Kitchen Fluorescent Lighting Problems

Bad Lamps

• Bad lamps are a common fluorescent lighting problem. Dark circles at the end of a lamp are indicators that the lamp is no longer functional and should be replaced. When lamps are allowed to burn out in the sockets, the ballast can also become burnt out, so it is important to heed the warning sign of the dark circles. If the ballast does become burnt out and needs replacing, all the lamps should also be replaced.

Replacing Ballasts

• When replacing ballasts, be sure to obtain the ballast intended for your specific lamp. Older fixtures have magnetic ballasts, which can be upgraded to solid state ballasts. In most cases, upgrading a ballast does not require that the sockets be replaced. However, it does require that the lamps match the ballast. Solid ballasts are energy efficient and less sensitive to cold temperatures, which solves two other kitchen fluorescent lighting problems.

Cold Temperatures

• Older florescent lighting fixtures with magnetic ballasts are more vulnerable to cold temperatures. When exposed to colder kitchen temperatures, fluorescent lights might have difficulty lighting, light slower than normal, and flicker as they get warmed up. The light may appear cold in tone as well.

Single Pinned Lamps

• Another kitchen florescent lighting issue is single pinned lamps. This issue arises when a pin is out of place, either because it is out of the socket or it is not making contact with the socket. They cause less light or no light at all to emanate from the fixture. To fix this problem, examine the lamp socket type. Some lamps twist while others are pushed in with some snap-in pressure. However, lamps should not be forced, as the force can break the light fixture.