Shop sign lighting

[chopper]

hi i have been asked to try and fix some sign writing on a freinds shop.there is a feed in to the light and a feed out both with 230 v.
from the incoming 230v its goes to a capaciter then to 2 ballasts then to the tubes. he as tried new tubes and starters but still no joy.

i would think it would either be the capaciter or starte. i took some info down
capaciter = 8 microfarads + 10% and has LE 1 EB wrote on it
and the ballasats say L20 - P 240V 50 HZ

W GAP A A
18 G13 0.37 0.35

my questions are would i be right in changing the capaciter first, then the ballasts , and are the ballasts and the capaciters iv mentioned easily to pick up from wholesalers, and roughly how much should they cost.

cheers for any advise given , i know its a long one

 

[Darkwood]

Forget your capacitor, its there to make the fitting more energy efficient and would run with or without it, make sure the tube matches the rating on the ballasts and make sure the starters are the right size fore the tubes, is their one ballast per tube or one ballast for two tubes.

 

[chopper]

the tubes are from the adjacent fittings, which worked and the starters were also taken out of the fitting at the side.
on the ballast there are 3 tubes and 2 ballasts,

 

[Darkwood]

the tubes are from the adjacent fittings, which worked and the starters were also taken out of the fitting at the side.
on the ballast there are 3 tubes and 2 ballasts,

If the signs are identical in every way tube size etc then it might be the ballasts but be weary this fitting may run different size tubes, you will have a ballast per set of endcaps or one ballast feeding 2 sets of endcaps if its one ballast per endcap set then a normal starter rated to the tube is needed but if the ballast is feeding 2 sets of endcaps then series starters are needed, also check you havent got a fuse in the connector block of the fitting thats blown.
Obvious signs of burnt out ballasts are burnt browning colour and raised cracked paint which used to be cream or white in most cases.

Im on the assumption these tubes are you normal flourescent 2ft 4ft 5ft etc style tubes, also is the ballast the old metal heavy retangle ballast or the new modern electronic ballast.
If they are electronic they may not light the tubes up if you fit them with power on as some of these type of ballast has a shutdown system if they dont see all is ok, if this is the case you need to turn off power fit tubes and starters then switch on.

 

[chopper]

ok cheers darkwood for the advise, i will have to take a closer look and try some new tubes and starters myself, it sounds like it could be one of the tubes at least or starter if a ballast is running 2 tubes but only 3 lamps arent working,i will also have a closer look at the fuse but i couldnt see 1 earlier, i didnt want have a detailed look as they were cooking below the signs and i was a bit paronoid.
thanks and i will report back when finished saying what the fault was

 

[Sintra]

Came accross similar problem before.

Turned out to be end caps from different ballasts onto one lamp.

Just a thought.

 

[Phil Mumford]

Three tubes and two ballasts.....

You may have a combination of standard single ballasts and combination ballasts.

One tube running off its own ballast is a standard starter e.g. 4-65W (S 8/10? from memory).

Several tubes from a common ballast will require series starters (S2).

Wrong starter - light doesn't work.

Or get a Tridonic 3x(tube output - 18W?) PC pro electronic ballast and rewire the fitting. Saves you money in the long run !

 

[chopper]

cheers people iv changed the ballasts and all 3 are now working.
on one of the other signs it keeps tripping the fuse does anyone have any idea what this could be, could the ballast ,starters or capaciters cause this??

 

[Darkwood]

cheers people iv changed the ballasts and all 3 are now working.
on one of the other signs it keeps tripping the fuse does anyone have any idea what this could be, could the ballast ,starters or capaciters cause this??

Providing their is no obvious short in the cabling then the ballast is the no1 suspect, you can omit the capacitor by just disconnecting it then switch light on, as i suspect it will blow the fuse again pointing to the ballast been faulty.
Dont worry about the starter you can omit this out of the equation as a faulty one wouldnt blow the fuse.
Dont forget to reconnect the capacitor when you have checked if its the cause.

 

[chopper]

cheers darkwood, ill give this a go, i can not see any shorts in the circuit