Parts by Request
Tanning Bed Ballasts
A ballast is the part that controls the current to a lamp. Without it the lamp would draw more and more power until it destroyed itself. Every lamp in a tanning bed is fed by a ballast, either one per lamp or one per pair, and a bed with 24 lamps may have 12 to 24 of them tucked in the base and canopy. Sun Systems & Service sources tanning bed ballasts by request, matched to your bed, your lamp class and your voltage. Installed in Michigan, shipped nationwide after a video session.
What fails and how you can tell
- One lamp or one pair dark while the rest run. On beds wired in pairs, two adjacent lamps out together points hard at a shared ballast.
- Loud hum or buzz from inside the base or canopy. Magnetic ballasts hum a little. A ballast that got loud is on its way out.
- Burning smell, tar or a dark stain near the ballast. Older magnetic ballasts are potted in a compound that leaks when they overheat. That one is done, and the bed should stay off until it is replaced.
- Lamps that strike, then flicker or go dim after warm-up. The ballast is not holding current.
- Breaker trips after the bed has been running a while. A shorted ballast can do this. So can several other things, which we cover on the electrical page.
Magnetic or electronic
Magnetic ballasts are a coil on an iron core. They are heavy, they run warm, they hum, and they need a starter to strike the lamp. Most beds built before the mid 2000s and plenty built after use them. They are durable and replacement is straightforward when you match the rating.
Electronic ballasts are circuit boards. They are lighter, cooler, quiet, strike the lamp without a separate starter and are easier on the lamps. Some beds can be converted from magnetic to electronic, and some salons do it to cut heat and electric bills. Whether that makes sense for your bed depends on the wiring, the lamp holders and the lamp class. We will tell you straight after looking at the plate.
How to identify the part
Open the base or canopy with the bed unplugged. The ballast will have a label with the manufacturer, a part number, the lamp type it drives (for example a 100 watt or 160 watt class), how many lamps, and the input voltage. Photograph that label, the model plate and the lamp code. Those three photos let us confirm a direct replacement or a safe equivalent. If the label is burned or missing, the model plate and lamp code usually get us there, and the brand pages describe where to look on the common beds.
Installing a ballast
Ballast replacement means opening the bed, disconnecting wiring and working near 120 or 220 volt circuits. In Michigan we do it on site and test the whole bank afterward. For national customers we ship the matched ballast and, on a video session, walk you through the swap with the bed unplugged and locked out. If the job belongs to an electrician, we say so.
More parts by request
- Tanning bed lamps and bulbs
- Ballasts
- Starters
- Acrylics
- Gas springs and canopy shocks
- Timers and controllers
- Fans and cooling
- Electrical parts
Parts by brand
Wolff, ESB, Sunquest, SunFire, ProSun, Sunmaster, Ergoline and KBL, plus every other make we have seen in 35 years.
Request this part
Send the make, model and what the bed is doing. Stan confirms the part and quotes it, usually the same day.
Not sure which part it is
Call and describe the symptom. Stan has heard it before and will tell you what to look at first.
Call (248) 545-5577Frequently asked questions
How do I know if it is the ballast or the lamp?
Swap a known good lamp into the dark position. If it lights, the old lamp was bad. If it stays dark, swap the starter next on a magnetic bed. If it still stays dark, the ballast or its wiring is the problem. Two adjacent lamps out together on a paired bed almost always means the shared ballast.
Can I replace a magnetic ballast with an electronic one?
Sometimes. It depends on the bed's wiring, lamp holders and lamp class, and on whether the electronic ballast is rated for the lamps you run. Some beds convert cleanly and run cooler and quieter afterward. Others should stay magnetic. Send us the plate and we will tell you which yours is.
Is a burning smell from my tanning bed dangerous?
Treat it that way. Unplug the bed and stop using it until it is checked. A burning or tar smell usually means an overheated magnetic ballast leaking its potting compound, and the fix is replacement, not a reset.