kitchen light help

[stove39]

In my kitchen there is an overhead light with two long fluorescent bulbs. when i turn the switch on sometimes it will light right up, however other times it will stay in a half-lit manner or in other words working at half the power and brightness and other times they just don't turn on. I have found that when i flicker the switch when they are on at half light, they come on I do not know if i can fix this problem by replacing the bulbs or if i have a weak electrical circuit or what not. I was wondering if anyone can relate to this or have any suggestions as to what i have to do to fix this or if the help of a professional is necessary. Thabk you in advance!

 

[pattenp]

The fixture most likely has a bad ballast. You can put in new lamps just to make sure it not a lamp that's going bad. If it stills has problems with new lamps then it's the ballast that needs to be replaced.

 

[superdel]

Try replacing the lamps first. If they are 4 footers with 2 pins on the end, sometimes they come a bit loose. Give them a little twist to make sure they are making good contact. Make sure the contacts with the lamps are not corroded either. It is possible that the ballast is bad, but it had been my experience that the ballast either works 100% or 0%. However it is not impossible. The lamps and contacts are the easiest to check. Then check to make sure the wire nuts that tie the supply to the ballast are tight and making good connection.

 

[Greatbear]

A fresh set of lamps will most likely fix the problem. Fluorescent lamps used in areas where the lights are constantly switched on and off will deteriorate faster than ones left on for long periods of time (such as commercial settings). The coatings on the cathode filaments burns off a little bit each time the lights are switched on. Eventually, there isn't enough of the electron-boosting coating left to start the bulbs. Switching the lamps on and off will often give them enough of a kick to get started, once lit, everything is normal. This is a very common problem with 4ft T12 lamps with magnetic ballasts.

The lights in my downstairs washroom are currently giving me the exact same problem. I get about 5-7 years out of a set of bulbs. This time, however, I am replacing the entire fixtures with T8 electronic ballasted ones. T-12s are soon to be obsolete, and I can get nearly the same amount of light from half the number of tubes (currently a pair of 4-lamp fixtures which will be replaced by a pair of 2-lamp T-8s).