A quick look at a sign repair that Eddie is working on. The Fluorescent tubes in this cabinet are ten feet long! Which means a more specialized sign ballast must be used. For starters, a normal sign ballast is out of the question, as they are only compatible with a maximum of up to eight foot fluorescent tubes. Additionally, for this application which uses ten foot tubes, you cannot use three tubes on one ballast (see below). Unfortunately for the previous installer, who worked on this sign about a year ago (based on the condition of the ballasts), this exception was not realized and the ballasts have failed prematurely.

Wrong sign ballast
This sign ballast is NOT for use with three: ten foot tubes.

Once we obtained and installed the proper sign ballasts for this application, all is well and Bright!

High Lighting Service Company specializes in all commercial lighting. While we promote the install of energy saving LED lighting, it is not always the right application/timing for a particular customer. Today we installed fluorescent lighting in the sign, and when the time is appropriate we will install LED.

Today’s Conclusion:

  • We installed the correct ballasts.
  • We replaced burnt out fluorescent tubes.
  • Our Customer, along with their tenants, are happy.

 

Finishing up the sign ballast replacement
Eddie smiles as he puts back the acrylic signs.

Published by Josh Farlow

Josh has been in the lighting industry for 13 years, working on all sorts of commercial and industrial projects. While not working with lighting, Josh enjoys time with his family and friends, brewing beer, and playing his guitar.

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4 Comments

  1. Thanks for helping me understand that the ballast should be compatible with the size of the tubes. This is too much information for me since I am not really into electronics. With that in mind, I guess I would have to hire a professional to fix the lighting of our sign. It hasn’t been looking attractive since there is one light that is not working anymore.

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