Fluorescent lights causing problems!
metal83
Posts: 1,219
I've noticed something strange this afternoon, so here goes.
In my bedroom, we have fluorescent lights in the ceiling. While i was out in my living room watching tv, i noticed that my speakers, all of them, would make a pop noise when the light turns off. So i had my fiancee go in the bedroom again and turn on the light, no pop. But when she turns it off, is when i hear the pop in my speakers. I had her do it multiple times, checking each speaker, and it happens on all of them, but again, only when the light in the bedroom is being switched off.
So, maybe this is causing the issues i posted in my other thread.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=78354
I'm not an electrician, so i really have no idea why the light in my bedroom being switched off would cause a popping sound in my speakers.
-Would anyone care to explain this to me?
-Is this something that can damage my speakers, amp, receiver, etc?
-Could this be contributing to my other issues?
-Can this be fixed, if so, how?
In my bedroom, we have fluorescent lights in the ceiling. While i was out in my living room watching tv, i noticed that my speakers, all of them, would make a pop noise when the light turns off. So i had my fiancee go in the bedroom again and turn on the light, no pop. But when she turns it off, is when i hear the pop in my speakers. I had her do it multiple times, checking each speaker, and it happens on all of them, but again, only when the light in the bedroom is being switched off.
So, maybe this is causing the issues i posted in my other thread.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=78354
I'm not an electrician, so i really have no idea why the light in my bedroom being switched off would cause a popping sound in my speakers.
-Would anyone care to explain this to me?
-Is this something that can damage my speakers, amp, receiver, etc?
-Could this be contributing to my other issues?
-Can this be fixed, if so, how?
Post edited by metal83 on
Comments
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Replace the light with an incandescent and all of your woes may be gone. If they aren't, tighten all grounding wires on the circuit. All of them.
Problem solved.
That "pop" you hear will damage your gear if the volume is highly excessive. If it's at a reasonable level, you have nothing to be concerned about except the annoying pop.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
In addition to Tom's advice. The light and your gear are on the same circuit. If at all possible, run a dedicated circuit for the gear.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Replace the light with an incandescent and all of your woes may be gone. If they aren't, tighten all grounding wires on the circuit. All of them.
Problem solved.
That "pop" you hear will damage your gear if the volume is highly excessive. If it's at a reasonable level, you have nothing to be concerned about except the annoying pop.
I'll give these these things a try.In addition to Tom's advice. The light and your gear are on the same circuit. If at all possible, run a dedicated circuit for the gear.
I'm in a two family house/apt, but i have access to the junction box since the basement is only used by me, and my apt has the only access to the basement. My landord lives upstairs from me, he's a cool guy and does not mind my system, but i'd definetly have to ask him if having someone run a dedicated circuit for my gear would be ok. Obviously something i can't do myself, considering i have no experience, no license, and wouldn't know where to begin. I'd love to be able to get that done though, it would make me feel a lot better that's for sure.
Thank you both for your help..:) -
It's the ballasts in the lights that cause the hum. They're probably wired along with the electrical outlets in that area. Does one breaker shut off everything in that room? I'd also check all the outlets and ensure that they are wired correctly. If you have one incorrect and they're all in series, that's another problem. A dedicated circuit should be pretty straightforward based on what you described and is a great idea.
Do you have a dimmer switch for anything in that room? A halogen floor lamp perhaps?CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint. -
It's the ballasts in the lights that cause the hum. They're probably wired along with the electrical outlets in that area. Does one breaker shut off everything in that room? I'd also check all the outlets and ensure that they are wired correctly. If you have one incorrect and they're all in series, that's another problem. A dedicated circuit should be pretty straightforward based on what you described and is a great idea.
Do you have a dimmer switch for anything in that room? A halogen floor lamp perhaps?
I just went down in my basement to check the breakers, i had my fiancee upstairs so she could tell me what went off when i flipped each one. The outlets in my living room seem to be on one breaker, because when i flipped it, all my gear in the living room went off, but not the bedroom light. Another breaker in the box seems to control all the lighting, and turned off the bedroom light along with every other light in the apt.
No, i don't have a dimmer switch or anything of that nature in my apt. Just regular on and off light switches. -
It's the ballasts in the lights that cause the hum. They're probably wired along with the electrical outlets in that area. Does one breaker shut off everything in that room? I'd also check all the outlets and ensure that they are wired correctly. If you have one incorrect and they're all in series, that's another problem. A dedicated circuit should be pretty straightforward based on what you described and is a great idea.
Do you have a dimmer switch for anything in that room? A halogen floor lamp perhaps?
the ballasts for the lights might be going bad as well or they may not be grounded properly. I had a similar situation when I was in the Marines. Once the ballasts in my room were replaced and grounded properly the pops went awayThe Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
I just went down in my basement to check the breakers, i had my fiancee upstairs so she could tell me what went off when i flipped each one. The outlets in my living room seem to be on one breaker, because when i flipped it, all my gear in the living room went off, but not the bedroom light. Another breaker in the box seems to control all the lighting, and turned off the bedroom light along with every other light in the apt.
