I have a light fixture with 3 T8 bulbs and I need a new ballast. I got a ballast from Home Depot which can be used for 3 or 4 T8 bulbs, but I do not know how I should wire it.
My existing setup uses a REL-3P32-RH-TP ballast which has 4 wires connected to the bulbs…3 wires each go to one side of each bulb and the forth wire connects to the other side of all three bulbs. The new ballast (GE-432-120-RES) says it can work for 3 or 4 bulbs and shows a wiring diagram for a 4 bulb setup. I don’t know how to wire this for my lights.
I understand that I need to use 2 red wires and 1 blue wire (or 2 blue and 1 red) to connect to one side of each bulb, but how do I connect the other side of all 3 bulbs together? The old setup had 1 wire which connected all 3 bulbs. I know the 2 yellow wires are supposed to go the opposite side of the bulbs, but can I connect the 2 yellows together…or can I only connect 1 yellow to 2 bulbs, and then rewire my fixture so the other yellow goes to the last bulb?
Here’s a photo to help make sense of this:
Jim…the wiring diagram that came with it only shows the 4 bulb hookup, not three. I assume the 2 yellow wires are both neutral and I think I can wire all 3 bulbs to one yellow, or use both yellows. I think the yellows are internally wired together (verified with a meter). Thanks!
Jim…the wiring diagram that came with it only shows the 4 bulb hookup, not three. I assume the 2 yellow wires are both neutral and I think I can wire all 3 bulbs to one yellow, or use both yellows. I think the yellows are internally wired together (verified with a meter). Thanks!
I can’t find a 3 wire unit to replace it, otherwise I would have just gotten that one.
I can’t find a 3 wire unit to replace it, otherwise I would have just gotten that one.
4 Answers
T8 Ballast Wiring Diagram
A 4 lamp/bulb ballast will work for your aquarium. If it’s good for T8’s then it’s most likely an electronic ballast as opposed to a magnetic ballast. Most 4 lamp ballasts have 4 blue wires and 1 red and 1 yellow. Cap off 2 of the blue wires since you’re only using 2 bulbs. Follow the picture on the ballast and you should be okay.