Fluorescent Light is Out - Ballast or Bulbs / How to Test

Had a service call with a fluorescent light that is out. In this video I go find out what the problem is, and show you how to test a Ballast using a Multimeter.
Trying out a new GoPro Hat along with Voice Over in this video, let me know what you think!
Hope it helps.. and thanks for watching.
DISCLAIMER!
This video is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. The content of this video is not a substitution for the advice from, or work being completed by, a qualified professional. Codes and Regulations for possible work included within the video may of may not differ based on your geographical location. If you choose to attempt anything that can be seen in this video, do so at your own risk.
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#tools #electrician #diy #fluke #ballast #fluorescent #multimeter #servicecall #service #handyman
Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro & Drive
02:41 Beginning the Work
06:24 Testing a Ballast on my Workbench
08:51 Finishing Up the Work
12:41 Outro

[@MedicB142]

As a younger man, I greatly appreciate the insight and tips that you have learned from the years being passed down to us/me! Much respect and thanks!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍… I have had people do it for me, just passing it on. Appreciate the comment

[@Gaglibu]

yes, new format is good with voiceover. Thanks for the ballast tips.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it 👍

[@daverogg1090]

I've been an electrician for almost 35 years and never knew you could test a ballast! 🤦‍♂Thanks!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Milwaukee has a cool tool that you just touch the light and it tells you good/bad. Not sure how it works, and It’s not something I do often enough anymore to buy it.. but it seems neat.

[@jeffreyesguitar5129]

lol wut?

[@Doc1985]

Very nice of you to treat your customers with such consideration!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍 appreciate it

[@brianhall9019]

Nice How-To video. The voice over worked well too. I recently had to replace a ballast in a walk-in cooler. I pretty much followed the same method. I love the Wago clamp tip. That’s a keeper. Thanks Morgan.❤

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it buddy. We will still have to deal with one occasionally, but they are definitely few and far between. Not to many years ago is was a regular occurrence.

[@ggrimm79]

I often use wire lever nuts on the leads of a test bulb to test lighting. Very useful.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@ggrimm79 I have been using lever nuts for all sorts of things that are temporary in nature.. very useful. Much better than twisting/untwisting over and over

[@GS-lh2nx]

Thanks. I always wondered how to test a ballast. Great information to have.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍. You are welcome.

[@kensebben1]

Great vid. It's gotten to the point, we don't even bother testing the balast. We just take it out, rewire, and toss in LED s

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah that’s normally what I do.. or just change out the whole fixture if it’s older.

[@splatx8176]

Can a type A LED tube light bypass the ballast?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I’m not sure, I know those are typically installed with the intent of plug/play with the ballast staying in place. There may be some where you can and some where you can’t. I don’t think I’ve ever tried it

[@Gordonlanguam]

Great explanation and demonstration with the ballast and test !

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it.. 👍👍

[@buterdhams]

This was perfect ! Keep these coming and thanks for the explaining etc

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it 👍

[@projectpinehills]

Great how-to video and chapters allow you to skip to the testing phase. I’d be interested in seeing more, even if just on the work bench. Voice over worked great. Thanks! 👍

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it 👍

[@MattHmm-rq6dn]

The voice over was fine and it opens up more content I'm all for it. Your taking me back with tombstones.... I can get bulk led bypass bulbs really cheap if you get 50 to 100 so I bit the bullet and got a pile. It's z win win I can charge a higher price for the bulb than I paid and when people need that job I ussaly van talk them into doing alot of them. In bulk you can actually recoup your losses to retrofit fast on the power bill. All said I get what you had to do but sometimes I don't give the customer a choice. As harsh as that is many times it's better to do something for the long term better even if it cost a tad bit more. If I loose business to someone that's trying to be penny wise dollar dumb sometimes its better to not be talked down on price. Besides that glad you can see what makes that fluke meter special and makes you money. I really wouldn't mind more work videos so our wives can stop complaining about the money we spend on tools that we may or may not need!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I just repaired some water damage from a plumbing leak at this building for some $$ I knew they weren’t expecting. So I just got it done for as little as possible. I do just need to get some of the Bypass LEDs and put in my garage. That way if I get a call I can throw some in my truck. Voice Over wasn’t as hard as I expected… you still feel like a weirdo wearing a camera on your head, but it’s not too bad. The GoPro eats up some batteries though.

