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    benplumber's Avatar
    benplumber Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Jul 20, 2008, 12:07 PM
    Overhead Fluorescent Light Install
    Okay, I'm not an electrician but I thought I could do general stuff pretty well. I have a two bulb fluorescent light in the kitchen. I tried today to replace it and purchased a 4 light fluorescent. When I took the two light down, there was a two ground wires, two black, two white & two pink. The two ground were together, one black was attached to the black line coming off the ballast, one white was attached to the white line coming off the balast. The remaining white wire was together with the remaining black line. The two pink wires were connected together.

    When I installed the new light and did not change a thing. I connected the ground to the unit (green screw) however there was no ground wire coming from the ballast (there was not one on the original though either)? I connected the white wire to the white wire, black wire to black wire etc etc. No light. I thought with my limited experience that the white & black wire together should be connected to the respective color to complete the four light system and nothing again. Ideas anyone? What the heck is this pink wire??
    tkrussell's Avatar
    tkrussell Posts: 9,659, Reputation: 725
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    #2

    Jul 20, 2008, 12:19 PM
    The pink wires probably were once red of three wire cables, and souns like this is a three way switch setup. Do you have at least two switches for this light?

    As long as you re-connected the black and white from the ballast to the original black and white that fed the other light, all the connections are good and tight, and the ballast is good, all should work fine. Can be a loose connection, maybe the breaker tripped and you are not aware, or one of the switches is not in the right position or has failed.

    Sounds like you connected it properly, must be one of the reasons I mentioned, or something similar.

    There should have been a green screw in the package with the new light. The ground wire should be connected to this green screw, which should be driven into a threaded hole found somewhere in the fixture.

    Be sure the fixture is grounded, as not grounding a fluorescent fixture will affect starting and proper operation of the lamps.
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