Convertting fluorescent light from 2 to 1 lamp?

Change the ballast transformer.

Some ballasts can run 2 or 1 lamp safely. Check with the manufacturer, cause all you might have to do is cap the leads leading to the second bulb (cap to 600V min usually).

Harry

Depends on a bunch of things.

You will probly have short life on the bulb. If your lamps have filaments then the transformer is designed to provide the proper voltage to two sets of filaments. If you use just one set, then the voltage will be high and the filaments will have a very short life.

It is possible to load every thing down with resistors, but they will have to be large high wattage resistors . You best bet is to as some one has noted, get another ballast.

On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 10:27:30 -0700, Harry Muscle wrote (in article ):

These are very old (40 years); mfr no longer in biz. If one lamp dies, the other one flickers or goes dark. So some load is necessary in the 2nd lamp position, if it is removed.

Ideas?

There use to be phantom lamps made. So you could reduce the light output by half. I have not seen a phantom lamp in years. I would change the ballast

There's ways to do it, but it won't save much (any?) power. My advice is to pick up one of those Advance F32T8 electronic ballasts from Home Depot and install a T8 tube, they have two independant secondaries and can safely run one or two lamps. They're only about $15 too.