What happens if you bypass a ballast?

The most significant negative to a ballast-bypass linear LED is the risk of electric shock since the sockets carry line voltage. It’s a common practice to place a finger on the lamp pins while you are trying to install it, and this becomes a risky endeavor when using single-ended ballast-bypass lamps .

How do I know if I have the right ballast?

One probe of the multimeter should touch the hot wire connections, while the other touches the neutral wire connections. If the ballast is good, an analog multimeter has a needle that will sweep to the right across the measuring scale. If the ballast is bad, then the needle won’t move.

How do you bypass a ballast?

How to Bypass A Ballast

Step 1: Disconnect All Power So There is No Electrical Current.
Step 2: Find the Ballast.
Step 3: Locate and Cut Only the Hot and Neutral Wires.
Step 4: Cut the Socket Lead Wires.
Step 5: Remove the Ballast (if you wish)
Step 6: Connect the Wires.
Step 7: Reattach Any Coverings and Turn On.

How do ballast bypass LED work?

2. Ballast-bypass, line voltage, or direct wire linear LED (UL type B) Bypass the ballast linear LEDs – also known as line voltage or direct-wire linear LEDs – work straight off the line voltage flowing directly to the sockets, requiring you to remove the original fluorescent ballast. Jump ahead to pros and cons.

Do you have to bypass ballast for LED lights?

A plug and play LED is a fixture where you can install LED bulbs to what was once a fluorescent bulb. This is an easy solution and requires minimal effort on your part. Since it works with the existing ballast, there is no need for rewiring or ballast removal.

Can a bad ballast cause a breaker to trip?

If the primary winding in the ballast goes bad they almost always trip the breaker, unless there is a fuse installed just ahead of the ballast. After checking all of the wiring, as you have been directed to do, the last chip is a bad ballast.

What does ballast Factor mean?

A ballast factor is a number, typically between 0.70 and 1.2, that tells you how much light a lamp will emit with that ballast. Ballast factor is calculated by dividing the lumen output of a lamp-ballast combination by the lumen output of the same lamp(s) on a reference ballast.

How do you remove ballast from a circuit?

Remove the ballast. Now that you have severed the wires that create the circuit through the ballast, you can unscrew the ballast and physically remove it or curl up the remaining shorter ballast wires and tuck them away. 6. Connect the input wires to the output wires. Strip about one inch of the colored insulation off of all the remaining wires.

Do you need to bypass ballast on LED lights?

If you are trying to retrofit a fixture from fluorescent to LED lamps, you may need to bypass the ballast for this purpose. In theory, the instructions for how to bypass a ballast are simple enough.

Where is the ballast in a light fixture?

In most fixtures, the ballast will be behind the tubes and a metal cover that you will need to remove. Never try to work around the lamps since it will hinder your visibility. Remove all lamps and ballast covers for easy access. 3. Find the right wires

Do you need power on one end of a ballast?

It is important to note that T8 LED tubes only need power on one end. Fixtures with multiple lights may have more than one set of wires on one end of the ballast. You only need to connect the input wires to one set of output hot and neutral wires.