[@BonzaiMotionPictures]

I think the voice over worked out fine and I learned something. I ran into this situation before and my foreman didn't teach me that. Thanks and keep up the great content!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it 👍.

[@ryanofalaska]

Like this format. Good voiceover. I’ve found that the ends of the bulbs being black like that is kind of a sure give away. I don’t think I’ve ever thrown a tester on it. Always learn something new. Thanks again.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍.. yeah the bulbs do give it away as well.

[@search_eternal]

Good video. Voice over was fine. More of these would be cool. I remember back in the early 90's I had a side gig changing ballast and lamps in a bunch of Public Libraries on Friday and Saturday nights. This was some nice extras $$$ and was pretty fun.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

It used to be ongoing job security 😂

[@TheDon30740]

That’s a awesome tip on testing a ballast! Thanks

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You are welcome 👍

[@1970gregg]

Good Tipton testing the ballast. That’s my most used light! That stays in my bag with me all the time.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

It’s my most used not in my pocket light. Last a long time and plenty of light 👍

[@ggrimm79]

Very helpful. Thanks. Voice-over works great.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍. You are welcome, appreciate it.

[@michaelthompson7570]

Luv watching people working…..

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍

[@mgbinsd]

Great video! Thanks

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍 Appreciate it

[@Jesus_Strong]

Every time I always carry 4ft T8 double end bypass 4000K and 5000K LED bulbs and cut that ballast out, leave the fixture up and out of there, we used to carry the 8ft LED T8’s but we ran out so just haven’t stocked those in awhile. We do have 2 of each ballast on hand but they are likely never going to get used. Nice job there!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

This is the first ballast I’ve changed out in years. I’ve normally done the same. I was the quickest/cheapest just due to circumstances and that’s all they wanted. I need to get some of those bulbs to keep in my garage.

[@Jesus_Strong]

@@MORGANSMaintenance I hear ya, it’s been some time I’ve done ballast changes. Plus it’s job security there as well👍🏼

[@MattHmm-rq6dn]

Alot of people charge recycling fees in oregon when you add $50 to take care of thr tombstones and bulbs people change there tune.

[@breezzythumper]

You are the hero who is the reason for legend.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍. Appreciate it

[@ianmedlam7295]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. We have ballast at my work that we change and I learned how to use the meter to check it, so thank you for that lesson

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You are welcome 👍👍

[@Eddy63]

Good little vid ... Need more of em ... Thx

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it 👍

[@randycastro7902]

Good video, hopefully more coming, very useful.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it 👍👍

[@parts7959]

Great tips and great video👍🏻

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it buddy 👍

[@weliveonearth8012]

I liked the video. I changed my first ballast a few months ago but I didn’t know how to test it. I figured it was the problem by process of elimination but if I run into a similar problem I’ll try your testing method. Thanks!

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it. It’s pretty rare to change one these days, but it’s always good to know 👍

[@Stefan_Kawalec]

GoPro works like a charm. Keep on filming like that more. Voice-over is the only way to go at some jobs Whenever I see wire nuts, I must reassure myself we're not in 1950s. How can y'all still use it up there?! That's the job exactly for Knipex 13 66 180 (or anything similar, but cheaper) and Wagos. Great job and excellent customer service.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍.. I don’t use them as often anymore. I have such a stock of them, I still use them in places to get rid of them. 😂

[@Stefan_Kawalec]

@@MORGANSMaintenance The only thing you can do with wire nuts. I edited the comment. Check out those wire strippers, please.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@Stefan_Kawalec 👍

[@timh7156]

Nice. Didn’t know that it’s so easy to check a ballast with a multi meter. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. I like to strip my ballast wires before going up the ladder and mounting it. Less fatigue on my arms and shoulders if I don’t have to strip so many wires above my head especially if I’m changing out multiple ballast. If I’m using push in connectors I’ll go ahead and install them on the ballast ahead of time as well.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Good idea on the floor work. Always helps to do as much as you can on the ground 👍

[@gregknutsen673]

Great video by the way , Blessings

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it, you too 👍

[@peterman8058]

Nice clean connections

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

👍👍

[@2121contreras]

Good job on this one Morgan. That m12 rover is the best . For service calls/ work . Works great under a sink to.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

It’s my “go to” usually if a small headlamp isn’t enough. I carry a bigger M18 in my truck, but rarely get it out.

