(1) Halide cutting off for 10 minutes randomly, but comes back on.

[Reefahholic]

Any ideas? I have them plugged into a digital timer and running for 4 hrs. 11am to 3pm. That was working fine for a long time. Now the RT Halide decides it wants to cut off randomly, but comes back on after like 10 minutes or so.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

ballast or bulb going bad.

do you have another new one of either so you can swap them to see if it stops?

I work on metal halide fixtures for commercial applications that are basically the same and that's a symptom for both, hopefully it's the bulb, make sure the bulb is seated all the way.

 

[F i s h y]

Sounds like it could be overheating and shutting down to avoid damage. once it cools it is coming back on. has this been cleaned recently? I had some Kessils (led) that did this until they were cleaned.

 

[Reefing102]

Have you switched bulbs out? That’s where I’d start to see if it’s just a bad bulb.

If not, it’s likely a bad ballast.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

it could be the capacitor in the ballast too, but im sure it's not serviceable whatever it is and not without voiding warranty.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago. It was the ballast causing the problem.

 

[xabo]

Try switching the Right ballast with the Left. That should help narrow it down.

 

[Reefahholic]

ballast or bulb going bad.

do you have another new one of either so you can swap them to see if it stops?

I work on metal halide fixtures for commercial applications that are basically the same and that's a symptom for both, hopefully it's the bulb, make sure the bulb is seated all the way.

I have an extra bulb. I’ll swap it out and see if that fixes it.

 

[Reefahholic]

Have you switched bulbs out? That’s where I’d start to see if it’s just a bad bulb.

If not, it’s likely a bad ballast.

Not yet, but will tonight.

 

[Reefahholic]

Try switching the Right ballast with the Left. That should help narrow it down.

I’ll try that first. Will be easy to swap the ballast wires.

 

[Reefahholic]

I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago. It was the ballast causing the problem.

How much do you suspect Tullio’s eballast will cost if it’s defective? Full price or you think they will help cover it?

 

[KrisReef]

How old are the bulbs?
I had forgotten to switch out an old bulb and eventually it stopped working at all. When I went to investigate the bulb had cracked open.

 

[Reefahholic]

Sounds like it could be overheating and shutting down to avoid damage. once it cools it is coming back on. has this been cleaned recently? I had some Kessils (led) that did this until they were cleaned.

That was my first thought. No I need to clean them.

 

[Reefahholic]

How old are the bulbs?
I had forgotten to switch out an old bulb and eventually it stopped working at all. When I went to investigate the bulb had cracked open.

Like 6 months. I have it labeled, I’ll have to look.

 

[KrisReef]

Like 6 months. I have it labeled, I’ll have to look.

I think I was going on 1.5 years but the behavior (off and on) was there before it stopped.

 

[xabo]

I’ll try that too. How hard is it to swap the ballast out.

Simplest way would be to plug the right hand ballast into the center or left hand fixture. This way will determine if it's a bad ballast or bulb or both.

 

[Reefahholic]

Simplest way would be to plug the right hand ballast into the center or left hand fixture. This way will determine if it's a bad ballast or bulb or both.

True that. Done! We’ll see tomorrow if the LT side goes off now and the RT side stays on.

 

[Reefahholic]

Well….wouldn't you know it. The LT side is off right now after switching the Ballast wires.

Definitely not the bulb! Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[Reefahholic]

That’s $240. It’s under warranty for 2 yrs with ReefBrite, but by the time I pull it, send it in for repair or replacement, wait for it to come back…the corals are without light for 4 weeks or longer. So I had to buy another one for backup.