What is a ballast in electrical terms?
ballast – A device required by electric-discharge light sources such as fluorescent or HID lamps to regulate voltage and current supplied to the lamp during start and throughout operation.
Can a ballast be rebuilt?
While simply swapping burned out bulbs in an existing ballast is deemed “ballast repair” by many – and can offer advantages in longevity and energy savings – sometimes this simple “fix” is not enough.
What causes ballast failure?
Ballast failure is often caused by the surrounding environment—mainly heat and moisture. When it’s too hot or too cold, a ballast can burn or fail to start your lamps. Heat, along with continuous condensation inside an electronic ballast, can cause corrosion over time.
How often does a ballast need to be replaced?
The ballast takes in electricity and then regulates current to the bulbs. A typical ballast will generally last about 20 years, but cold environments and bad bulbs can decrease this lifespan significantly. You can get a new ballast at a hardware store or home center and install it in about 10 minutes.
What are the different types of ballasts?
And there are two types of ballasts in each family: magnetic and electronic. Magnetic ballasts are the older ballast technology. For the fluorescent family, both T12 linear fluorescents and two-pin CFLs use magnetic ballasts. For HIDs, some metal halides and HPS lamps use magnetic ballasts.
What are the 3 main important function of a ballast?
Functions of Ballast It provides levelled bed or support for the railway sleepers. It transfers the load from sleepers to subgrade and distributes the load uniformly on subgrade. It holds the sleepers in a firm position while the trains pass by. It prevents the longitudinal and lateral movement of sleepers.
What do the numbers mean on a ballast?
The most common types are T12, T8, and T5. The T stands for tubular and the number indicates the diameter in 1/8 of an inch. Lamp diameter is determined by ballast type. A fixture with a T12 ballast must use a T12 bulb. A fixture with a T8 ballast must use a T8 bulb, etc.
How do you tell if a ballast is bad?
If your fluorescent lighting is displaying any of the signs below, it could be a symptom of a bad ballast:
- Flickering.
- Buzzing.
- Delayed start.
- Low output.
- Inconsistent lighting levels.
- Switch to an electronic ballast, keep lamp.
- Switch to an electronic ballast, switch to a T8 fluorescent.
What kind of lamps work with a ballast?
There are two lamp families that work with a ballast –– HID and fluorescent. There are two types of ballasts in the fluorescent family: magnetic and electronic. Magnetic ballasts are actually the older ballast technology.
What is a ballast resistor?
A ballast resistor is defined as a resistor inserted into a circuit to minimize current. Ballast resistors also help to avoid over-current faults in a circuit. An “electric ballast” is a more general term used to refer to an electrical device used to maintain a circuit’s stability by limiting the value of current and voltage.
What is a ballast on a ship?
Definition of ballast. (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a heavy substance (such as rocks or water) placed in such a way as to improve stability and control (as of the draft of a ship or the buoyancy of a balloon or submarine) tossed several tons of ballast overboard.
What are the different types of fluorescent ballasts?
Types of fluorescent ballasts. Fluorescent ballasts use three different types of starting technologies: rapid, instant, and programmed. Rapid start ballasts work kind of like preheating an oven. Imagine if an oven was preheated all the time so you could bake cookies at any given moment.