[@davehowell4111]

Nice video, good info

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Appreciate it 👍

[@JuanNOnly123]

Need more of these! Also why not just bypass the ballast and switch to LED bulbs? Cheaper than changing out the whole fixture if that’s what you meant

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Both would have required a store trip. It’s a space not used often, they just wanted it done as quick/cheap as possible. This was the fastest/cheapest option just because of a few circumstances That is a good way to go. On older fixtures like this I typically recommend replacing the whole fixture due to age.

[@joejoe6949]

I tell my guys all the time finish everything you need to do with the tool on hand before you switch it’s more efficient that way.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

It definitely is. I feel like your first several years in any field is learning how to do something, then you spend the remainder of your years trying to do it better/faster 👍

[@JeffLMisc]

Love the milwauke light. I have the same one and it's my daily use one. As for the Florescent bulb tester, i used to have a Uni-t one i got years ago which works great. However lately i've been of the mindset just to change out florescents to LED lights, because dealing with bad ballasts and lights on old florescent lights just isn't worth the cost of replacing the whole fixture or converting it to LED bulbs.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I agree on the lights... it just depends on who is paying the bill sometimes 😂

[@JeffLMisc]

@@MORGANSMaintenance for me to buy a ballast locally, it's anywhere for $80-120 for a new one depending on the size. The LED replacement bulbs are generally $15-20 each, and you can remove the ballast. The other problem is, half the time your into fixtures with extinct bulbs in them, where it's a question to convert or just replace. We went throught that at work, where we used a governemnt program to replace all the florescent fixtures because half of them had bad ballasts or other issues. I priced repairing them, and it was honestly cheapaer to replace the fixtures entirely instead of buying new external starters & ballasts.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@JeffLMisc yeah the ballast here are still only around $25. The LED bulbs have come down in price that they are only slightly more expensive than getting Fluorescent. So it’s cheaper here at the moment to replace parts than a fixture, but it really just depends on if the client is a how much is it going to cost me know verses later type of customer

[@JeffLMisc]

@@MORGANSMaintenance there are a bunch of incentives and discounts here in Canada to replace stuff with led so it’s skewed the other way. Plus the government is trying to phase out fluorescent lights due to the mercury

[@three-phase562]

If the light is on all the time, we will advise that retrofitting LED would provide better long term cost savings. If the light isn't used much then we would repair for them. Tend to find that as those fittings get old, that the diffuse dis-colours and the tube holders get brittle with the heat and crack. Easy enough to do either way really.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah, this is a basement bathroom that I don’t think gets used but once or twice a week by a tenant or their customers. I normally recommend changing the entire fixture if it’s older. Get 100% new parts and LED lighting. You are right, the fittings and diffusers tend to get pretty brittle as they age.

[@funnyfarm5555]

Took my wifes quilting machine in for service Friday to the sewing machine store we deal with and the repairman told us that he was going to replace all the T12 bulbs in the store with a switchable Fluorescent/LED bulbs. What do you think of those?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

That’s what I would normally do. They seem to be fine and hopefully will last you a long time.

[@brianhall9019]

It’s really hard not to go LED these days. Cost savings and long life of the bulbs.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You mean LED.. and I know. They were crazy expensive when the first came out. Now they are nothing.

[@brianhall9019]

I fixed that…but yep, that’s what I meant. I’ve been sick all week too. Must have been the NyQuil from last night….😂😂😂😂

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@brianhall9019 yeah I feel worse today… I’m not sure if I will get a loadout video done for this weekend or not. Maybe in the morning.

