I have a pretty big problem that I cannot seem to solve. Someone with an electrical background may be able to help me out.

I noticed that there is a scrolling horizontal line through the picture of my tv with all my component cable connected sources, mainly this is video game systems. Its almost like a ghost horizontal line, that slowly floats to the top, and once it reaches the top starts again at the bottom.

I fished around to find the source, tried changing out cables, etc, with no luck. SOMETIMES the line is there, and SOMETIMES its not.

Today i found out the cause. My energy saver mini flourecent bulbs in my ceiling fixture in the same room began to flicker or strobe, and immediately i noticed the line in the tv screen. As soon as I turned off the lights, BOOM the line is gone.

HDMI is not effected by any of this.

What do you guys suppose this means? Overloaded circuit? Some type of interference? Can these bulbs mess with video signal? Ground issue? Any help would be great. This issue seems to only have popped up in the last 2 months.


Thanks!

Ground issue?

I'd look for a ground issue. The bare and white wires should be connected in the main power panel, but nowhere else, including any sub-panels.

...

Today i found out the cause. My energy saver mini flourecent bulbs in my ceiling fixture in the same room began to flicker or strobe, and immediately i noticed the line in the tv screen. As soon as I turned off the lights, BOOM the line is gone.

...

Can these bulbs mess with video signal? Ground issue?
...


Thanks!

Your description of the interference pattern sounds more like a ground loop, but flourecent lights can generate a bunch of intereference problems, especially with AM radio reception.

I'm still curious to know what happens if you replace all the flourecents with regular old incandecents, but I suspect the problem lies elsewhere.

Mac, I am going to give that a try first.

The unit they are installed into is run by a dimmer switch. I always leave the dimmer MAXED, because I know they are not supposed to work with dimmer switches, but perhaps I am being ignorant and this could be causing the problem?

If I have too, I can switch back to the regular bulbs, or remove the dimmer for a traditional switch.

Standard CFL bulbs should not be used on Dimmer Circuits.
Also older Dimmer circuits have been known to generate interferece on their power line therfore causing interference to any TV's in a home.
First change the CFL bulb to an incandescent bulb.
If that does not solve the problem replace the Dimmer switch especially if the problem happens when the light connected to the dimmer is turned on with the switch.

Dimmers can cause interference, maxxed or not.
CFL's can cause interference.
CFL's typically should not be used with dimmers, unless the CFL's state on packaging that they can be used with a dimmer.

All of the suggestions above will help diagnose your problem(s).

I switched over to incandescent bulbs, and left the dimmer, the problem seems to be gone but time will tell.


Thanks!

Some dimmers never allow 100% full brightness of a lamp, even at maximum setting. So never use non-dimmable CFLs in a dimmer circuit, even with the dimmer on max.