New T12 lights just flicker....

matt2364

matt2364

Member
Hello -
I just got some new T12 actinic bulbs for my tank and they have not turned on fully yet? Is there some sort of break in period for these lights? They have been on for at least 8 hours total and they are not turning on yet. Any other causes? I have checked all of the connections and all of the wires are good and still attached, not sure what else to try?
Thanks in advance for everyone's help
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
First make sure your bulbs are seated in the sockets, its possible to get them with one leg outside the socket.
If that doesn't fix the problem it sounds like maybe your starter is out or you got a bad bulb.
Do your old bulbs work? If so then you probably have a bad bulb try a combination of your new and old bulbs to determine which bulb is bad.
If your old bulbs don't work either then its probably the starter. The starter is the little silver or white cylinder (looks similar to a battery) in your fixture. They are inexpensive to replace so you might try to replace it first.
If neither one of those fix the problem then its probably the ballast, you can get a new T12 ballast from the hardware store for about $20-$40 but it requires some electrical wiring to replace so if you aren't comfortable working with electricity you might enlist the help of an electrician.
 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
I do not think that it is the starter beacuse they turn on, just really weak and they kind of pulse. The new and old bulbs do not work or any combination of both. I bought the ballast new about a year ago, I am hoping that is not the problem since it is so new.
I am not sure where the starters are on this fixture, I have never seen them and I have taken the whole thing apart a couple of times to replace ballasts and such. Is it possible that there are no starters, just a ballast?
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
It's possible that it doesn't have a starter some ballasts have internal starting circuits. The dim and flickering light is a common symptom of a bad starter but if your fixture doesn't have a starter then you will probably need a new ballast.
 
matt2364

matt2364

Member
The last time that I had new bulbs they just flickered and did not turn on fully for 4 hours or so, do these typically have a burn in period or something like that or do they usually turn on right away?
 
ibew41

ibew41

Active Member
no they do not have a burn in period like that if its in the sockets then ballast is going
 
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