How to Change a Fluorescent Light Ballast

For those who don’t like climbing a ladder and changing light bulbs all the time, fluorescent bulbs are a godsend. They last much longer than a standard light bulb, and still aren’t that challenging to change when they start to flicker or burn out. But sometimes it is not the light itself that is the problem, but rather the ballast. The ballast regulates the flow of power through the fluorescent lamp, and when it fails there goes your light. If you’ve just discovered that the bulb isn’t the problem and are wondering how to change a fluorescent light ballast then read on, and hopefully this article will “illuminate” you.

1 – Turn off the electricity to the fluorescent light fixture and if there is a plastic cover over the the fixture, remove it.

This isn’t as safe as changing a light bulb, so make sure the juice is turned off before you start messing around with that ballast. Most fluorescent lights have a plastic cover to diffuse the brightness, so go ahead and remove this. Odds are you’ve already tried to change the fluorescent bulb, so you’re probably this far already. if you haven’t removed the fluorescent light bulb already, then go ahead and do this now, by pushing gently towards the far end, rotating the bulb and sliding it out of the near socket. Fluorescent light bulbs are very delicate, so put it down out of the area where you are working to avoid accidentally shattering it.

2 – Remove the wire nuts and remove the ballast.

Before you can change the fluorescent light ballast you first need to locate the wires running from the ballast, and remove the wire nuts holding the like colored wires together. Once this is done for black, white, blue and red wires then you can go ahead and unscrew the nut that is connecting the ballast to the fixture. Slide the ballast off.

3 – Time for a trip to Home Depot.

Once you’ve got the ballast in hand you can take a jaunt down to your local hardware store to procure a replacement. All the necessary details should be printed on the ballast itself, but make sure you have any relevant info handy for the clerk, including the length and wattage of the bulbs in your fixture.

4 – Install the new ballast.

Basically, you’ve already done all the work, now you just need to do it again, in reverse order. Attach the ballast to the light fixture, reconnect the wire nuts, and replace the bulb(s). Replace the plastic cover, and turn the electricity back on to the fluorescent light.

Voila! You now know how to change a fluorescent light ballast. Whether you should or not is another matter. There is a lot of voltage going through those babies and if you don’t know what you are doing, then you will be much further ahead to hire a qualified electrician to do the job. Do-it-yourself projects can be fun learning experiences, but you don’t want to risk your life.