In our kitchen are 2 two fixtures that hold 4 48in tubes. There are two switches for these lights. We have to cycle the switch several times to get them to fully light. It does it with both switches. This doesn't happen every time. Maybe 50% of the time. My Husband has checked the ballast temp. and it is always good. No buzzing or flickering when lights are on. They also stay on once they light up. He took all 8 tubes out and found they all have loose pins, really loose. They wobble around. They do not have starters. He thinks this is our problem. My question is how did all 8 tubes develope loose pins? Is he right? I don't want to waste money on something we don't need.
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Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. Rather than debug the fluorescents, how about getting LED fixtures? And, you should probably take our tour so you'll know how best to participate here. – Daniel Griscom Nov 26 '19 at 01:31
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Fluorescent tubes should NOT be loosy-goosy in their sockets (lampholders aka "tombstones").
The "tombstones" use one of several pretty much standard designs. 1000bulbs.com sells them, the most common one at 60 cents each, many hardware stores have the common types as well.
If you see black bands on the ends of the fluorescent tubes, or you just know them to be very old, it may be the tubes.
If the ballast is a bulky, heavy thing, it's high time to replace it with a modern electronic ballast. The electronic ballast will cure cold-start problems and eliminate all flicker. It, plus the modern 90 CRI bulbs, make fluorescent rather wonderful lighting. The fact that you can get reliable, top-tier versions of ballasts and tubes very cheaply, has encouraged me to keep fluorescent instead of crashing headlong into LED.
If each socket has 2 wires, then you want a rapid-start or programmed-start ballast that wires the same way. If the ballast only sends 1 wire to each socket, then you are stuck with an instant-start ballast (unless you want to change all the tombstones; then you can convert to rapid-start).
They make ballasts that support up to 4 tubes. You can go with T8 or T12 ballast, as fits your preference for tubes; either tube type will fit your fixture, but the tube must match the ballast. T12 is obsolete and that will impact tube variety and price in the future.
Most 4-tube fixtures will let you use 2 ballasts; that's nice when you want to have a bright/dim setting. I like having 3 tubes on 1 ballast and 1 tube on the other, with a pull switch on the 3-tube ballast; that gives you high and low. (light is logarithmic so cutting wattage by 75% feels like about half light).
If your lights are hardwired, fit a ballast disconnect plug on the hot and neutral wires from supply. This is a Code requirement now.
You can also use LED "tubes" instead of actual fluorescent tubes. If you do, you want ballast-bypass types that feed hot and neutral to opposite ends of the tube (because the ones that feed the same end won't work on 1-wire tombstones), and I don't want 120/230V on 2 pins that close together. You use ballast-bypass, wiring hot and neutral to the tube sockets directly, so that you don't have to continue maintaining the ballast.
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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He says the tombstones are fine . It's the little pins on the end of the tube. Like I said they wobble around badly. My question is how could all 8 of them be in this condition. Also will they work in this condition. – Karen L. Brown Nov 26 '19 at 11:05
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Likely to be bad tubes. I only have two bulb fixtures but when one bulb goes bad the second does not light . And as you have, they may light when switched again. Any fixture I have seen for years are "rapid start" with no separate starter , apparently it is built into the ballasts." Loose pins" sounds like something is broken. I suggest getting all new bulbs and not try to figure out which bulbs are bad .
blacksmith37
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