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HELP! Probs w/ Flourescent Light Fixture

2435 Views 10 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  J. V.
I have a two bulb flourescent light fixture in our kitchen. The bulbs went out. I replaced them, they did not come on, replaced ballast and during the process one of the bulb pin connectors broke, I replaced that, installed the bulbs and one will come one and the other will not, switched the light bulbs around...still same problem with the same side....what have I done wrong????
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Check the rest of the tombstones. The wiring that pokes in there often gets loose.

Make sure the lamp pins are in correctly. It's easy for them to pop out when the lamps are installed.

Make sure the ballast you installed is 2 lamp/120V

Check all wire nutted connections


I HATE flourescent bi pin tube lamps/sockets BTW. I always seem to struggle with them. Give me 8 footers any day :thumbup:
Check the rest of the tombstones.
Never heard that term before, and it took me a second.. but I like it.

OWNLEY, I just had a problem the other day where the frame of the fixture was bent, and the tombstone :)thumbsup:) was pushed out just a little bit. Enough that the bulb wan't connecting electrically, but was seating. I didn't notice it at first.. Check the metal, it's easily bent on the cheaper fixtures like mine.
Check the rest of the tombstones. The wiring that pokes in there often gets loose.
+1 I Have had them wires come out of the tombstone they just push in
Thanks!

Thanks for the help, I need a bit of explanation on the tombstone...I just a simple country gal :):laughing:
Got the Tombstone

Nevermind I just figured out- what tombstone is....the plastic piece that holds the pins that the bulb sits in??:laughing:
Nevermind I just figured out- what tombstone is....the plastic piece that holds the pins that the bulb sits in??:laughing:

Yep., Ya got it right there.

and make sure the tombstone line up correct { not in corked (not straight ) at all if corked it may lit up or not lit up at all.
{ especally true with rapid start ballast }

Merci,Marc
Name

Thanks for the help, I need a bit of explanation on the tombstone...I just a simple country gal :):laughing:
I am sure you know how they got their name now don't you????????:laughing:
Many times while installing double pin tubes I get one pin in and one pin out of the socket. I have also found that the sockets, or tombstones as others are referring are flimsy, and the contacts don't hold the lamps too well.
I have also had the wires pull out as well.

Where has the quality gone?

FW
Where has the quality gone?
Amen. 25 bucks for a single tube fixture @ HD. Sheet metal is thinner than a piece of paper, and about as flimsy.
I am sure you know how they got their name now don't you????????:laughing:
No I don't. They do look like the shape of a tombstone. What say you?

OP. Get some new lamps. I always find at least one bad one in every case of new ones I have bought. Sometimes we make things complicated. It very well could be a lamp (bulb). It takes two for the light to work, even if one comes on by itself.

Ps....I missed your comment about moving bulbs and the problem followed on the same side. Ballast or connections are your next step.
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