cat 2 fluorescent troubleshooting

kevyn · Dec 19, 2012

I have fitted a twin cat 2 fitting in an office today.

When I put the switch on one tube tries to start then flashes twice then goes off. The other tube doesn't even flicker.

Connection are just live, neutral and earth. All internal connections look sound.

There was a ceiling fan in its place previously through a controller. I did not realise this until I switched it on and it didn't work. I bypassed the controller and the fitting is now getting 230v as it should.

Any ideas?

jenions · Dec 19, 2012

Forever getting knackered or dodgy ballasts at work, maybe its that.

SYKRAPS · Dec 19, 2012

Dodgy tube, ballast or starter?

kevyn · Dec 19, 2012

It's a brand new fitting so hopefully not as its a pain in the backside to get to

YoungBart · Dec 19, 2012

Try replacing the starter if it's a S/S, If not could well be ballast as stated above.

MDJ · Dec 19, 2012

loose wire in end cap for sure IMO, they are probably high frequency and wired in series.

jenions · Dec 19, 2012

Anyone ever had a buzzing noise from a florry? Had it on a job before and cudnt for the life of me figure it out, nothing was loose and it was just faint background noise but annoying

Sparkymark123 · Dec 19, 2012

Take it you've tried another lamp? Quite often if one lamp flashes it's a faulty lamp in a twin lamp fitting.

plugsandsparks · Dec 19, 2012

Try changing the tubes first, i get about a 1% failure rate for new tubes, also if its an electronic ballast, some are designed to shut down if they detect a faulty tube. They will automatically come back to life with working tubes.

grantr37 · Dec 20, 2012

it will be the tube, the lamp/bulb will be fine if its brand new, it will just need shoogled about a bit to make sure the contact between the pins and the holder is good.....the 2 blinks then nothing is just what the electronic starter does (its a chip based starter with no glass inside) it strikes twice then disconnects to stop a fitting from just blinking over and over......
Electronic Ballasts do this and the new replacement Electronic starters do this as well, if you put in an older style starter it will just blink over and over....

markc123 · Dec 20, 2012

To be honest, regardless whether its new or not - the lamps, starter, ballast aren't guaranteed to work correctly - we all get dodgy batches from time to time.

Sometimes starters aren't provided with them are they, if this is the case and you've added your own - have you got the correct size?

As pretty much everyone has said above, its going to be the tube, starter or ballast, change the tube and starter first before the ballast. You'll soon find it through process of elimination.

- MDJ stated about the lose wire's in the end caps....a real possibilty, or the end cap could be nackered.

grantr37 · Dec 20, 2012

it will be the tube, the lamp/bulb will be fine if its brand new, it will just need shoogled about a bit to make sure the contact between the pins and the holder is good.....the 2 blinks then nothing is just what the electronic starter does (its a chip based starter with no glass inside) it strikes twice then disconnects to stop a fitting from just blinking over and over......
Electronic Ballasts do this and the new replacement Electronic starters do this as well, if you put in an older style starter it will just blink over and over....