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Joined: Aug 2006
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Within about 5 minutes of one or more HVAC fans being activated on a floor all 9 compact fluorescent light fixtures on that floor dim. Opening of doors that separate mechanincal room with HVAC equip from hallway where dimming fixtures is located dramatically hastens onset of the dimming and causes dimming to be considerably more extreme, but dimming still occurs with doors shut. Voltage at fixtures remains constant.
Lamp Mfg: GE Compact Fluorescent Biax T/E F26TBX/SPX35/835/A/4P 4 pins Base: GX24q-3 26 watts
Ballast mfg: Universal Lighting Technologies Triad C2642UNVBES
Emergency Ballast Mfg: Iota Engineering I-42-EM-J
Fixture Mfg: Edison Price Lighting Model: Triples -H 126/6-EM at 4 corners of hallway area Model: Triples -V26/6-EM at 5 other locations
Comments: Light fixtures are on 14 floors of a residential high rise building with 2 or 4 apt units on each floor Light fixtures are recessed in dropped ceiling, which is not a plenum for air conditioning. Fixtures are wired with emergency ballasts, one for each fixture. Lights and HVAC equipment are located interior to building with ambient temp about 70 def F.
Observations: Dimming takes place only when one or more fan motors of HVAC( 3 ph, 208v) air handler on the same floor is operating (without heating or cooling being activated) Dimming occurs over a period of about 6-10 minutes, slow enough not to be perceived as you are looking at the lamp Only fixtures on the same floor as the air handler become dim All 9 fixtures on the floor become dim, equivalently dim, even though 4 are on one circuit & 5 on another circuit, in the same panel located in the basement or on the uppermost floor. Two large doors (interior one metal, exterior one wood) separate HVAC equipment on the floor from the hallway where the lights are located Opening of these doors dramatically hastens onset of the dimming and causes dimming to be considerably more extreme, but dimming still occurs with doors shut Subsequent closing of the doors causes the lights to become brighter. Blocking fan intake with plastic sheet, in effort to duplicate increased load on motor caused by doors being shut, has little effect on phenomena. Single fixture disconnected from bldg power and separately powered by battery/inverter source does not dim when other fixtures on same floor dim HVAC units are powered via circuits on apartment panels located on each floor. Hallway lighting is powered from PL&P panels located in bldg basement or bldg penthouse. Although most fan motors have Variable Freq Drives, same phenomena is observed with units without VFD Incandescent lamp inserted on same circuit as fluorescent fixtures does not dim when fluorescents dim No voltage drop is observed on lighting circuits when lights dim No noticeable change is observed on neutrals of lighting circuits when lamps dim Phenomena continues to occur: when emergency ballast is removed from a single fixture when existing ballast is replaced with new from a different manufacturer when a single fixture is disconnected from usual power and powered from one phase of HVAC power on that floor when a neutral of a single fixture is replaced with neutral of HVAC power on that floor, or if neutral of fixture is grounded on nearby water pipe.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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Are the ballasts that you are using a dimmible ballast?
"Live Awesome!" - Kevin Carosa
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Joined: Mar 2004
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When all else fails, consider harmonics.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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That would been my next guess
Last edited by sparkyinak; 04/13/08 06:56 PM.
"Live Awesome!" - Kevin Carosa
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Ballst used is not a dimable ballast. Harmonics is also what I thought. However, why would 1) the harmonics only be affecting fixtures on the same floor as the active HVAC fan? 2) the harmonics be affected by opening the door between the HVAC mechanical room and the hallway with the dimming light fixtures?
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As the air is restricted or unrestricted, it loads and unloads the motor in the HVAC altering the THD which can effect the ballasts. Is the power supplies for HVAC and lights in the same panel? If the lights do not have a dimmible ballasts, how (or by what) are they controlled?
"Live Awesome!" - Kevin Carosa
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Joined: Mar 2004
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You're probably right about harmonics.
The time delay between turning on the fan and the lights dimming sounds like a temperature problem, but you've eliminated everything related.
All I can offer is wild guesses.
Is there any vibration?
Are the neutrals in the apartment panels isolated from the grounds. I've seen unexpected currents on wires when a system is grounded twice.
Good luck!
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