I have a 6 bulb t5 and I think one of the sockets went bad. I noticed the bulb in it was very dim, so took it out and replaced it with another that I new was functional and it too was very dim, tried it again with a third bulb and got the same result. So I'm thinking that might mean the socket is no good. Does that sound right? Also, is that an easy fix?
T5: Is this a bad socket?
- Thread starter 3cp0
- Start date
The first bulb had a little Light towar the center and none on either end of the bulb. The second bulb I put in was a hint brighter but soon began to do weird things. It looked like the bulb was dying out so I popped it out to try another which was similarly dimmed.
I tested both bulbs in other sockets in the fixture and they were fine.
cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
It might be the ballast. cn
kpmarine
Well-Known Member
Did anything happen that could have caused any problems? A quick visual inspection should indicate pretty much any damage to that piece. Can you describe what weird things the bulb is doing?
kpmarine
Well-Known Member
Only one bulb though? Cramming 6 ballasts into one fixture seems tight. Not saying it's not a possibility though. Can we get a pic of your fixture c3po?
There was no physical damage to the light. It's been treated very gingerly. The bulbs when left in that socket start to get damaged, the begin to die from the outer edges inward. The other weird thing I would describe as little waves of light that fluter across the bulb. Does that tell you anything? I will pop a bulb in tomorrow and take a snapshot.
kpmarine
Well-Known Member
I don't know how yours is built, but bulbs out and reflectors removed is always a good start. If you google your particular fixture, you might be able to find a manual specific to yours.
pacificarage
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a ballast issue to me too. There's not much that can go wrong with the end caps, unless they get smashed or busted which you can usually tell just by looking at them. I've seen bad ballasts do some funky stuff.