Ballast life span

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Hassel4

Member
As many companies, the one I work for is reducing energy cost by shutting down light fixtures. The wiring is such that they can't turnoff desired fixtures, so they are removing the tubes (2x4 3-tube fixtures).
The question is if the ballast would be damaged? I heard of HID fixture failing but not 2x4 due the no lamp(s) being in the fixture. Yes the feed is still connected.

Thoughts or data I can read...
:roll:
 
charlie

charlie

Senior Member
Location
Indianapolis
When installing fluorescent luminaires, you can't just look at the wattage of the lamps for the load, you have to look at the load of the ballast and lamp together which is given in the ballast data. If you remove just the lamps from the circuit, you will still have ballast load. Why not just disconnect the ballasts and leave the lamps in place until they are needed in another location? :smile:
 
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broadgage

Senior Member
Location
London, England
If the lamps are removed, then as pointed out above the ballast may still consume power, how much depends on the ballast type.

An older type of transformer ballast will absorb several watts when not driving a lamp, still a big saving over lighting the lamp as well though.

The newer electronic ballasts consume very little power if no lamp(s) are connected.

Remember that if no lamps are connected, any energy used by the ballast will end up as heat, does an unloaded electronic ballast get hot? or even warm? no it does not, therefore the power used must be minute.

Does an unloaded transformer type ballast get hot? no it does not, does it get warm, yes certainly! indicating that a few watts are being used.

UK type two terminal ballasts that are wired in series with the lamp and that use a glow starter, consume no power whatsoever if the lamp is removed, but I dont think that these are much used in the USA.
 
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Hassel4

Member
This is what I suggested to the facility, that there is no real savings unless you disconnect the fixture. The ballast failure rate would not increase appreciably. The real issue is getting the crew to do the work and paying OT. The other issue is residents complaining, so they need to reverse conditions in short order.
Thanks for your thoughts.
 
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