Bulb or Ballast?

[Dom]

So I have a T5 fixture that I want to dust off and use. It is a 4 lamp/24 watt (per lamp) fixture for a total of 96 watts.

When I turn it on, bulbs flicker briefly and then stops. I replaced the 4 bulbs with others I had (used but working), just as a test. But the same thing happens.

How do I determine if it is the bulb or ballast?

If it is the ballast, can anyone recommend where to get a replacement? I've included a pic of the ballast below.

Thank you.
Dom

 

[Mjrenz]

Since you've tried bulbs that you know work it's almost certainly a ballast. Sometimes Lowes or Home Depot will have them in stock otherwise Amazon is a good place to look

 

[Dom]

Since you've tried bulbs that you know work it's almost certainly a ballast. Sometimes Lowes or Home Depot will have them in stock otherwise Amazon is a good place to look

I wonder if the fixture is worth the cost of the ballast...

 

[Rmckoy]

The only place I can find t5ho 54watt ballast is from electrical specific stores .

They can be pricy
I’ll look at a few I have .
I bought the wrong ones awhile ago . Could possibly even be 24watt ( shorter length bulbs )

 

[Dom]

The only place I can find t5ho 54watt ballast is from electrical specific stores .

They can be pricy
I’ll look at a few I have .
I bought the wrong ones awhile ago . Could possibly even be 24watt ( shorter length bulbs )

I've been finding them in the $55 - $70 range. I think I paid $400 for the fixture 10 years ago... maybe less.

I'm also thinking about retro fitting it with LEDs, but again, is it cost effective/

 

[nereefpat]

electrical specific stores .

Yes. Go there with all the info (# of bulbs, watts, length, t5 HO). You can even take the old ballast with you. Definitely worth fixing.