Fluorescent lights buzzing

[Toolfreaky]

Just moved into New house. I don't remember the flourescent lights having a buzz but wondering if me removing some bulbs from every other light and running them like that, caused any issue? They are hardwired to one switch

There are 11 of them lighting up the entire basement.

I found at least one making lots of buzz. Is it the ballast? Just so hard to pinpoint which one it is. Hate to have to turn off the breaker and unwired it from the rest to test... maybe a good idea to get led if they are going bad

 

[Mzungu]

Removing bulbs didn't cause the buzzing. Some of the older style magnetic ballasts were known to "buzz". Just an ear test is usually good enough to find the culprit. I would then check to see if the ballast is firmly mounted in the fixture as a loose mount will exacerbate the buzzing noise. If it is firmly mounted you have the option of changing it to an electronic ballast or changing over to type B LED's.

 

[cybrdyke]

The vibrations begin inside the ballasts, both magnetic and electronic. They spread out from there and can be amplified by many things. Any loose fitting will buzz. The ballast could be loose. The ballast cover could be loose. The lens could be loose. The sockets could be loose, especially the ones that you removed a lamp from, since there's no tension on them anymore. Or the entire fixture could be loose in it's mounting. It's frustrating to try to find them by ear. Kinda like trying to find a cricket.
The only sure-fire solution is to replace them with something LED, either new fixtures or a retrofit product.
Good luck,
CD

 

[Innovate1]

It's pretty easy to get LED ballast bypass bulbs and just bypass the ballast. That eliminates the ballast which is the source of the buzz. That's what I did for some fixtures that had hum/buzz.

 

[Zeke]

And it only costs what the tubes cost, about 7 bucks ea.

 

[Toolfreaky]

Ah never thought about the ballast bypass. Going to go that route when I get to it. That way all the hardwiring can stay!

 

[sparky 1971]

Ah never thought about the ballast bypass. Going to go that route when I get to it. That way all the hardwiring can stay!

Ballast bypass lamps are great. Just make sure that you get double ended tubes. If you get single ended, you will think that they were designed by the devil himself. Double ended are hot at one end, neutral at the other end, polarity doesn't matter. Cut the wires loose from the ballast and tie the hot to the wires going to one end and the neutral to the wires going to the other end and done. Single ended need hot and neutral at the same socket, which has to be non shunted and re-wired, the socket at the other end does nothing more than hold the lamp.

 

[Norcal]

Ballast bypass lamps are great. Just make sure that you get double ended tubes. If you get single ended, you will think that they were designed by the devil himself. Double ended are hot at one end, neutral at the other end, polarity doesn't matter. Cut the wires loose from the ballast and tie the hot to the wires going to one end and the neutral to the wires going to the other end and done. Single ended need hot and neutral at the same socket, which has to be non shunted and re-wired, the socket at the other end does nothing more than hold the lamp.

Some tombstones (lamp holders) are not allowed to have line voltage applied to them, I do not have a link but Leviton specifically states not to apply line voltage to them, installing contrary to manufacturers instructions is a code violation they are a major OEM supplier.

 

[sparky 1971]

Some tombstones (lamp holders) are not allowed to have line voltage applied to them, I do not have a link but Leviton specifically states not to apply line voltage to them, installing contrary to manufacturers instructions is a code violation they are a major OEM supplier.

I've heard that but chalked it up to an urban myth. Here's the cut sheets of a couple of different tombstones Leviton makes. I could post them all but there's no sense. They are rated for 600 volts and 660 watts. Even if it's proven to me, I doubt I will do anything differently than I have for the five or six years I've been installing LED tubes.

https://www.leviton.com/sites/REST/controller/LCProductListRestController/fullpdf/13351.pdf?products=13351&locale=en

https://www.leviton.com/sites/REST/controller/LCProductListRestController/fullpdf/13180-U.pdf?products=13180-U&locale=en

 

[The Cobbler]

..... make sure that you get double ended tubes. ......hot to the wires going to one end and the neutral to the wires going to the other end .......... Single ended need hot and neutral at the same socket, which has to be non shunted and re-wired, the socket at the other end does nothing more than hold the lamp.

