How To Fix A Fluorescent Light
But there are other causes of flickering lights.
How to fix a fluorescent light. Remove the fluorescent ballast compartment cover to expose the internal wiring and ballast. The attachment method. A fluorescent tube that is failed or failing usually has darkened areas near one or both ends of the tube. Fluorescent tubes have such a long life and are so inexpensive with the exception of some of the natural light bulbs that it makes no sense to skimp.
Replace the ballast when your fluorescent light flickers or makes an annoying hum. The repair will only take about 10 minutes. Unplug the fixture or turn off the power at the main panel. If any of the components are faulty the light won t work right.
When one or more fluorescent light fixtures are humming or flickering or if the light simply won t turn on the problem may be something as simple as a bad fluorescent bulb. If just one of the fluorescent tubes does not light with a fixture with 2 or 4 bulbs obviously it could be a burned out bulb before doing anything that involves replacing. Inside a fluorescent light electricity is delivered to a ballast which sends a spark through the mercury vapor filled tube or bulb creating light by activating phosphors that coat the inside of the tube. My philosophy of sensible repair is to always replace both bulbs.
Some are also trivially easy to repair while others require more expertise and cost. Here is how to troubleshoot a fluorescent light fixture that will not turn on or flickers many times when a fluorescent light starts to flicker or takes a long time to turn on the ballast or light starter is going bad. Once you pinpoint the problem most fixes are very easy.