Jiddy Needs LIGHTING help

[Jiddy]

The pictures listed below is the DIY canopy and lights i got from "guy" used. When i went to his house to check it out they all worked fine. Well as i was loadin it up in my truck he mentions that one of the bulbs quit workin, i really didnt pay attention to it, i just figured it burnt out. They are in groups of two and operate separtly. Well when i went to plug them in, lights 1&2 didnt work and 3&4 worked fine. In fact when i went to plug in 1&2 a "bolt" went from my outlet to the power cord, so i figure maybe its just a bad bulb. I swith 1-2 with 3-4. Well 3-4 didnt work and when i turned on 1-2 (the know good bulbs) 3 powered on for a second and then went out. Now none of the bulbs work.

-Jidz

PS this never happend in my FW tank

 

[Jiddy]

 

[Mike]

Sounds like a bad ballast to me. If you end up getting a new ballast get two new bulbs for it also.

 

[corvettephreek]

i agree... ballasts are usually the culprit when it comes to that. they should be wired in series, meaning a daisy chain. when one bulb gos bad, the entire string goes bad.... replace the bulb and make one string works fine. then, go get yourself a new ballast, 2 new bulbs like mike said, and youll be problem free for a long time. good luck!!!

Will

 

[Woodstock]

Sorry to hear that Jiddy

 

[mkpaulson]

Chances are when you picked up the lighting system and it worked ok it is probably a bad bulb or a bad end cap connection, I would get one bank lights working and then try switching the ballasts not the bulbs just to make sure it's not sometimes in the wiring. generally with a electronic ballasts if bulbs fire for a second and then go back out is generally a bad connection or a bad bulb. see if this link helps

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1108

 

[Jiddy]

Thanks that does help MK, im hopin its just a bulb, ill mess more with it tonite

 

[DaveK]

The pictures listed below is the DIY canopy and lights i got from "guy" used. ... . Now none of the bulbs work. ... PS this never happend in my FW tank

After looking at the pictures you posted, and seeing the fixture, my advice to you is to scrap the entire thing and start over. You may be able to salvage some parts if you care to construce a new fixture.

I hate to recommend this, as it's drastic, but from what I can tell, the ballasts and fans were mounted on the underside of the fixture and exposed to the salt splash you can't help but get from a SW tank.

This will destroy the ballasts and fans in time, if it has not already done so. Fans and ballasts should be mounted so that they are either protected from the splash or mounted remote to the fixture. A trick some people use is to mount ballasts on the top of the fixture, and optionally, put some wood trim around them to hide them.

It also looks like the inside of the fixture was never painted or othewise finished. It is tough to tell from the light, but it looks like the wood is water stained, and has salt all over it.

At this point, I'd say you are looking at 4 old bulbs that need to be replaced, and one, possibly two, ballasts that need replacement. Replaceing the parts is not going to resolve the design problem of allowing salt water to come in contact with the ballasts and fans.

I'd either rebuild the fixture, with a better design, or buy a whole new fixture. If you are going to rebuild, you do have one advantage. You can use the salvaged parts, and replace them as necessary. However, if you have to replace a lot of them, it will cost more than just getting a new fixture.