[@gnic76]

I kept the fixtures in my garage, but swapped out the bulbs and crappy ballasts for direct wire LED t-8's. Does that ballast test work on both types of ballasts?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I’ve done many of those over time. I really do more drop in lights than anything and just usually replace the whole light with flat panels. It’s how I’ve always tested all the ballast I’ve worked on.

[@khiaraslaw]

Have you did a review on those seat covers.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

No… I really like them. They are the only ones I’ve used that have lasted years. I got a crazy good deal on them off eBay or I probably wouldn’t have bout them because they are so expensive. Now that I’ve had them, I feel they are worth the money

[@MattHmm-rq6dn]

On my favorite red tab 3m wire nuts there's enough metal to stick to that railer strip or a magnetic bowl and makes quick work when the wire nuts are at eye level. May save you some effort or dropping wire nuts later on!

[@MattHmm-rq6dn]

3M T/R+ Performance Plus Wire Connectors to be exact they can handle 2 stranded or 4+ 12g saves on carrying so many wire nuts

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I may try that… thanks for the tip 👍

[@llanbull]

Bossman i got a question. One time i encounter a problem where i change the ballast and it didn’t light up. The connection is correct and the ballast is new. My co worker tried to disconnect and connect the black wire from the ballast and the supply wire a couple of times. Maybe 2-3 times don’t remember and it lights up finally. First time encountering it.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I’ve never had that happen, where it would eventually light up. I was going to say the “new” ballast could have been bad to start with. Sometimes a ballast can be “bad” but still work. It will cause the bulbs to burn out prematurely, cause them to flicker, shut down once over heated, etc. So it could have still been a new “bad” ballast. Then there are also certain ballast/bulb combinations that don’t jive well together. It could be a bad tombstone connection that finally made while you were moving wires. It could be a several things and just by chance the connection made while you were moving the wires, but had nothing to do with connecting/disconnecting the black wire. Those are all really guesses.

[@llanbull]

@@MORGANSMaintenance i hope to see more like this in the future, tips you can share. I find this very useful. Thanks!

[@gregknutsen673]

What's is your min charge if U don't mind sharing

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

$100… covers an hour and me getting there.

[@hiteck007]

Mate I'm going back to standard fluros as I've had endless FAILURES of LED lights, their Rubbish.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

I have had a few where you get some flickering, but for the most part that was early on. I’ve had good luck so far.

[@localone1597]

What's the issue if only the blue tombstone shows bad. I get no readings on the others.

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Your Ballast is bad/badish… it may still turn the lights on, but they may go out more often. That’s been my experience anyways. For some reason the blue is usually the one that shows bad the most (in my experience. I’m not smart enough to know why that is 😂

[@localone1597]

@@MORGANSMaintenance thank you

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@localone1597 👍

[@JmacBogan]

7:58 why is it bad that the cables are showing resistance? doesn't that mean the cables are connected?

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

You are wanting the ballast to do the connecting, when unhooked from Power/neutral, you should not get an Ohm reading if you don’t have that, that means the ballast internally is not in top shape. It may still work, lights come on, etc… but it may go out with overheating, burn your bulbs out faster, not come on as quick… This is how I was taught anyways… I also know all my new ballast out of the box.. have no reading on all cables when unhooked from power/neutral

[@JmacBogan]

@@MORGANSMaintenance cool, yeah the ballast must connect and disconnect the cables to make a circuit, pretty interesting. Thanks mate. Ended up learning how to retrofit LEDs. They're up real high so want to set and forget. So just rewired and going the long term trick 👍 good video mate, cheers

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

@@JmacBogan going LED is the way to go in my opinion… smarter move

[@VRCM_Skywarn_XUSA]

🗝️ - Film labor in silence, narrate in editing. Oddly enough... I get more work done, when im not talking and not taking photos like a tourist from some weird country that needs espionage footage. 👽📸 - 🗝️ - Old florescence, is obselete & dangerous... Time for an upgrade to UV/LED. ☀️vs💡

[@MORGANSMaintenance]

Yeah, I rarely talk when I work. I’m a head down, get at it type.