r/DIY • u/Bigtime1234 • 1d ago

electronic Convert ballast fluorescent lights to LED.

Post image

Long story short, had a ballast fail, and everyone told me to convert to direct wire LED, so I did. However,after connecting hot to one side, neutral other, I have no power and Sox extra wires that I can’t figure out what to do with.

In addition to the leads that connect to the sockets, there is a brown, a gray and a yellow wire conected to both sockets as well. These wires were connected to the ballast opposite of their connection to the sockets. I have been working in n this all AM and early afternoon.

The lights are in the laundry room with a switch in the hallway in the house proper and another in the garage.

First picture is fixture before ballast removal., and the second picture is the wire groups. Any advice would be very appreciated.

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1

u/ARenovator 1d ago

Please google "Shunted versus non-shunted tombstones".

That is almost certainly where your problem lies.

2

u/Bigtime1234 1d ago

I asked about this at the store and was told “not to worry about it”, but I will certainly do that. Thanks.

2

u/Bigtime1234 1d ago

Will that have something to do with the extra wires, though?

1

u/ARenovator 1d ago

You may have to splice some extra wires together, depending on what style you own.

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u/Bigtime1234 1d ago

Ok - so the two red and two blue wires coming from the sockets mena shunted sockets. Therefore, I would need a hot going to each, individually?

1

u/ARenovator 1d ago

Yes, believe you are correct about that.

But to be sure, you might visit /r/AskElectricians.

1

u/Bigtime1234 1d ago

I can’t post the second picture, but the gray, brown and yellow wires connected to the opposite ballast/socket situation is what has for me messed up.