A flickering, whining fluorescent light is almost worse than a snoring partner. It might be quieter, if you’re lucky, but it never stops — at least until you do something about it.
The cause might be a fault in the tube or a fault in the starter. If the tube is dead, you’ll need a new one.
| Before you do anything, turn off the light switch, or the mains if you are unsure which switch is the right one. |
Take the cover off the fluorescent light. Sometimes there is a cap on each end, which holds the cover on. With luck, you might have to undo only one end to take the cover off to reveal the tube. If the fitting is a modern one with two tubes and no starter (a starter is a small cylinder at one end of the fitting — see the picture below), the tubes are in phase and you’ll have trouble distinguishing which one you should change. Call an electrician to do your repair.
If it is an older fitting with a starter, remove the tube. Hold it firmly near each end, rotate it a little to release the lugs from the slots and pull it towards you. It should pop out.
To attach the new tube, line up the lugs on the tube with the slots on each end. Slide the lugs in and rotate it to tighten. It is now ready to test.
If the light still flickers
So changing the bulb didn’t solve all your problems. If the fitting is a more modern, automatic one and has no starters, call an electrician. However, if there are starters on you
r light, try replacing them.
Still with the wall switch off, push up slightly on the starter and turn it anticlockwise. It will pop out. Take it to your electric supplies store to buy a new one the same. Push the new one in and turn it clockwise to lock. If the light still flickers, call an electrician.
