lighting ballast

[Itiel]

If the florescent tubes are removed from the lighting fixture, would it damage the ballast?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I can't imagine how that can happen or never heard that. Let's see what others say.

 

[kwired]

With older magnetic ballasts I used to remove lamps all the time if I had a bad lamp and did not want the ballast constantly trying to start that lamp, with the hope it would actually extend the life of the ballast. Do not know if that effort was worth while or not but seemed logical at the time.

AFAIK all common electronic ballasts are designed to operate with open circuited outputs, this means you can replace a single lamp ballast with a two lamp ballast if you wish and just leave the circuit for the second lamp as open circuit or replace a three lamp ballast with a four lamp ballast.

 

[Little Bill]

I can say this, at my previous place of employment they decided to try and save on some unneeded lighting so they had us remove the tubes in several lights. Then later (few months-1 year) the lighting was needed and when the tubes were put back over half of them the ballast had to be replaced. These were the old magnetic types. I don't have any proof that removing the tubes caused it, nor do I know if it could harm them. These ballasts could have been on the brink of going out before the tubes were removed. I just found it odd that so many went out at once.

 

[kwired]

I can say this, at my previous place of employment they decided to try and save on some unneeded lighting so they had us remove the tubes in several lights. Then later (few months-1 year) the lighting was needed and when the tubes were put back over half of them the ballast had to be replaced. These were the old magnetic types. I don't have any proof that removing the tubes caused it, nor do I know if it could harm them. These ballasts could have been on the brink of going out before the tubes were removed. I just found it odd that so many went out at once.

Did they remove all the lamps connected to a single ballast or just enough to make the thing not light up?

Don't know for sure if it would make a difference or not but possibly could, I'm talking primarily the typical 4 foot 2 lamp rapid start ballast. Slimline or other cutout style lampholders it should have opened the circuit to the ballast and should not have had any effect because you essentially have a deenergized ballast.

 

[Hv&Lv]

Wouldn't this be the same as keeping a transformer energized but removing all load? Or loading only one side of a transformer? I wonder if the newer electronic ballasts use any power at all if no load is applied.

 

[Little Bill]

Did they remove all the lamps connected to a single ballast or just enough to make the thing not light up?

Don't know for sure if it would make a difference or not but possibly could, I'm talking primarily the typical 4 foot 2 lamp rapid start ballast. Slimline or other cutout style lampholders it should have opened the circuit to the ballast and should not have had any effect because you essentially have a deenergized ballast.

These were the 8' two lamp fixtures, T12 I think.