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#1
03-25-2009, 10:39 PM
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Need lighting help
I need some help with my electrical lighting issue. My tank has been running since last May. Now,when my metal lights kick on, the breaker pops. I have 2x150watt metal and 4x54w t5's in my giesemann light. The T5's turn on, and an hour later, the metal lights try to turn on, and the whole breaker pops. Shutting down the whole tank. The only thing that has changed electricaly was the reduction of the heater size, from a 300w to a 200w. Everything has been running fine since last May. Everything is on one electrical circuit, pulled just for the tank.
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#2
03-25-2009, 10:55 PM
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Think you need to add up all the watts running on that circuit, specially if you have other things on it as well.
Many product draw more power when they start up initially - so if you have a refugium light or any other thing coming on after our lighting system fires up, that could be it. How many amps is the circuit you are using?
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I'm out. 
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#4
03-26-2009, 12:17 AM
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Sounds like there might be a short in one of your MH ballasts... What kind of fixture/ballast? Is there any salt buildup or scorch marks around the ballast(s)?
I had a timer for my MH burn once from salt creeping down the ballast cable where I couldn't see it and shorted across the terminals on the timer. Scary. Now I regularly inspect all my electrical stuff.
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90gal Starfire mixed reef, 400W MH (Giesemann 13K megachrome/Icecap E-ballast), (2) 54W T5 Giesemann true actinic, 45gal sump (65W 50/50 PC), ASM G-3 Skimmer, Mak 4 return, Sequence Dart closed loop, foam backdrop, 120 lbs LR, 2" sandbed, & 1 dillhole running the show.
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#5
03-26-2009, 12:37 AM
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Always a good idea to split your aquarium load between more than one circuit as a safety/backup measure. Should be GFCI protected as well.
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Mike 77g sumpless SW DIY 10 watt multi-chip LED build  http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=82206
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#6
03-26-2009, 02:00 AM
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sounds like you have a shorted coil in your ballast, i would open it up and see if there is any burn damage then plug it in with the cover off and see if you have a spark (be carefull not to touch the ballast when its on).
Next get a multimeter and test the coil to ground and see if there is a short, if its shorted get a new ballast.
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