Icecap 660 question

[dnjan]

My VHO's haven't come on for the past two days, and I am hoping it is just the fuse. My question - how do I get to the fuse. I found a black plastic piece about the diameter of a dime on one end of the ballast. Inside it is a white plastic piece with a screwdriver slot.

I assumed that a quarter-turn of the white plastic piece with a screwdriver, and the fuse would pop out. It didn't. The way the ballast is mounted, the white plastic piece faces up. Is it not spring loaded, and I just need to find a way to grip the white plastic piece and pull it out?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[miwoodar]

Maybe try a magnet? If the fuse has a metal cap on the end it might pull right up with the fuse cover.

I've never had a fuse blow in an Icecap. Each of the handful of times my bulbs didn't fire it was due to inadequate connection between the bulb and the end cap.

 

[Scooterman]

If you blew a fuse most probably there is a problem somewhere, I'd look for issues also.

 

[dnjan]

This ballast is old enough (probably around 2001) that I was hoping for a quick/cheap fix. But I suppose a new ballast will end up being necessary.

 

[dnjan]

Maybe try a magnet? If the fuse has a metal cap on the end it might pull right up with the fuse cover.

I've never had a fuse blow in an Icecap. Each of the handful of times my bulbs didn't fire it was due to inadequate connection between the bulb and the end cap.

When you ballast wasn't firing, was it just firing half the bulbs, or none at all?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I've never had an icecap VHO ballast go bad and have used some for many many years.
Have often had end cap problems though.If you are unfortunate enough to get a bad ballast, if I recall right, icecap will swap it out for about $75.

 

[dnjan]

I had a bad ballast originally (2000) that failed after a few months. That one was replaced free. This one has been fine for many years, and then quit working on Monday.

Would a bad endcap cause all four bulbs to not light, or just two of them?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Bad endcap typically fails to fire that one, but on some wiring patterns, the good one will blink on and immediately go out

 

[dnjan]

Yes - what I remember is that two of the four would not light if there was a problem, but the other two would (this is a four-bulb setup). So all four bulbs not lighting is a surprise.


and of course, the ballast is mounted on the wall of the back of the stand and I'm not nearly as flexible as I used to be ...

 

[reedman]

if you can get to the plug for the harness you can do a continuity test to check everything external to the ballast and verify that the problem is, in fact the ballast. Icecap's site has the instructions in a pdf at the top of the troubleshooting page (see link below)

http://www.icecapinc.com/troubleshooting.htm

As a side note, I have had a ballast go bad too....and they repaired it for a cost. Great company

 

[miwoodar]

Bad endcap typically fails to fire that one, but on some wiring patterns, the good one will blink on and immediately go out

That's been my experience with a four bulb arrangement. The first two bulbs would fire for a moment and the second two bulbs would not fire at all. Then all would go dark. I found the short in the second set of bulbs.

 

[dnjan]

Thanks for the link. I should be able to disconnect the harness for testing.

 

[Elmo18]

if you can get to the plug for the harness you can do a continuity test to check everything external to the ballast and verify that the problem is, in fact the ballast. Icecap's site has the instructions in a pdf at the top of the troubleshooting page (see link below)

http://www.icecapinc.com/troubleshooting.htm

As a side note, I have had a ballast go bad too....and they repaired it for a cost. Great company

What Reed said

Don, are you still in Wedgwood?


Best,
Ilham

 

[dnjan]

Don, are you still in Wedgwood?


Best,
Ilham

Yes - same place.

Looks like Saturday afternoon will be ballast-checking time. For now I have increased the time on my MH's to cover the full day (they were just on in the middle of the day, and the VHO's were coverng the full day).

 

[dnjan]

Well, I thought I had it when I noticed a wire loose on the connector to the ballast. But I guess I must have pulled that loose when I was removing the connector for the continuity testing.
Anyway, all of the continuity tests were fine, I fixed the loose wire in the connector, and still no light. So I guess the ballast will get sent in.
As I mentioned above - I can't complain. That ballast has been in continuous use for 8 years.

 

[dnjan]

Icecap ballast follow-up

I ordered a new ballast and finally had time to install it this past weekend. Works fine, and so I will send the old one in for repair as a "spare".

Tank looks nicer now. I run 6500 MH's and use the VHO's to provide actinic (mostly for viewing pleasure!).

Thanks again for posting that link about continuity testing from the Icecap website.

 

[reedman]

no worries Don. I know I found it extremely helpful when I was troubleshooting. Sorry to hear you had to buy a new one, but it sounds like you got your moneys worth out it.

-Reed