Fluorescent Light Noise on TV and Radio

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tkb

tkb

Senior Member
Location
MA
I have a job that I just did that was to install 8 - 2 lamp wrap around fixtures in a basement of a house. Wired in NM-B

These fixtures were 2 lamp, 120/277 volt, T8 electronic ballasts. The ballasts are Triad ballasts.

The TV has lines on the screen while the lights are on, and the FM radio has static.

Do I have a ballast problem, or is this normal?
Do I need to install some kind of filter? What kind and where can I get it?
 
George Stolz

George Stolz

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
Occupation
Service Manager
Re: Fluorescent Light Noise on TV and Radio

If your circuit is exposed in the basement, do you have low voltage running beside or over one or several of the lights?
 
P

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
Re: Fluorescent Light Noise on TV and Radio

this is pretty common with flourescent lights.

usually you can move the cablevision or antenna leadin cable far enough away from the lights that the problem goes away.

as for the radio static, I have the same problem from my garage lights out in the garage.

you could try some kind of RFI filter right at the lights.
 
R

rattus

Senior Member
Re: Fluorescent Light Noise on TV and Radio

I would suggest slipping ferrite cores over the hot and neutral wires coming into the fixture. We used to do this on electronic equipment to keep the RF inside the enclosure. Your supplier may have such a thing or maybe Radio Shack, or you may have to go to an electronic supply house.

If you know any amateur radio guys, you might ask one of them.

Another thought is to install 0.1uF disc ceramic caps between hot and neutral, or between hot and EGC and neutral and EGC. The voltage rating should be about twice the AC peak.

Anything you add should be added inside the fixture.

Ages ago, while working for the typewriter company, we had to install caps on the centrifugal governors on some adding machines because the noise was getting into their Muzak system.
 
hbiss

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
Re: Fluorescent Light Noise on TV and Radio

I didn't know there was a difference between noise and Muzak.

Been to the Muzak site lately? You might be surprised, not elevator music any more. Many people actually want it in their homes.

-Hal
 
peter d

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
Re: Fluorescent Light Noise on TV and Radio

Darn....I thought I made a pretty good joke there. :D

Oh well....I guess Muzak isn't what it used to be.
 
G

gndrod

Senior Member
Location
Ca and Wa
Re: Fluorescent Light Noise on TV and Radio

Another possibility is to reduce the switch leg nm cable inside the ballast channel isolating it from running parallel to the ballast and its output wiring. The ferrite core may be the answer too. Just a thought.

rbj, Seattle
 
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