Flourescent ballast disconnect amperage rating

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We are installing some 6 lamp T-8 fixtures and since they have 2 ballasts and only on a single switch, we are connecting jumper wires between the disconnects. This will cause the disconnects to see full circuit amperage. My question is: Are the disconnects rated for the load. I looked up the retrofit Ideal brand and they are only rated for 1.3 amps. The fixtures we have the yellow 4 port ones that a lot of companies seem to be using. They have no brand name, but the fixtures are from Mercury Lighting.
 

Barndog

Senior Member
Location
Spring Creek Pa
We are installing some 6 lamp T-8 fixtures and since they have 2 ballasts and only on a single switch, we are connecting jumper wires between the disconnects. This will cause the disconnects to see full circuit amperage. My question is: Are the disconnects rated for the load. I looked up the retrofit Ideal brand and they are only rated for 1.3 amps. The fixtures we have the yellow 4 port ones that a lot of companies seem to be using. They have no brand name, but the fixtures are from Mercury Lighting.

We did kinda the same thing just a few weeks ago. On the disconnects we had had a 15A rating. I would assume that the disconnect you are using would have the amp rating somewhere on the disconnect and i would think it would be rated at atleast 15A.
 
I looked the disconnects over pretty closely and could find neither a manufacturer nor an amp rating. The fixtures have Advance ballasts, may be their disconnect as well. On a side note, the fixtures are very poorly manufactured, will never use them again.
 

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Did U solve the problem >?

What did the writing on the advance ballast say ?

Which is it; the charge of the ballast or the burn of the lamps, does one count ?

; )
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
We are installing some 6 lamp T-8 fixtures and since they have 2 ballasts and only on a single switch, we are connecting jumper wires between the disconnects. This will cause the disconnects to see full circuit amperage. My question is: Are the disconnects rated for the load. I looked up the retrofit Ideal brand and they are only rated for 1.3 amps. The fixtures we have the yellow 4 port ones that a lot of companies seem to be using. They have no brand name, but the fixtures are from Mercury Lighting.

I don't think that these devices are designed to be used the way you're wiring them up with the full current running through them. Can they be wired differently so that each disconnect is connected to only one ballast?
 

Electric-Light

Senior Member
The purpose of the disconnect is so that fixture can be safely isolated for repair without turning off other lights.

Even high ballast factor T8 6 lamp is around 225W, so it can handle it on 277v, but not on 120v.
 
We put power to 34 of the fixtures today and no problems. We have 16 fixtures on one 20 amp 277v circuit and 18 on another So far, so good. This is not the way I would have preferred to wire these, but the fixture design may it nearly impossible to wire any other way.
Thanks for the input folks. I always appreciate the expertise shown here.
 
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