chickens really
Herd Master
Great pictures..I loved the song too..
Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you
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Baymule
Herd Master
Lowes is giving you the run around. Go back to the store and complain to the manager.
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- #2,133
Senile_Texas_Aggie
Herd Master
All,
Calling all electrical experts! Why would replacement LED lights for a florescent light fixture not work? After replacing the burned out florescent bulbs with the LED bulbs and their not working, I thought at first that the light fixture was not getting any power, or perhaps the ballast or transformer (if present) was blown, but I did a voltage check between the two socket ends and found a reading of 257V in one socket slot and 261V in the other socket slot. I then concluded that someone had wired the florescent lights for 240V instead 120V. But a voltage check at the light switch showed only 123V to ground, and there was only 1 circuit breaker that controlled the lights, rather than a pair. I am guessing (<- dangerous word) that the ballast provides a higher voltage than normal to start the bulbs, but I don't know. At any rate, the LED bulbs are not working. I will probably replace the burned out florescent bulbs with work florescent bulbs, but I would really like to know why the LED bulbs are not working. Any ideas?
Senile Texas Aggie
Calling all electrical experts! Why would replacement LED lights for a florescent light fixture not work? After replacing the burned out florescent bulbs with the LED bulbs and their not working, I thought at first that the light fixture was not getting any power, or perhaps the ballast or transformer (if present) was blown, but I did a voltage check between the two socket ends and found a reading of 257V in one socket slot and 261V in the other socket slot. I then concluded that someone had wired the florescent lights for 240V instead 120V. But a voltage check at the light switch showed only 123V to ground, and there was only 1 circuit breaker that controlled the lights, rather than a pair. I am guessing (<- dangerous word) that the ballast provides a higher voltage than normal to start the bulbs, but I don't know. At any rate, the LED bulbs are not working. I will probably replace the burned out florescent bulbs with work florescent bulbs, but I would really like to know why the LED bulbs are not working. Any ideas?
Senile Texas Aggie
Baymule
Herd Master
Nope. Electrical dummy here.
Larsen Poultry Ranch
Herd Master
Husband (electrician) says it might be the bulb. Some led bulbs can work ballasted (both side have power-like your old florescent bulbs), some work with direct power (one side power and other is neutral), and some are designed to work in either scenario. If the bulb is direct power only, it will not work with the current ballast, and you will need to rewire the fixture (unless you just switch which bulbs you are using). Do you still have the packaging from the new led bulbs? That should tell you the power requirements for the bulb.
Bruce
Herd Master
Ah, I didn't know that!
A BIT? I would be more like a LOT disappointed. Seriously poor customer service there. I know some things tell you in the manual to call xxx, do not return to the store for warranty claims. If your manual doesn't say that then you are being put through the ringer. I bet they do that so a quantity of people will give up.
Time for a different brand?
I think a snowman of ANY size in that situation is an accomplishment!!
Looks like color to me. If you want more, plant some more deciduous trees that have fall color
Or maybe you DO know!
Are these tubes? And are they in the house or the shop? Meaning are the fixtures decorative? I've bought several Fiet 2 tube 4' work lights at Costco, pretty cheap with the Efficiency Vermont rebates. As Miss Larson ('s hubby) said, it is likely the tube needs direct 120V, no transformer. *I* would try removing the ballast and see if it works. *You* can choose to try that or not
An LED light site for reference
Be aware that if it is on a dimmer it may not work, not all dimmers work properly with LEDs.
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- #2,137
Senile_Texas_Aggie
Herd Master
Thank you, Miss @Larsen Poultry Ranch!
After reading your post, and talking to my Beautiful Gal, I decided to buy more florescent lights instead of LED lights. After all, for the room where these lights are I very rarely going, and my wife, while going in that room more often than I, still goes in there only occasionally. I dislike florescent lights due to their flickering and/or buzzing. But florescent lights don't bother my wife. Thus my decision to buy replacement florescent lights.
Before going to the store, though, I decided to try the other LED lights I had bought. Because I have 4 lighting fixtures in the room, and each fixture has 4 bulbs, I bought 4 LED bulbs at Ace Hardware (which claimed to work in any LED light fixture with no rewiring needed), and 4 was all they had, and I bought 4 more at Walmart, I put the 4 Ace LED bulbs in one fixture first. When the bulbs didn't work, that is when I measured voltage between sockets and came in and did the post. But as I was about to leave to go to the hardware store to get florescent bulbs, I decided to try the Walmart bulbs instead. The Walmart bulbs worked! Hurray! So at least I saved myself a trip to the hardware store.
But while replacing the Ace bulbs with the Walmart bulbs, I discovered something I found troubling. I had turned off the power at the switch, but not at the circuit breaker. While trying to install one of the bulbs, I touched one end of the bulb to the metal housing of the fixture (which is grounded) while having the other end of the bulb in the fixture socket. The bulb lit up -- dimly, but it lit up. If the fixtures were wired correctly, the 120V leg should go to the switch first, and then to the fixture, where it then flows across the bulb into the other end, where a neutral wire is connected, which goes back to the circuit box. It seemed that whoever wired the circuit had the 120V leg go to the fixture, into the bulb, and the neutral leg then go to the switch. That is a dangerous way to do it. I get the impression that the guy who wired the shop didn't know as much as I do (which isn't too much), which is a scary thought.
Mr. @Bruce, you posted as I was composing this post. That looks very interesting. I will need to read up more on how florescent lights work, as I did not know that the ballast could be removed and there be current at the florescent bulb sockets.
