Can I replace this old capacitor?

[RigidRaider]

The garage light looks as if it was salvaged from an old mill. One tube has stopped working, the tube defintely still works so I'm thinking the capacitor must be on the blink. Sorry about the poor photo - is it worth trying to get a new capacitor or better to buy an entre new lamp unit? Thanks.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Quite honestly, the tubes for those fittings are becoming more and more expensive.
You'd be better buying a new fitting with modern tubes.

 

[RigidRaider]

Modern skinny tubes work in this fitting - I know because I bought one without checking the non-working tube and then discovered that the fitting was at fault!

 

[ricicle]

If the capacitor is purely for PF correction then ditch it completely. Or is it an old lead/lag fitting? How do you know it's faulty?

 

[flyingsparks]

More likely it's the ballast at fault.

 

[RigidRaider]

Er.... you can tell I know very little about this.... I thought the capacitor was an old-fashioned ballast!

So there must be starter somewhere in that case?

Actually since I took the tubes out and refitted them, they are both working fine now!

 

[Spark123]

Can you upload a pic of the ballasts?
It could be a semi-resonant fitting which has four wires to each ballast, a couple of capacitors but no starter.

 

[RigidRaider]

There don't seem to be any starters. As I wrote, I think the fitting came out of a Lancashire mill about 25 years ago!

 

[Taylortwocities]

You'd be better buying a new fitting with modern tubes.

 

[seasickstevie]

Actually since I took the tubes out and refitted them, they are both working fine now!

 

[Spark123]

Semi resonant starting fittings don't like T8 (58w) tubes, they need to be T12 (65w) for them to work properly

 

[333rocky333]

The cap is likely in series with one of the lamps, this was to prevent two tubes strobing together, when the caps dying one tube will be slow to strike if at all.
Providing theres no rotating machinery closeby then the cap can be removed and the two wires joined thus reinstating the non working lamp
As others said earlier T8 tubes may strike occasionally but you may find that ocasionally they wont strike

 

[DaftPunk]

You must NOT join the wires together if it's just a smoothing capacitor across the mains!

 

[RigidRaider]

You've all lost me now!

Capacitors give you quite a jolt, don't they?

 

[333rocky333]

You've all lost me now!

Capacitors give you quite a jolt, don't they?

can you see were the cap is connected, it maybe across the supply terminals as stated in above post, if so then dont remove it, that cannot affect just 1 lamp only

but most likely by the position its situated and the symptems you describe, connected between the ballast and one endcap

yes them caps tended to have exposed connecters and can shock you so avoid touching them for some time after turning power off.

you may be wise to stick with the new fitting option