Bar sign won't stay lit...

[Big EZ Signs LLC]

Hey all, a family member has an old Bass Ale bar sign, that wouldn't work. I figured out the pull-chain switch was corroded, so I replaced the whole neon power supply. Now, however, when you pull the chain, the sign lights up briefly (up to 30 seconds) then dies. Any advice on what could be wrong? I don't really mess with neon, so I'm a bit lost here.

Thanks in advance...

 

[Johnny Best]

Probably needs a new transformer since it is an old sign with neon.

 

[UberDapr]

Have you replaced the GTO as well or checked the glass thoroughly for hairline cracks?

 

[Big EZ Signs LLC]

Probably needs a new transformer since it is an old sign with neon.

That's the first thing I did, was replace the transformer. Just won't stay lit, despite the new one!

 

[Big EZ Signs LLC]

Have you replaced the GTO as well or checked the glass thoroughly for hairline cracks?

Not sure what a "GTO" is, but I'll look over the glass thoroughly and let you know.

 

[UberDapr]

Not sure what a "GTO" is, but I'll look over the glass thoroughly and let you know.

GTO is the type of cable neon uses. I would rerun brand new GTO-15 cable and see if that does the trick. If the new transformer and cable don't work I'm almost certain it will be a glass issue. In that case you will need to have it remade.

 

[JBurton]

Did you replace the transformer with an equal one? Is it cheap? My money is it's maxed out and not delivering enough juice, so it's getting shut off rather than burn up.

 

[Big EZ Signs LLC]

Did you replace the transformer with an equal one? Is it cheap? My money is it's maxed out and not delivering enough juice, so it's getting shut off rather than burn up.

Literally exact replacement. Found the company who made it and ordered a new one.

 

[JBurton]

Then carefully remove the rubber covers on the ends of the glass, see if you still have two wires going into the the glass, gently untwist the wire, and see if you can strip any fresh wire to make a better connection. Does anywhere get hot? Also, when you're putting everything back together, use real neon boots if your old ones fall apart. Electrical tape will not stop 15kv.

 

[Broome Signs]

HI

As Neon gets older it will need moor power as the gas and electrodes decay over time, so you may need a larger power supply

take out the switch and connect the power supply directly to a clean power line
fridges and such like mess up the modern power supplys

if it has an earth protection module try taking that out too

filing that you may need to have new gas pumped into it

 

[The Sign Goddess]

Sounds like one of the units is going bad. Without a way to test them, the easiest thing to do would be to jump each one out to see if it stays lit. If it does stay lit, the unit that isn't hooked up needs to be replaced.

 

[TboneMiller]

It is possible that the new transformer is faulty - I have had this happen before. Also check all wiring connections, possibly a loose wire will sometimes cause shut offs... Also if one of the units has a bad electrode or one going bad, that will also cause the issue. When the neon is on, look for a slightly off color in one of the units, that can be a good sign.