How do you wire a T8 ballast?

Begin wiring a T8 ballast by turning off the power to the light fixture. Cut the wires to the old ballast and trim the wires of the new ballast of their excess length. Strip the ends of the new ballast and connect them with the lamp holder wires.

Always take the necessary precautions before replacing a T8 ballast.

1. Turn off the power

Turning off the light is not enough to stay safe. Cut the power completely to the old ballast at the circuit breaker.

2. Remove the ballast

Remove the old ballast after cutting its wires.

3. Trim the new wires

Trim the excess length from the new wires.

4. Strip the wires

Strip the wires attached to the new ballast and to the lamp holder. Strip each wire from three-eighths of an inch to a half inch.

5. Connect the wires

Using wire connectors or wire nuts, connect the new wires to the wires of the lamp holder. Use yellow, orange or tan wire connectors for the line voltage wires and blue for lamp holder connections.

When replacing a ballast with the same type, the wire colors will usually match, making the wiring process easy. However, when using another brand, the wires may be different colors. In this case, be sure to look at the numbers on each wire and pair each accordingly.