No, i don't have a dimmer switch or anything of that nature in my apt. Just regular on and off light switches.
Glad to see you might have figured out your trouble's. Like you my landlord live's upstair's and also is very cool. Thought about asking him if i could run a dedicated 20amp outlet for my setup, but so far no problem's. Hope you can get this resolved.
Pat.Receiver: Pioneer Elite SC-05
Amp: Emotiva Xpa-3
Front L/R: POLK Rti-a9s':D
Center:POLK Csi-a6
Rear surround's:POLK Rti-a1s'
Sub: Klipsch Synergy sub-12
Sony Kdl-46w4100 46" LCD
PS3
Audioquest type 4 wiring. -
I changed out ALL of the old fluorescent units in my basement. While they are not on the same circuit as my equipment, they did pose a potential fire hazard. Replace the old units as well as the other advice offered here. New units are more energy efficient and do not cost that much.Michael
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60° -
Ok guys got my a little worried here, since I ran my HT wires in the attic and down a wall for my rear surrounds. This wire is ran for about 4' next to a switch for a ceiling fan in the same room, I read somewhere up to 4' is okis. Yes I get a pop when the fan is shut off not a speed controller just a switch. I never had an issue before the wire run. I didn't have a choice in the area where I could drop the wires in the wall from the attic it's a half wall and the switch in the pole area of the half wall. I tried for hours to drop it in an exterior wall area of this half wall before the pole thing, but you can figure I stopped at one point.
Speakers
Carver Amazing Fronts
CS400i Center
RT800i's Rears
Sub Paradigm Servo 15
Electronics
Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
Parasound Halo A23
Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
Pioneer 79Avi DVD
Sony CX400 CD changer
Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR -
By the way, the hiss is actually not coming from my drivers. Silly me never took the grills off to confirm, i just assumed it was the driver. But today, i took the grills off, and the driver is silent, it's actually the tweeters hissing in my speakers, if that makes any difference.
I posted this in my other thread as well.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78354 -
No difference. I repeat.Replace the light with an incandescent and all of your woes may be gone. If they aren't, tighten all grounding wires on the circuit. All of them.
Problem solved.
That "pop" you hear will damage your gear if the volume is highly excessive. If it's at a reasonable level, you have nothing to be concerned about except the annoying pop.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
If that doesn't do it, then keep the issue consolidated to one thread and heed the advice given. At least that's my advice. You are more than welcome to do as you wish......~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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No difference. I repeat.If that doesn't do it, then keep the issue consolidated to one thread and heed the advice given. At least that's my advice. You are more than welcome to do as you wish......
I am planning on doing what you have suggested, as that would be the easiest thing to try first. I just wanted to let it be known that it wasn't the drivers, but actually the tweeters which are hissing. I wasn't sure if it made a difference or not, but thank you for letting me know, and i do appreciate the help.
And yeah, i'll keep this consolidated to one thread, i shouldn't even of bothered making a new thread for this since it all revolves around the same issue. Is it possible for a Club Polk moderator to combine these two threads? I know in some other forums they occasionally do this. If not, no big deal, i'll just pick one of these two threads and let the other fall down the list.
Again, thanks for the help. -
No problem. Just let the other thread die. It'll happen naturally.
You are correct. You will not hear hissing in the woofers or any other driver other than the tweeter. This is normal and you have nothing else to worry about.
If you don't want to buy an incandescent, just take out the entire assembly of the fluorescent light fixture and see if the issue improves. Just keep in mind, unless you have a lower efficiency speaker and many HQ pieces of gear hooked up correctly and in phase [in every aspect], there will always be an audible hiss. This is perfectly normal.........
To a point. When the issue still goes beyond that point and you have tried what has been suggested? Get back to us as we have other things to consider. First, we must eliminate the basics. From there, we move on.
Good luck.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
In that case, just start tearing down drywall to look for the FM transmitter that keeps going off in your dental work.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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No problem. Just let the other thread die. It'll happen naturally.
You are correct. You will not hear hissing in the woofers or any other driver other than the tweeter. This is normal and you have nothing else to worry about.
If you don't want to buy an incandescent, just take out the entire assembly of the fluorescent light fixture and see if the issue improves. Just keep in mind, unless you have a lower efficiency speaker and many HQ pieces of gear hooked up correctly and in phase [in every aspect], there will always be an audible hiss. This is perfectly normal.........
To a point. When the issue still goes beyond that point and you have tried what has been suggested? Get back to us as we have other things to consider. First, we must eliminate the basics. From there, we move on.
Good luck.
Alright, and thanks again.In that case, just start tearing down drywall to look for the FM transmitter that keeps going off in your dental work.
I'll get right on that....lol
