..........

Probably the ballast going out.

__________________
"Baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand." Leo Durocher
Bruce Breedlove
www.avaloninspection.com

Yes and no, or, if you prefer, "it depends".

The humming noise is the laminations in the ballast rattling (vibrating) back and forth, the really noisy one you can here the rattling.

This is due to what are know as eddy currents, but which is a long drawn out explanation - the short of it is that the magnetic fields are not only expanding and collapsing in their intended direction, but there are magnetic currents flowing sideways through the laminations in the transformer/ballast core. When these come loose or are not made tightly enough, you get that hum.

Cheaper ballasts, as a rule of thumb, are more noisy. More expensive ballasts are typically quieter. This is because, like every thing else, it cost more to make a better product.

If they are very loud, have someone remove the lens cover, remove the ballast cover, and you will likely find that there is 'tar' dripping out of the ballast, and that the ballast is sometimes very hot - both cause the other, and are indications that the ballast *as seen better days*.

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )

Fascinating....so is this a defect to report in the report?

Also keep in mind that older ballasts may contain PCBs which must be disposed of properly. Read This

To be accurate:

It's fluorescent lights

__________________
Chad Fabry, Rochester, NY
StructureSmart Home Inspections, Inc.
www.structuresmart.com

I heard one humming once. It had a wasp inside the lens cover.

Drift Warning !!!


Rick,

What 'tune' was it humming?



... I just couldn't resist

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Cheers - Nolan E. Kienitz, HCRI, PMP
Dallas Home Inspector
www.NolansInspections.com

Nolan,

Since you asked,

I think it was.. BEE My Little Baby by The Ronettes



Rick

Chad,

You noticed, I am sure, that I made the correction in my post?

Jeff,

If it's rattling pretty loudly, I'd just write it up and needing to be replaced, if it's not too bad, I'd tell my client about it and advise him that if the noise is bothersome, there are one or more fluorescent lights which may need to be replaced, or maybe just need new ballasts (with those lay-in type lights, you replace the ballast, not the light, not unless something else is dreadfully wrong with the light itself, with cheap work shop type lights, you can by the lights cheaper than you can buy a replacement ballast).

Is it a defect? Depends. If it really noisy, at the very least *tell* them about it and have them listen to it, only they will know if it's too loud for them. Then note in your report that you had the client listen to several fluorescent lights because of their noise and the client said they were okay. That covers your butt in case they move in and the teachers in the day care center start complaining about it.

In reality, I never had clients worry about things like that during a commercial inspection, but it's all up to how you managed, or did not manage, their expectations of what you would be doing. Some clients might, if that's what they believe they hired you for. Next thing you know, one of the fluorescent lamps will not come on and they will call you expecting you to replace it 'because you did not tell me it was not working'.

__________________
Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )