# Code question - Ballast replacement



## annnelson (Jan 21, 2010)

Hoping someone can help with a code question. The company I work for subcontracted a company to replace T12s to T8s and replace some ballasts. Do you need to be an licensed electrician to replace a ballast? If so where can I find this information? :001_huh:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

annnelson said:


> Hoping someone can help with a code question. The company I work for subcontracted a company to replace T12s to T8s and replace some ballasts. Do you need to be an licensed electrician to replace a ballast? If so where can I find this information? :001_huh:


Contact your local building department. *Chances are*, it will be considered maintenance work and no licensed electrician will be needed.


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## annnelson (Jan 21, 2010)

Thank you!


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## SparkYZ (Jan 20, 2010)

Most of the time, atleast all the lights I've done retrofits on, it's not just a simple swapout, you have to rewire the fixture according to the diagram on the ballast. Hope that the guy doing the work knows this..


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## htneighbors (Jan 23, 2009)

In addition to changing out the lamp sockets!


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## ralpha494 (Oct 29, 2008)

And maybe adding a disconnecting means.


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## SparkYZ (Jan 20, 2010)

ralpha494 said:


> And maybe adding a disconnecting means.


Good point, NEC now requires a luminaire disconnect. See if your city has adopted the newer code yet.

I havent had to change tombstones though


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## htneighbors (Jan 23, 2009)

SparkYZ said:


> Good point, NEC now requires a luminaire disconnect. See if your city has adopted the newer code yet.
> 
> I havent had to change tombstones though


My bad...that's just the way we always did it. 


From GE: As the lighting industry went to T8 lamps with electronic ballasts the primary ballast that was used was a instant start ballast. T8 lamps have the same 2-pin bases as their T12 counterpart lamps. These lamps can be instant started or rapid/ programmed started. The difference in wiring between T8 instant start and T12 rapid start is that an instant start only requires one wire from the ballast to each end of the lamp. However, the lamp holder for T8 instant must be "shunted". 
Shunted is where the lamp holder bridges the contacts of each lamp pin together. There were two primary ways to achieve the shunted effect. During retrofits of T12 fixtures many electricians would cut the two wires coming out of a rapid start lamp holder and wire nut the two wires together to effectively "shunt" the socket. This method did not require the fixture to have new lamp holders when changing from T12 lamps to T8 lamps with instant start ballasts. If an electrician did not shunt the wires of the lamp holder together then the ballast was not able to apply current to both sides of the lamp cathode and the arc within the lamp most likely followed the path of least resistant and established the hot point of the cathode not at the center of the cathode as intended but, closer to the ends of the cathode where the cathode support wires crimp on to the cathode. By not shunting the wires of the lamp holder this effectively resulted in much shorter lamp life. ​
The other option was to buy a new fixture that came with dedicated lamp holders that were shunted internally within the lamp holder. Electricians may have also purchased new shunted instant start lamp holders for retrofits to make the job easier. Physically a shunted socket instant start socket and a rapid start socket look very similar. However, the shunted socket typically is marked with an "S" on the socket.


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## SparkYZ (Jan 20, 2010)

htneighbors said:


> My bad...that's just the way we always did it.
> 
> 
> From GE: As the lighting industry went to T8 lamps with electronic ballasts the primary ballast that was used was a instant start ballast. T8 lamps have the same 2-pin bases as their T12 counterpart lamps. These lamps can be instant started or rapid/ programmed started. The difference in wiring between T8 instant start and T12 rapid start is that an instant start only requires one wire from the ballast to each end of the lamp. However, the lamp holder for T8 instant must be "shunted".
> ...


I guess I should have said I've never _replaced_ tombstones, only _re-wired _them, in the manner mentioned above.


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## electricians (Jan 26, 2010)

*get an electrician*

Any electrical work should be carried out by a qualified electrician . Replacing a ballast is not , in my opinion maintenance .


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## acwservices (Jun 17, 2009)

annnelson said:


> Hoping someone can help with a code question. The company I work for subcontracted a company to replace T12s to T8s and replace some ballasts.
> 
> *Do you need to be an licensed electrician to replace a ballast?*
> 
> ...




This info can be found at: www.dli.mn.gov​


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

When I do Mall lighting store repairs, all the mall cares about is if you have insurance.The stores don't care for Mall Maintainance men.Goofs,they say.


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## irackliffe (Mar 12, 2020)

*Code Questions*

Stumbled across this and I actually have the same question for Utah and yes I know the post is rather old. I have a guy who is experienced with electrical repair and part of my maintenance crew. Do I have to hire a journeyman level guy to accompany him? Can he change the wiring over to the LED bypass without someone else there if he is just acting under another license or do they have to be present?


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## catsparky1 (Sep 24, 2013)

I maybe wrong but if change over 40 lights in one building in CA you will fall into the title 24 crap .


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

Why would you not change to LED with no ballasts. If you have 8' fixtures my supplier doesn't even carry ballasts for them anymore


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## TheLivingBubba (Jul 23, 2015)

Dennis Alwon said:


> Why would you not change to LED with no ballasts. If you have 8' fixtures my supplier doesn't even carry ballasts for them anymore



Necro post from 2010, I said the same thing till I looked at the date.


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## Saqibsaeed (Feb 27, 2020)

Replacing T12 with T8 is cost effective, so you should go LED tubest bulbs which cost you cheaper and gives 80 percent more energy efficient than other bulbs.


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