problems with ballast

[tommyp]

I got a bluewave VII dual ballast 400 watt hqi. One of my bulbs keeps going off and on. I swapped it out with an old bulb and now the other bulb goes on and off. I have no idea what is going on with it. It only has one cord. I have heard of people changing this to dual cords dunno if this would help. I haven't started puling it apart yet. Any one had this happen to them?

 

[Krish]

Nope...Never had that happen to me. That's a new one! I hope you get sorted out...

 

[mungus]

I had this happen with a PFO Dual HQI ballast. Chances are the dual cord will do nothing for you. (My old PFO Ballast had dual cords) It can be a number of things.

1. Make sure you have a dedicated breaker for this thing rated for at least 20 amps. The thicker gauge wire used for the 20 amp is the way to go. This is the very first thing to do. You can pick up a book at home depot or look online if you are not sure how to add a breaker. Its as easy as pie but make sure to be carefull! (This was my problem)

2. Make sure your pendants are wired properly with the correct gauge wire. If anywhere from the breaker to the pendant the wire heats up too much the ballast will shut it down untill it cools. (Info from PFO)

3. It could be one of the ballasts in the box is wired incorrectly. (Info from PFO)

I messed with this for months and number one was the big one. It should be the only thing running on that breaker. No pumps or lights or anything.

Hope this helps

Brian

 

[mungus]

I forgot to add that sunlight supply and pfo use the same ballasts in there cases.

 

[tommyp]

yeah I am trying to run it off different outlets in the house to see if that is it. I have all 20 amp breakers and a lot of them but I am not really sure what is for what as we bought the house last year. The labeling on the breaker diagram is. Les' office. bedroom #1 etc. Makes it impossible to figure out what is what with out shutting stuff down.

I have been trying that rather than running a dedicated breaker. Though that is next i imagine. I'll try some more outlets tonight.

tom

 

[tommyp]

I am running it off the bathroom curcuit right now and there is nothing on that breaker. It is still causing issues. I am using factory lamp cords. I might crack it open and check the wiring tonight.

 

[mungus]

What pendants do have? If you switch the plugs on the ballast that the pendant is running off of around does the side that goes on and off switch? (I hope that made sense)

 

[tommyp]

I am just running se's not 400 watt pendants. I am running radiums in the reflector sockets.

I switched the cords around. and it still seems to be shutting off the same light. yet when I swapped bulbs around it switched the lights that is going off.

 

[tommyp]

I found a breaker for a freezer, since we don't have a freezer I am going to try to trace that wire and run an outlet just for the ballast. I hope that will sort this out. thanks for the help i will keep you posted.

 

[Scooterman]

I am running it off the bathroom circuit right now and there is nothing on that breaker.

Your bathroom circuit should be GFCI protected if your home is fairly modern like 25 years, if this is the case try a different circuit even if you have other items on that circuit, excluding the kitchen area.

 

[Skimmy]

it might just be the fact that you are running radiums, very persnickety bulb on u.s. ballasts & wall current, even if it is an hqi ballast.
at the lfs i worked at it would happen all the time with radium bulbs on a pfo hqi ballast, i would have to sit there and fiddle with it to light up, and then they would flicker out and i would have to giggle/unscrew the bulb to get it to fire back up again. you might want to try the other bulb that is running fine and swich it to the m.h. outlet that is giving you greif and see if it still does it. of coarse popping the hood on your ballast to give it the once over is a good idea too, you never know

 

[Scooterman]

That would be my next thought also the actual lamps your using on the ballast, I looked around some but didn't get what I needed to see if they should run the radiums.

 

[tommyp]

Yeah the bathroom socket is gfci.

would running the ballast 240 be any help?

I went through my panel and the only breaker that I could find "empty" is running electric baseboard upstairs. I want to take this out anyway. So i might get an electrictian in to swap out that breaker for two 20 amp 120. Or if leave it at 240 then swap the ballast over to 240. I am not sure if this will help. I pulled the bulb out and replaced it with the older one. and tightened up all the wire nuts and double checked the grounds. knock on wood the old bulb is running now.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[mungus]

Good luck man! I know it drove me nuts when mine did the same thing. I was lucky enough to buy mine from premium aquatics and they swapped out my PFO for sunlight supply. (after 5 months of no lights)
Keep us posted

Brian

 

[Scooterman]

I'd see if you have it going OK now, if so kudos!
If you can install the ballast using 240vac then that would actually change windings inside the ballast, if it did work that way then I'd wonder what is wrong with the 120vac part. I suspect the gfci was the problem as in the past several people had similar problems, hope it works. Installing a dedicated circuit for a high demanding fish/reef tank is a good thing, I need to do it also, if you do add new breakers see if you can use AFCI's breaker the arc fault breakers will help with shorts in wiring if this ever happens, may prevent a fire one day. I'd use a gfci on anything that goes IN water & the rest you can use the other circuit, if all this makes sense.

 

[tommyp]

She's working. I don't think it is a gfci issue becasue i had it plugged into a few outlets/circuits that were nongfci and it still was doing the same thing. I am leaning more along the lines of a picky bulb. I do have a circuit that is basically dedicated to the tank. The circuit supplies all the outlets in the small room that the tank is in and an outlet in my basement nothing else running off it. So most/all of the equiptment is running off that circuit. I was thinking with the lights I needed one specifically for them. I will probably still go that route pulling out that 240 breaker. I Will replace it with the afci if it is going to run the lights.

SO far so good. The bulb I have in there now is one I was borrowing from a friend who had already run it for its life. I will have to pick up a new one and I hope it will behave.

Thanks for all the help !!!!

TOm

 

[Maxx]

Tommy,
This sounds like a bulb issue to me....is the bulb thats acting up securely screwed in all the way? I'm wondering if that particular bulb is having connection issues and doesnt "fit" all the way?

Nick

 

[tommyp]

Maxx, it seems that it is a bulb issue. I picked up two used radiums from a local reefer. They have fired fine for two days. Its a bummer cause I bought the other bulbs with my ballast supposedly barely used. They looked new no burn marks or whatever. and I paid almost full price for them. So it looks like I will have to buy new bulbs sooner than I would have liked. but whatever.
TOm

 

[Skimmy]

you might wanna try just letting the newer bulbs run for a few weeks to see if they settle down, they usually do after a while(dont ask me why )
just tell your corals that it's tropical spring rainstorms

 

[Maxx]

Tommy,
Sorry you have to replace bulbs sooner than you want to, but thats the best possible scenario in this particular situation. Besides, it beats buying a new ballast.

Nick