A while back I put up an 8 foot flourescent light unit (2 bulbs) in my garage. I love the nice bright light I get from it but it has an annoying hum. I would like to put a couple more units like this in there but not until I can figure out how to eliminate that humming. Anyone have any ideas on why this is doing this? Is something not right or is that just something you get with the longer lights? (I should add that it hummed right from the beginning even when brand new)

Could be the ballast.

Ballast always hum alittle. Cheaper fixtures seem to be louder.

I bought all new 8' fixtures for my shop. I went to the local electrical supply house. I told them that I wanted high quality ones. I bought American made ones. These thing hum so bad I want to smash them. I called the manufacter and they said thats the way they are. I hate them. I have pulled them down from the ceiling and hung them from chains. I have even put carpet in them. The manufacture said they were vibrating. Nothing has worked. Did I mention I hate them?

you installed the cheaper ones. they will hum during the colder weather. also slooow to come on, the colder it gets. it would be cheaper to replace the fixtures than replace the ballast.

I bought ones with cold weather ballasts from Home Depot, my "favorite" store of all time. These things don't make a peep.

I just put up some 6 lamp T-5 fixtures. Lots of light. mounted them at 16 feet off the ground. They are made to replace Hi bay 250 - 400 watt fixtures. http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/images_products/112_big.jpg

Hum ? I was going to say teach them the words to the song :D

lol...jk.

I have the cheapies and just turn the stereo up :clonk:

Buy fixture's that have a electronic ballast.

Teach them the words... :D

Might try slipping a piece of thin cardboard, gasket material or the like between the ballast and the metal housing.

I wonder if you can relocate the balast.

Might try slipping a piece of thin cardboard, gasket material or the like between the ballast and the metal housing.

Or possibly use some rubber washers between the ballasts and the fixture.

Just keep breathing, you'll get old enough and deaf enough to where they won't bother you.

You could always turn up the shop radio.

You could always turn up the shop radio.
That's what I do. A radio at a normal volume seems to drown out my 9 8' 2 bulb fixtures.

Buy fixture's that have a electronic ballast.

You probably have a T12 (magnetic ballast) fixture with Ø1.5" bulbs? These will hum for sure.

T8's (electronic ballast) are more efficient, instant on, and have Ø1" bulbs. These are available at any big box store.

I hung T8's in my garage and am very happy with them. Best part is they were free from a school demo/remodel:thumbsup:

A while back I put up an 8 foot flourescent light unit (2 bulbs) in my garage. I love the nice bright light I get from it but it has an annoying hum. I would like to put a couple more units like this in there but not until I can figure out how to eliminate that humming. Anyone have any ideas on why this is doing this? Is something not right or is that just something you get with the longer lights? (I should add that it hummed right from the beginning even when brand new)

Most fixtures the ballast slips into a slot on one end and bolts down on the other, bolt down both ends.
grounding is important so if you put something between the ballast and fixture make sure to ground the ballast at the bolts holding the ballast
ballast do hum some so crank up the radio

Hum along, or for the best solution...uncap headers:thumbsup:

Ones in my shop hum but if I can hear it humming it means I am not working hard enough. Garage is silent and I am out there means I am drinking beer in which case, after a few it goes away anyhow.

Tools, compressor, work, cursing, grinding, welding.....should all drown out those lights humming away. So the fix - do work out there. :D

I had a girlfriend like that once. I wouldn't call her humming "annoying" though...

I had a girlfriend like that once. I wouldn't call her humming "annoying" though...
l:)l:)

A few thousand years ago when I was in high school, transformers in the (not fluorescent) lights hummed. The shop teacher had us dip the transformers in epoxy or fiberglass resin. After it hardened and the lights reinstalled, no more humming.

I haven't taken a fluorescent light apart lately, but I don't think the ballasts can be removed from their cans, but it might be worth checking...

Use electronic ballast. i also use them in the freezer at work. you can get them good to
-40 deg

thanks for all the suggestions. i tried Dean's recommendation buy putting a piece of rubbery gasket material between the ballast and the housing. since the bulbs are so long i had my wife give me a hand putting them back in and when we turned it on there was still some hum but not as bad as before. i said "dog gone it, still humming"...she said "no way you can hear that over the radio" ...so there ya go. for now it looks like the radio is the simplest solution. before i add more fixtures though i think i will check into the electronic ballast, skinny bulbs, cold start, etc. thanks again. and by the way as for the other comments regarding teaching it the words, singing along with it and even the girlfriend one, LOL....i knew those were coming before i even posted but i still got a big kick out of them. it's been said that brilliant minds think alike. i think that applies to knotheads like us to but i never heard the expression phrased that way.

last year we put 4 8' lights in the garage to go along with the 5 4' lights. after we got the 8' ones wired up they all came one with a few of the 4' ones not working. after a few months one of the 8' ones stop coming on bulbs are good and the the 4' ones come on. the 8' one hum but its not big deal. question is what caused the one 8' light to stop working???

Lazy:yes: