Can I use a 4 lamp ballast for 3 lamps?

Many replacement ballasts can be connected to more than one combination of lamps, so that a 4 lamp ballast can be connected to a 3 or 2 lamp ballast. This is indicated directly on the label and on the wiring diagram.

How do you wire a 3 lamp ballast?

Replace 3 Lamp Instant Start Ballast with 4 Lamp Instant Start

1. Cut and cap one yellow and one red or blue wire with a wire nut.
2. Connect each of the blue ballast wires to the each of the two blue lampholder wires.
3. Connect the red ballast wire to the third blue lampholder wire.

What do light ballasts do?

In a fluorescent lighting system, the ballast regulates the current to the lamps and provides sufficient voltage to start the lamps. Once the arc is established, the ballast quickly reduces the voltage and regulates the electric current to produce a steady light output.

How many ballasts are in a fixture?

Many fluorescent fixtures have more than one tube in order to provide more light. These lamps must have individual starters and ballasts for each tube. The fixture may appear to have two tubes working off one ballast, but actually there are two ballasts built into one case.

Can you use a 3 lamp ballast for 2 lamps?

A 3 lamp fixture with two rapid start ballasts can be replaced with a 3 lamp instant start ballast. On the 3 lamp ballast, an individual wire is connected to the lampholder of lamp 2 on the left side, and the common wire on the right side.

What to do with the yellow wires on a ballast?

1. If you did not remove the baluster, just connect the bulb.
2. The 2 yellow wires go to the white neutral on one side of the fixture.
3. Colors of the wire don’t mater after the hot and neutral go into the fixture.
4. Once you remove the ballasts, the colors of the wires don’t matter.

Can I use a 3 lamp ballast for 2 lamps?

Can you bypass a ballast?

Once you have disconnected the ballast from its wires by cutting them, you will be able to successfully separate the ballast from the fixture. You remove the ballast altogether by unscrewing it from the fixture, or you can move it over and tuck it into the fixture with its remaining wires.

What is inside a ballast?

A magnetic ballast (also called a choke) contains a coil of copper wire. The magnetic field produced by the wire traps most of the current so only the right amount gets through to the fluorescent light. That amount can fluctuate depending on the thickness and length of the copper wire.

How do you wire two ballasts together?

Connect the wires from the ballast to the wires on the light fixture in the following manner: one blue wire from the ballast to one blue wire from the light fixture; the other blue wire from the ballast to the remaining blue wire from the light fixture; black ballast wire to building’s black (hot) wire; white ballast …

How do you remove wires from a ballast?

How to Bypass a Ballast

1. Turn off the power. Flipping the light switch to the “off” position does not necessarily end the flow of electricity.
2. Locate your ballast.
3. Cut the hot and neutral wires.
4. Cut the socket lead wires.
5. Remove the ballast.
6. Connect the input wires to the output wires.

What is a rapid start ballast?

Rapid start. A rapid start ballast applies voltage and heats the cathodes simultaneously. It provides superior lamp life and more cycle life, but uses slightly more energy as the cathodes in each end of the lamp continue to consume heating power as the lamp operates.

What is advance ballast?

An advance ballast or transformer has a similar function to all other types or kinds of ballasts; that is to control or limit the amount of current that would flow to an electronic circuit or appliance.

How do fluorescent ballasts work?

How Fluorescent Ballasts Work. When a fluorescent lamp is turned on, the lamp’s electrodes heat up and release electrons. These mix with the mercury gas and other gases that are in the lamp.

How does fluorescent ballast work?

A fluorescent fixture requires a ballast to send the proper amount of electricity to the fluorescent bulbs. The ballast provides enough voltage to start the fluorescent bulbs, and once they are started, it quickly lowers the current to produce just enough electricity to produce a steady light source.