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Ballast Issue
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Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
Ballast Issue
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21 Aug 2010 23:09 #1
by Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
Hey folks,
So a couple of weeks ago one of the bulbs in my Aqualantis lighting unit went. I went out and got a replacement bulb and installed it, and it too wont work so I guess the ballast has a malfuntion of some kind. The other bulb is working fine, and Im suprised that it comes on at all as I thought if one side was broken then the ballast woundnt come on at all. Also, if I slowly rotate the bulb on the broken side whilst its connected I can get it to come on but when the lights go out for the night, it wont come on in the morning unless I rotate it again. Anyone have any ideas as to what the problem is? Cheers,
Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
Life
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21 Aug 2010 23:17 #2
by JohnH (John)
Jay,
Perhaps my suggestion is a little simplistic but could it just be a poor connection which turning the bulb is allowing a contact to be made?
My inclination would be to try a drop of WD-40 on the bulb ends and in the caps, if it doesn't work it won't have done any harm.
I hope you get it sorted.
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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21 Aug 2010 23:26 #3
by Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
Cheers John will give it a shot, nice one.
Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
Life
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22 Aug 2010 02:25 #4
by murph (Tony Murphy)
NOOOOOOOOO.
DO NOT USE WD40 FOR ELECTRICAL CONTACTS.
(Or anywhere near a fish tank for that matter.)
It leaves a layer of petroleum oil on the metal it lubricates (which is not conductive!) and does nothing to remove the corrosion/oxidation on the contacts that caused the problem in the first place. I also don't think your fish would like the mini oil-slick any drips could cause!!
It sounds like one of the starters in your ballast has gone. Try replacing it first.
Then,failing that with the unit UNPLUGGED, try cleaning the contacts at the bulb-holders with denatured alcohol (or Boru vodka!) and bending them with a pin so they grip the bulb pins properly.
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22 Aug 2010 08:44 #5
by Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
Ok, good call Murph, will try replacing the starter first (if I can source one). Is it normal for these units to function with just one side working? I know if one of the bulbs on my Juwel lighting unit isnt connected properly the unit wont come on at all. I figured its a safety feature? So Im wondering if this unit is totally boned given one side is broken and the other still comes on.
Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
Life
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are here we might as well dance.
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22 Aug 2010 10:04 #6
by JohnH (John)
NOOOOOOOOO.
DO NOT USE WD40 FOR ELECTRICAL CONTACTS.
(Or anywhere near a fish tank for that matter.)
Well, that's told me!!!
WD-40 is formulated from Fish Oil and, rather naively perhaps (having used it myself for similar applications with no more problem than a small 'slick' which dispersed after a while) I recommended it.
*Jay,
Some units, like many Juwel ones, use one ballast for two tubes (presumably wired in series?) which would mean that if one tube/starter failed the other wouldn't work while other units have two completely different kits run parallel to one another - at least that's how it was explained to me, can anyone elaborate on this?
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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22 Aug 2010 11:54 #7
by murph (Tony Murphy)
In lower wattage tubes, (up to 18w in conventional fittings, not sure about aquatic sizes, but the voltage across the tube when on would have to be below 40ish% of full mains), the twin controlers have the current passing in series through the tubes, so if one fails, the other won't light. I think from 24w (definitely 30w) up the ballast's are essentially seperate as the voltage across the tube is near or over 50% of the mains voltage.
For electronic controlers (starterless and T5), disregard the above.
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22 Aug 2010 13:08 #8
by Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
Righto, guess Ill start with the vodka idea. That way, if the dubs loose I can supplement my beer with it. If it works on the connectors...added bonus. Thanks for the input lads.
Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
Life
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26 Aug 2010 15:41 #9
by Viperbot (Jason Hughes)
So replacing the starter worked a treat. Nice easy fix. You should have seen the state of the one I removed. The thing had split along the casing. Anyway, problem solved. Cheers lads.
Jay
Location: Finglas, North Dublin.
Life
may not be the party we hoped for, but while we
are here we might as well dance.
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