Thank you to everyone who responded.
Senile Texas Aggie
After reading your post, and talking to my Beautiful Gal, I decided to buy more florescent lights instead of LED lights. After all, for the room where these lights are I very rarely going, and my wife, while going in that room more often than I, still goes in there only occasionally. I dislike florescent lights due to their flickering and/or buzzing. But florescent lights don't bother my wife. Thus my decision to buy replacement florescent lights.
Before going to the store, though, I decided to try the other LED lights I had bought. Because I have 4 lighting fixtures in the room, and each fixture has 4 bulbs, I bought 4 LED bulbs at Ace Hardware (which claimed to work in any LED light fixture with no rewiring needed), and 4 was all they had, and I bought 4 more at Walmart, I put the 4 Ace LED bulbs in one fixture first. When the bulbs didn't work, that is when I measured voltage between sockets and came in and did the post. But as I was about to leave to go to the hardware store to get florescent bulbs, I decided to try the Walmart bulbs instead. The Walmart bulbs worked! Hurray! So at least I saved myself a trip to the hardware store.
But while replacing the Ace bulbs with the Walmart bulbs, I discovered something I found troubling. I had turned off the power at the switch, but not at the circuit breaker. While trying to install one of the bulbs, I touched one end of the bulb to the metal housing of the fixture (which is grounded) while having the other end of the bulb in the fixture socket. The bulb lit up -- dimly, but it lit up. If the fixtures were wired correctly, the 120V leg should go to the switch first, and then to the fixture, where it then flows across the bulb into the other end, where a neutral wire is connected, which goes back to the circuit box. It seemed that whoever wired the circuit had the 120V leg go to the fixture, into the bulb, and the neutral leg then go to the switch. That is a dangerous way to do it. I get the impression that the guy who wired the shop didn't know as much as I do (which isn't too much), which is a scary thought.
Mr. @Bruce, you posted as I was composing this post. That looks very interesting. I will need to read up more on how florescent lights work, as I did not know that the ballast could be removed and there be current at the florescent bulb sockets.
Thank you to everyone who responded.
Senile Texas Aggie
Larsen Poultry Ranch
Herd Master
Yay! I'm glad you were able to get the second set of bulbs working! Hubby had to repeat the explanation several times as I was typing it, electrical stuff isn't my strong suit. What @Bruce said is likely what my hubby was talking about when he said it could be rewired to be able to use the led bulbs that weren't working with the current configuration.
It's a bummer so many people install or wire up things incorrectly and potentially dangerously. Hopefully it would be an easy fix if you decide to fix the incorrect wiring.
It's a bummer so many people install or wire up things incorrectly and potentially dangerously. Hopefully it would be an easy fix if you decide to fix the incorrect wiring.
Bruce
Herd Master
I won't buy fluorescent lights any more, LED all the way. Better light, longer lasting.
Yeah I suspect code says the power should hit the switch first then the light but it will work the other way around. Maybe the guy who wired your place is the guy we bought this house from
Yeah I suspect code says the power should hit the switch first then the light but it will work the other way around. Maybe the guy who wired your place is the guy we bought this house from
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- #2,140
Senile_Texas_Aggie
Herd Master
All,
Well it seems I have displeased the gods again: the Sisyphean task of the water line leaking in the field is back. About a month ago, after the water had not leaked for months, and after I had piled the dirt back and it had settled for months, I decided to try to level the dirt out to make it where grass could grow again and where tractors and mowers could drive over that ditch/excavation again. After leveling out the dirt with my FEL bucket, I drove over the ditch with the tractor. Nothing terrible happened that I could tell. But about 2 weeks or so later, I noticed that the field near the water pipe was wet. Because it had rained recently and there were other places in the pasture that were wet, I didn't think much of it. I even checked the water meter to see if it was flowing, and it was not.
But the place next to the pipe has remained wet, I have concluded that the pipe is leaking enough to make the ground wet but not enough to make the water meter turn. I have carefully watched the water meter, and it does not turn, but I can hear water slowly flowing through it, so I fairly certain that the pipe is leaking. So now I am faced with the dilemma of repairing it now, with the weather (and water) cool and possibly getting really cold, or wait until next spring after it has warmed back up, assuming the leak doesn't get any worse.
Oh the joys of home ownership and incompetent repair!
Senile Texas Aggie
Well it seems I have displeased the gods again: the Sisyphean task of the water line leaking in the field is back. About a month ago, after the water had not leaked for months, and after I had piled the dirt back and it had settled for months, I decided to try to level the dirt out to make it where grass could grow again and where tractors and mowers could drive over that ditch/excavation again. After leveling out the dirt with my FEL bucket, I drove over the ditch with the tractor. Nothing terrible happened that I could tell. But about 2 weeks or so later, I noticed that the field near the water pipe was wet. Because it had rained recently and there were other places in the pasture that were wet, I didn't think much of it. I even checked the water meter to see if it was flowing, and it was not.
But the place next to the pipe has remained wet, I have concluded that the pipe is leaking enough to make the ground wet but not enough to make the water meter turn. I have carefully watched the water meter, and it does not turn, but I can hear water slowly flowing through it, so I fairly certain that the pipe is leaking. So now I am faced with the dilemma of repairing it now, with the weather (and water) cool and possibly getting really cold, or wait until next spring after it has warmed back up, assuming the leak doesn't get any worse.
Oh the joys of home ownership and incompetent repair!
Senile Texas Aggie
