TIL you can't run coax next to a fluorescent light ballast

Was swapping out a bad drop for an old lady in a condo complex near Tampa last Tuesday. She had a whole shelf of those long tube lights right above her TV. Her picture was cutting out every 15 minutes, and I almost blamed the tap until I looked up and saw the ballast buzzing 2 inches from the line. Moved the cable over a foot and ran a new piece, and now it's solid. Has anyone else run into weird interference from something that's not even supposed to be a problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosel835d ago

Ballasts can cause interference but it's usually not that big of a deal unless the cable is basically touching it. Most modern coax is shielded well enough to handle a few inches of distance. Moving it a foot away fixed the issue, but that's extreme for something that should have minimal effect unless the line was already damaged or cheap.

emma_burns965d ago

Ran a new line a couple feet away and the flicker disappeared completely for me too.

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