw, the actual power vs the calculated power will be different.

Often times, the power factor correction circuit is the noise source. It can be filtered, but often is not to the level that a home fixture is (cost savings).

As noted FCC part 15 / 18 allows commercial ballasts to have higher EMI levels.

Hard wiring and running in conduit might help. You can emit EMI on the neutral just as easily as you can on the hot leg. Ferrite beads on the inlet wires might help. Inside the ballast, keeping the power wires separated from the lamp wires might also help.

A ferrite / inlet noise filter is another workable solution. Its a matter of finding the right one doing a bit of testing. Not all commercial ballasts are the same, higher quality units tend to be quieter. Do you have a PN on the current ballast?

http://www.solar-electric.com/reducing-electromagnetic-interference-pv-systems.html/

IIRC, the ballasts in my cheap consumer grade 8'ers could run on anything from 120 to 277.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia...te-Strip-Light-TC-2-32-120-1-4-GESB/100192753

If this is a residence, then by code the fixtures can only operate on 120v....

no phone calls while in the garage, perfect!