I'm actually surprised there wasn't a standard set for the conversion tubes. unknowing people will have a heck of a time down the road when replacing them.
I have both, and I'm worried that when I forget as I age, I will have problems replacing the bulbs when required

 

[sparky 1971]

The tubes I get will work double ended, single ended, and with an electronic ballast. That's nice for two reasons. 1) when I buy fixtures specifically for the tubes, they are pre wired single ended, and I don't have to keep track of what is where should A warranty issue arise. 2) Once in a while A customer will ask me to supply lamps, but their maintenance man will install them with out bypassing the ballast, and when it finally fails, I can do the bypassing.

I'm actually surprised there wasn't a standard set for the conversion tubes. unknowing people will have a heck of a time down the road when replacing them.
I have both, and I'm worried that when I forget as I age, I will have problems replacing the bulbs when required

 

[Meursault74]

Just moved into New house. I don't remember the flourescent lights having a buzz but wondering if me removing some bulbs from every other light and running them like that, caused any issue? They are hardwired to one switch

There are 11 of them lighting up the entire basement.

I found at least one making lots of buzz. Is it the ballast? Just so hard to pinpoint which one it is. Hate to have to turn off the breaker and unwired it from the rest to test... maybe a good idea to get led if they are going bad

I had them buzz only when it was cooler weather, maybe less than 60F and that went away when they warmed up after turning on for a while. I went with the ballast bypass double ended LED as I no longer wanted to deal with fluorescent bulbs or ballasts any longer.

 

[cybrdyke]

I've heard that but chalked it up to an urban myth. Here's the cut sheets of a couple of different tombstones Leviton makes. I could post them all but there's no sense. They are rated for 600 volts and 660 watts. Even if it's proven to me, I doubt I will do anything differently than I have for the five or six years I've been installing LED tubes.

https://www.leviton.com/sites/REST/controller/LCProductListRestController/fullpdf/13351.pdf?products=13351&locale=en

https://www.leviton.com/sites/REST/controller/LCProductListRestController/fullpdf/13180-U.pdf?products=13180-U&locale=en

From the instruction sheet. See line 2 under "Warnings and Cautions".


But, it's done every day in the retrofit industry.
CD

 

[Norcal]

From the instruction sheet. See line 2 under "Warnings and Cautions".


But, it's done every day in the retrofit industry.
CD

Agree about it being done every day, still does not make it right.

 

[alfredeneuman]

They aren't by chance "Slimline" F96 T12 with magnetic ballasts? ....Always buzz loudly.

 

[grounded-b]

Ballast bypass lamps are great. Just make sure that you get double ended tubes. If you get single ended, you will think that they were designed by the devil himself. Double ended are hot at one end, neutral at the other end, polarity doesn't matter. Cut the wires loose from the ballast and tie the hot to the wires going to one end and the neutral to the wires going to the other end and done. Single ended need hot and neutral at the same socket, which has to be non shunted and re-wired, the socket at the other end does nothing more than hold the lamp.

Double-ended fed LED tubes are not UL listed. It is too easy to plug the hot end into the socket and then touch the exposed opposite pins of the tube, thus possibly completing a series circuit to ground.

Steve

 

[cybrdyke]

Double-ended fed LED tubes are not UL listed. It is too easy to plug the hot end into the socket and then touch the exposed opposite pins of the tube, thus possibly completing a series circuit to ground.

They're UL Classified as a retrofit kit, so perfectly legit to use. Also, since about 4 years ago, they have a fuse that prevents exactly what you described.
CD

 

[grounded-b]

I stand corrected

 

[sparky 1971]

Double-ended fed LED tubes are not UL listed. It is too easy to plug the hot end into the socket and then touch the exposed opposite pins of the tube, thus possibly completing a series circuit to ground.

Steve

Here's the cut sheet from the tubes I use 95% of the time.

https://www.sitlersledsupplies.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MCLED_Tubes.pdf

 

[Bert_]

Double-ended fed LED tubes are not UL listed. It is too easy to plug the hot end into the socket and then touch the exposed opposite pins of the tube, thus possibly completing a series circuit to ground.

Steve

I take it you have never been nailed installing a fluorescent lamp... You get hit by a HO ballast and you won't forget it.

 

[sparky 1971]

I take it you have never been nailed installing a fluorescent lamp... You get hit by a HO ballast and you won't forget it.

I have. Trying to get a T12 lamp into one of those troffers that nothing fits in. I got my finger in between the pins on the lamp and the fixture housing. It wasn't a HO, but it still hurt pretty stinkin bad.