Table of Contents
Why do fluorescent lights come on when touched?
Usually it comes from normal background radiation. If one of the filaments is not working the normal background may not be quite enough. Touching the bulb will introduce a new potential source providing enough kick to get it started.
What happens if you touch a fluorescent light bulb?
If you touch the bulb with your fingers, the salts and oils from your skin will damage the bulb and cause the heat to concentrate. This can significantly reduce the life of the bulb or even worse cause it to shatter. For this reason most halogen capsule bulbs that you buy will be sealed in plastic inside the box.
Why do fluorescent lights flash when off?
When a CFL flickers, the cause is usually in the light switch, which is either a dimmer or a switch with an illuminate rocker. Illuminated switches pass a small amount of current even when they’re turned to the “off” position, which is enough to charge the capacitor in the CFL and cause a momentary illumination.
What do you do if you touch a light bulb?
If gloves are not available, you can hold the bulb using a clean paper towel. Nevertheless, if you accidentally touch an incandescent bulb, remember to clean it with methylated spirit to remove any oily residue.
Why do fluorescent lights not turn on sometimes?
The fluorescent tube won’t turn on No electrical power due to a tripped breaker or blown fuse. A dead or dying ballast. A dead starter. A dead bulb.
Why is my tube light flashing after I turn it off?
This ‘starter’ is disconnected once electric discharge is maintained through the tube. When a starter is old and worn, there may be insufficient discharge current through the tube to keep the gas ionized, which can result in ‘blinking’ at the ends of the tube, as the starter filament is brought in and out of operation.
How can you tell if a ballast is going bad?
If the ballast is good, an analog multimeter has a needle that will sweep to the right across the measuring scale. If the ballast is bad, then the needle won’t move. If you’re using a digital multimeter, often the digital readout will possibly list a “1” when it doesn’t find a measurable resistance.