How can I tell if my flourescent light bulb is going out or if it's the fixture itself?

I have two flourescent light fixtures in my kitchen. I changed the bulbs in one last summer but it still flickers (or doesn't come on at all). Now the other fixture is flickering like a strobe light. How do I know if I need to change the bulbs or change the ballast?How can I tell if my flourescent light bulb is going out or if it%26039;s the fixture itself?
There are a few ways to do this. As an electrician, we carry a gas lamp checker that would determine if your bulb is good or not. I'm sure as a homeowner, you don't have one of these.



You can also check the input and output voltage from the ballast. However, I do not recommend this as you will be working with live voltage between 120 volt input and 500 to 5,000 volts output.



Typically, when the bulbs go bad the ends are blackened. However, this is not always the case. Bulbs are cheap ($2.00 each) and I would recommend changing these first. If only 1 bulb is bad, I still recommend changing all bulbs in the fixture.



If this doesn't work, then it is probably the ballast. Turn off the power and open the center cover in your fixture and get the catalog number off of the ballast (do not remove your ballast or touch any of the wiring) and take this to Home Depot or a hardware store and get your replacement ballast. Depending on the type of ballast these vary in price from $12.00 to $25.00.



Once you have your new ballast, just replace the old ballast one wire at a time. Of course, be sure that the power is off before touching any of the wires. It doesn't hurt to verify that the power is off several times.



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http://electricalblog.gilchrist-electricHow can I tell if my flourescent light bulb is going out or if it%26039;s the fixture itself?
Changing the ballast does not mean that you have to change the entire fixture. New ballasts are available at any hardware store, and pretty cheap. I would clean the bulbs and re-install.

If that doesn't work replace the ballast. Your bulbs should be replaced also. They have suffered abuse from the malevolent ballast