MH (what could be wrong)

[teena]

when i turn my MH lights on all they do is flicker, there only a week old, this is the first time this has happend, its a aqualight pro 250, coralife

[kmf507]

Check to make sure the connection btwn your ballast and fixture is secure. Mine occasionally needs to be adjusted.

It is also possible that you have too much power being drawn on one circuit (which should blow the fuse....)

[teena]

but if the fuse blew it would cut every thing off, & they wouldnt be flickering, i was messing with setting a timer & when the timer didnt go off @ the set time i unpluged it & pluged it back in,

[BONDQ]

Verify that your power wiring between the wall and the ballast and also that the wiring in wall is of sufficient gauge for the total amperage you are pulling.

The circuit breaker is supposed to protect the wiring. However, the wiring must be the correct guage in conjunction with that amperage. In some cases, electricians do not run the correct matching gauge of wire for the circuit. This can cause a fire, because the circuit does not trip when the wiring (which is too thin) overheats.

Also, many folks use extensions cords to hook-up their ballasts and frequently the extension cord is not of sufficient gauge to handle the load. This chokes the ballast and could also cause a fire.

If both of these are OK, I suspect a bad ballast.

[teena]

i have two ballast, both are doing the same thing, they have been running fine up until i set the timer, i have a timer on the blue lights they come on and off like i set them, but i havent set the timer for the MH yet i wanted to be home for the first time just in case something happend, so i just set it today when i got home to go off @ 3pm it was 10till 3 i set the clock put the red pin in @ 3 turn the over ride switch to off turned the two ballast on & waited, it was 7after 3 & they didnt come on, so i unpluged the timer then pluged the ballast back into the extension cord, but i didnt turn the ballast off when i unpluged the timer, i just pluged them back up, in this long drawn out story what did i do wrong,

[elegance coral]

I'm not sure if I understand exactly what you did, but a MH that has been running for a while and then turned off will take some time before comming back on. Even after power has been restored.

[teena]

it wasnt on all day, i just turned them on when i got home, just to set the timer, i just went to look at the bulbs it looks like one has came down a little, im getting ready to take the light off the tank & push it back up in there, but would one bulb loose make both flicker?

[Nano Chris]

Try taking them off the timers, i think it could be the timers..?

[teena]

there not on a timer, when i seen they wernt coming on at 3pm i took the timer off, i just took both bulbs out then put them back in made sure they were tight, one came one, but the other still flickered, switch them around now there both flicking again, dr foster & smith are sending me more bulbs

[teena]

now it went from bad to worse, my husband sat it on the table switch the bulbs around they flickered he just let them do that till they started to come all the way on, i was on the phone with Dr foster & smith getting info, he calls me in the kitchen to show me i didnt leave them on long enough, still on the phone i looked at the light & it was smoking,he still had the covers pulled back & it melted the little plastic round thing that covers the moon light & it got on the only bulb that was burning, the other is still flickering, i now have to put my pc light on till my new bulbs get here friday,

[sabbath]

If you just purchased it.Send it back. Dr. Foster & smith will take care if it.

[elegance coral]

WOW! Never had that happen.

[teena]

there sending me new bulbs, but what can i do about that little plastic cover that goes over the moon light, do you think they would have one of those,

[teena]

he only had it on for 1 min & it melted that plastic,

[kmf507]

Don't replace the melted plastic! Have them send a whole new fixture. You don't want a fire, and if it has already melted plastic in front of you....

[teena]

that was only because my husband had the cover pulled back like you would do to change a bulb, & the bulb was right at the plastic cover, it was pull half way back with the rest of the bulb out in the open, the whole light was upside down on the table,he should of closed the cover,

[amike5]

You should be able to contact the manufacturer to get a replacement.