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I have a set of recessed CFL (4-pin) lights and a few of the ballasts are failing (CFLs fail to start randomly, even after replacing them with new sets).

They are NHPSIC-626ELAT, CFL (4-pin) fixtures.

enter image description here

Is there a way to get to the ballast without going through the attic (there is no access in my house)? I am thinking about replacing the CFLs with LED retrofits, but either way I have to either replace the ballast or bypass it.

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Now I'm curious. How does your house have no attic access? A side note - if you're using CFLs then they have their own ballasts. You seem to be using fluorescent bulbs in a ballasted fixture. You may wish to update your question to reflect this. – Paul Dec 21 '12 at 2:30
I have access to my attic underneath my main roof. However these lights are located in the kitchen, which is not underneath the main roof, but rather an extension of the house. It has it's own roof, but I don't see a way to get in there. (hope this makes any sense) – Curious George Dec 21 '12 at 15:03
I agree with @Paul, I would just call this a regular fluorescent fixture not a CFL since the ballast is not built into the bulb, but the manufacturer is clearly using the term CFL. Weird. – Henry Jackson Dec 21 '12 at 19:10

1 Answer

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It appears that you have a "new construction" fixture. These are designed to be installed and accessed when the drywall is down. So to work on this fixture from below, you'll have to cut an opening in the drywall. I would suggest making the opening smaller than 2'x2' so you can use the drywall patches sold by most home improvement stores. Make sure two sides of your cut are in the middle of the joist so you have something to reattach the drywall to when you're finished. And be careful not to cut too deep when opening the drywall, since there could be electric and other utility lines very close to the back side of the drywall.

new work fixture photo

Rather than just replacing the ballast, you might want to consider replacing the entire fixture with a retrofit or "old work" fixture that's designed to be installed and accessed after the drywall has been put up. The fixture is attached to the drywall directly, instead of to the joists. And the electrical is designed to be pulled through the opening when the fixture is dropped from the ceiling.

retrofit fixture photo

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Thanks Mitch, is there a way to replace the housing without cutting into the drywall? I have 6 of these in my kitchen, so i'll end up having patched holes everywhere if I cut one per can. – Curious George Dec 21 '12 at 15:07
Maybe by just pushing the housing backwards into the hole, disconnecting the electrical, then installing the new cans (I don't mind the old cans sitting in the attic somehow) – Curious George Dec 21 '12 at 15:08
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@CuriousGeorge, they will be nailed or screwed into the joist, and I'm not sure there's any other part of it that will easily give way to push it into the ceiling. If you have a lot of them, then dropping an entire section of the ceiling will probably be easier and faster. Find the existing joints in the drywall and stop the demo on those joints if possible. – BMitch♦ Dec 21 '12 at 18:34

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