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I have a fluorescent light in my bathroom. It used to work fine, but then had issues with it not turning on. I replaced the tube, but it hasn't fixed the issue.

I can get the light to come on if I twist the tube a little bit. After twisting it takes a second but the light then flickers and works. I've taken off the cover and now just twist the light each time, but this isn't a sustainable solution.

Any suggestions on what is wrong and how to fix it?

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    Is this fixture old? Does it have a starter?
    – Tyson
    Mar 14 '18 at 0:36
  • It's about 10 years old. No starter.
    – Matthew van Boheemen
    Mar 14 '18 at 0:49
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    probably corroded contacts ... twisting action refreshes the contact
    – jsotola
    Mar 14 '18 at 0:58
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    insufficient ballast voltage causes slow ionization time, interrupting the current raises the voltage momentarily. Time for new ballast perhaps to match new tubes such as tri-phosphor
    – Tony Stewart Sunnyskyguy EE75
    Mar 14 '18 at 1:14
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The tombstones are defective and this is why you need to twist the bulb.

The tombstones are the bulb connector mounting - I am guessing you have a Bi-Pin although single pins can have the issue they are less susceptible .

You can replace the tombstones, however the price you will pay for the replacement parts and the time to replace them might not make it feasible.

I have had this situation and just replaced the unit with a $24 LED unit.

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  • That sounds like the issue. I'm just going to replace the unit with an LED.
    – Matthew van Boheemen
    Mar 14 '18 at 23:16
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Check your wire connections and make sure that you don't have any loose wires. If that doesn't work then I would replace the ballast and I would even replace the lamp ends or at least inspect them.

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