Ballast Repair vs. Ballast Replacement | Mr. Electric (2024)

FAQs

Is it worth replacing a ballast? ›

The good news is that a typical ballast will generally last about 20 years, so you won't have to worry about replacing them very often. However, cold environments and bad bulbs can factor into the mix, causing the lifespan of the ballast to decrease significantly.

When repairing a ballast you must be sure you understand which ballast components need to be replaced. It is unlikely that you have the electrical training necessary to replace ballast components. This lack of electrical knowledge could jeopardize the safety of your home, family, belongings, and/or your business.

The average ballast should last about 20 years. Over time, it will lose the ability to regulate power flowing to the bulbs. It's important to make sure the right size ballast is installed to prevent damage to the fixture. Replacing a ballast also involves rewiring much of the light fixture.

The best approach here is to measure the existing ballast and use that as a base size. The new ballast should not exceed those dimensions. This is a critical factor because the last thing you need is a ballast that will power what you need but simply won't fix in the fixture.

Flickering fluorescent tubes can cause the ballast to overheat and fail prematurely! Causes of Ballast Failure: Premature ballast failure is usually caused by the surrounding environment. Heat and moisture are enemies #1 and #2 to your ballast.

According to the Certified Ballast Manufacturers Association, the average magnetic ballast lasts about 75,000 hours, or 12 to 15 years with normal use. The optimum economic life of a fluorescent lighting system with magnetic ballasts is usually about 15 years.

If you have no idea your skill level but if you're asking about a ballast then you you need an electrician. Ballasts are as basic as they come. Personally I would ditch the fluorescents and install regular fixtures.

T8 will have one-inch diameter, the T5 will have a 5/8 diameter, and a T12 will have 12/8 inch or 1.5 inch diameter. If T8 and T12 have the same bi-pin base, then you can use the bulbs interchangeably using the same fixture just as long as you check the milliamp requirements for the ballast.

Philips Advance fluorescent electronic and magnetic ballasts are designed and manufactured to engineering standards correlating to an average life expectancy of 50,000 hours of operation at maximum rated case temperature.

In our view, the ballast can bring on fires by means of poor electrical contact; this is of course no great revelation, in that electrical energy can often cause fires when there are voltage drops across poor contacts.

Can you test a ballast without removing it? ›

Insert one probe into the wire connector while holding the white wires together. Touch the other probe to the ends of yellow, red, and blue wires coming from the ballast. Some might exclude the yellow. If the ballast doesn't cause the needle to move, you know it needs to be replaced.

You can change a ballast as a DIY (do-it-yourself) project if you have the technical knowledge and experience with the necessary safety procedures for working with electricity, such has how to turn off the power.

Options for replacing T12 fluorescent tubes

The easiest and lowest price option to replace a T12 is a T8 linear fluorescent. They have become the go-to option for pre-existing T12s. If you still have magnetic ballasts, switching to a T8 will require a ballast swap.

That means that when your ballast starts to go, your lights have nothing to regulate the current that travels through your bulb's tube. Eventually, when you flip the lights on, your bulbs will overload and fry!