Ken wrote:
Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Jeffy3 wrote:

Our kitchen ceiling fixture is driving us crazy. Its the kind that
uses two compact fluorescent bulbs (rectangular shaped). It has
worked fine for a few years but recently has been really hit or miss
as to whether it fires on or not. It wouldn't come on for two days
(we don't leave the switch in the on position, though, just keep
trying it) and then suddenly this morning it turned right on foor us,
then later it wouldn't turn on again. How do you troubleshoot these
things? I put a new bulb in last night but it didn't work. I checked
the wiring on the fixture and the switch and everything is connected.
If it is part of the fixture itself, is it fixable or not worth it?



Make sure the metal body of the fixture itself is grounded. Lack of
grounding there can cause hard starting.

If it is grounded, and you can test for and find line voltage at the
power leads coming into the fixture when the switch is on, then change
out the ballast.


Don't compact fluorescent bulbs contain their own ballast??


There isn't much more that can go wrong, bulb sockets usually don't
fail unless they're abused by someone forcing a bulb into place.

HTH,

Jeff


Guilty as charged....I saw only the words "rectangular shaped" and
thought that was describing the shape of the whole fixture.

If they are CF bulbs you are correct of course.

And, if that's the case, it does sound like the problem is either a bad
switch or a "loose disconnection" in the wiring. G

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.