Need Help My Tek Light isnt firing right. Can anyone Diagnose? Or Contact for tek Rep

[baseballkid5]

Ive had the Tek light for 5 years. The lights are controlled by 2 switches 1 for the outside 2 lights. The other switch for the inner 4.They are all on 1 plug in which is also a pain because they have to be turned on manually to keep a schedule going on the tank. The Outside lights wont fire up at all. The inside lights will fire 2 the other 2 will come on if i bend the light a little but if it doesnt stay that way the 2 go off leaving me with 2 lights on and 4 off. Whats the best way to diagnose the problem? The light is semi taken apart bt i have no idea what im looking for or what. Anyone in the renton area with any expertise i can bring over or Pay for you to help me out. No lights over the tank will be a Big Problem obviously. All Bulbs are new within a couple months and the 2 that are constantly coming on have been switched around to the areas that arent working. Heres a link to the actual light that i have. The only difference is this one has 2 plugs to control the lights ine has one.
http://www.specialty-lights.com/960040.html

Any Help would be very helpful.
Thanks
Scott

 

[akunochi]

It sounds like a short in the power wire for the lights. I would remove the power line at the ballast and replace. You can use any extension cord by cutting off one of the ends. You should have three wires at the far end of the power cord going to the ballast (they might be wrapped) + - and grnd. That would be my guess.

 

[Skimmy]

also, it might behoove you to take the reflector out and make sure there is no salt creep buildup on the connections, wires, ballast, endcaps, and just check the connections to make sure they are all fastened properly.

 

[Myteemouse]

I would second that from skimmy!
Totally clean fixture and check for corrosion on all connections..
Possible replace connections of they are corroded..
Doesn't sound like the ballast's are out..
Defiantly a wiring problem
It's not the actual power cord going into the wall or no lights would come on..
I would get a good little hobby knife and a stiff wire brush and clean all the end cap type holders in the fixture also. scrape and brush till shinny again..


if you have a little om meter you could put it on the end of each internal wire and check for an open curcuet that needs to be fixed..
This can be done with the metal on the end caps to with the power on to see if your even getting power to the bulbs that don't fire. this can help narrow down what you need to look at (troubleshooting)

 

[returnofsid]

It sounds like you might just have a faulty bulb. With flourescent lighting, a single bad bulb can keep the circuit from completing, keeping good bulbs from firing. If you have an old set of bulbs, try replacing all the bulbs, and see if that helps.

 

[ahuntnfool]

As I am an electrician it sounds to me that the problem is going to be whith the end caps . It could be either the termanals are a little corroded or where the wires connect to it are loose. The other thing is making sure the bulbs are twisted in correctly. If you look on the little metal ring on the end of the bulb there is a small indentation or a small nipple, after installing the buld that nipple needs to be pointed straight up and down. If it is not it is not the prongs are not making a good connection. Good luck

 

[lvsuckerfish]

Take a known working bulb and see which one is the faulty bulb and work it around that way. I would guess a bad bulb or bulbs. if the lights fire up from being moved around then it is process of elimination

 

[baseballkid5]

Ive tried a few things. Ive switched the 2 bulbs that are coming on into the other 4 areas that arent working 2 at a time and there still not firing up. So i am taking the Thing apart and gonna take the Ballasts out the 2 that are hooked up to the bulbs that are not firing. And im gonna take them down to frys to have them check the Ballasts. Ill bring the End caps that they twist into to see if they carry them or can point me in the right direction. Im gonna clean them with a steel brush like adam said. Why im at it im gonna add another cord for the other switch so i can have them both on timers and not have to manually do it. Unless the cost of the fixes is more expensive then buying a new set up of T5s. Thanks for the replies i hope to get this figure out ASAP or im SOL. Cause ordering a fixture will take some time to get delivered and my corals are staring in the dark.

 

[returnofsid]

You can buy the ballast for the Tek5 fixtures, for about $35.00 each, through ReefGeeks. You will need to know the specific ballast though, as Sunlight Supply used a few different ones in those fixtures.

 

[baseballkid5]

Thanks Sid for the site I went ahead and ordered new endcaps for the whole fixture a new power cord and 1 new ballast. As the other ballasts and bulbs are working with some manipulation which makes me think its the endcaps/connection. The new power cord will be a big help soi can wire it up to the other switch so they can both be on timers. I hope the other 2 ballasts dont go bad to quick as its kind of a hassle to take the fixture apart. And at $40 bucks a ballast and the time to dissasemble and reassemble a new fixture seems worth it. If for some reason after all of this the new caps and ballast dont work im gonna freak. I need some light over my tank!!!!!!! This seems Reasonable right? Thanks for all the responses. Anyone have any suggestions for some light till the parts get here for the fixture. One other question im pretty sure all the reflectors broke the little pins off when i took them off. Is there a good way to clean those reflectors that gets them shiny again? When i out them back on the light im gonna have to find a way to make them stay in place.
Thanks
Scott

 

[returnofsid]

Cleaning the reflectors can be a PITA. To really get them clean, you need to disassemble them from the fixture. Otherwise, you take a chance of getting all the electrical connections wet. Trust me, I've done just that!!

Once removed, you can soak the reflector with a water/vinegar solution, overnight. Then wipe it all down and rinse it really well. Make sure it's totally dry before putting it back together.

Another option, Reef Geeks sells new reflectors, fairly inexpensively.