Problems with MH unit

yungreefer2410

yungreefer2410

Well-Known Member
So I have a pretty barebones MH system. I got it at least 5 years ago from my LFS in Monroe, LA. It contains the socket, which is attached to the reflector, and the ballast (electronic) that connects to the socket (via wires, obviously). This is my problem. It doesn't work. Came home from winter break and saw light wasn't on. Bulb looks blown, I replaced the bulb, still doesn't work. Saw one wire were broken, cut and repaired the wires. Still doesn't work. Checked the fuse, it looks fine. I don't see a break in the filament. Is my ballast broken? I need help with this. I even built it a smart little black hood for it. Right now my tank is using a crappy pc fixture (130w). I need my MH back, my monti is turning lame colors, not dying though. If you're curious the tank is a 20g long.
 
reefguy

reefguy

Member
Your ballast could be bad as well. I would check that. You could also invest in LEDs


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DaveK

Well-Known Member
You need to check the fuse with a meter. That's the only way to be sure.

You may need a new ballast. The good thing is that most MH ballasts can be replaced with off the shelf parts. You do need to match the ballast to the bulb you will use.

Electronic ballasts are highly preferred over coil and core ballasts, because then use much less power and run cooler, but an electronic ballast does have a higher initial cost.
 
yungreefer2410

yungreefer2410

Well-Known Member
I do not, but I can't imagine it being anything other then the ballast. That being said, I can't find a ballast for this. Maybe I'm not using the right search terms but I can find one for less then $100 that's the same as mine. Mine is in a regular black metal casing, it has a wire leading to a 3 pronged plug on one side an a wire that separates out into two, that i connect to the two wires coming out of my socket. All the ones I'm finding have several wires (about 5) coming out of it instead of two on the socket end. Others have a plug for the socket. I'm not afraid of modding anything to make it work I'm just not sure I'm finding the right ballast. The old one is a plain HID electronic ballast.
 
mikecc

mikecc

Member
yungreefer2410 said:
I do not, but I can't imagine it being anything other then the ballast. That being said, I can't find a ballast for this. Maybe I'm not using the right search terms but I can find one for less then $100 that's the same as mine. Mine is in a regular black metal casing, it has a wire leading to a 3 pronged plug on one side an a wire that separates out into two, that i connect to the two wires coming out of my socket. All the ones I'm finding have several wires (about 5) coming out of it instead of two on the socket end. Others have a plug for the socket. I'm not afraid of modding anything to make it work I'm just not sure I'm finding the right ballast. The old one is a plain HID electronic ballast.
Click to expand...

Such a vivid description.......
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
When it comes to a MH ballast, you first need to know what type of bulb you are going to use it with and the wattage of the bulb. Most mogul (screw in) bulbs are "standard start" in that they have a bimetalic strip and a resistor inside the bulb to aid in starting. Most double ended bulbs are "pulse start" and don't have the additional parts in the bulb.

If your using the more traditional "coil and core" ballasts they will look something like this (offsite) - http://www.ballastkit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=673_680_808&products_id=907 Note the large transformer and the large capacitor. You will need a different type of ballast depending on the type of bulb.

Electronic ballasts used internally look something like this (offsite) - http://www.hellolights.com/ARO-Elec...archPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12 The ballast usually has a lot of wires coming out of it, but they are not shown in the picture.

Electronic ballasts used externally will look something like this - http://www.hellolights.com/LuXcore-...archPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12 Note that they have a whole box built around them, a cord that connects to the bulb and a socket that uses a computer type power cord.

The good news is that you don't need to worry about an exact match for the ballast you have, replacing it replaces everything, and the ballast manufacturers pit a nice wireing diagram on the ballast, so you know how to hook it up. Follow the diagram on the new ballast. It's more important to make sure anything you get will fit into your existing fixture. If that can't be done you can get one of the external ballasts, and a wiring harness to connect it to your existing bulb's socket.

Since you will usually need to make some wire splices, and you want solid connections, I usually soldier the wires together and them place a wire nut over it and tape it on. This is not an absolute requirement.

Good luck
 
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