Radio interference with T8 lights

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stereomann

Member (SA)
Hi
i have a light down my basement & when its on I get interference on the FM Band
when it's off the radio comes in fine

is there anything that can be done about this? like a filter be put on it or something
 

Beosystem10

Member (SA)
Fit a conventional filament lamp, that'll not cause any RFI. I only have one CFL in the whole of my house for this very reason. And these "low energy" lamps aren't all that great a saving as they tend to be shorter lived in ceilings where there's a floor above.
 

oldskool69

Moderator
Staff member
Beosystem10 said:
Fit a conventional filament lamp, that'll not cause any RFI. I only have one CFL in the whole of my house for this very reason. And these "low energy" lamps aren't all that great a saving as they tend to be shorter lived in ceilings where there's a floor above.
If it's an older fluorescent fixture or older lamp you will have these issues. The newer lamps have better shielding and for tube fixtures better ballasts. I do not have any problems like you mentioned nor has it ever been an issue regardless of where I was in the house or if I were in an older house. The real culprit may be along the circuit itself.

If you know your house wiring, look to see how the outlets are ran. I know (since you are in the US) the NEC (National Electrical Code) dictates how many and what outlets/switches can be connected to a circuit. And though it is not (shouldn't be anyway) common practice anymore, unless planned for a lamp (or other fixture typically switched) outlets are ran on their own circuits, non switched. This is why you typically only see switched outlets in living/family rooms nowadays. If your preferred boombox outlet is tied to the fixture circuit, you likely have found your problem. :-)
 
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