help

kgb · #1 05-14-2003, 11:37 PM

2 days ago i got home and my metal halide wasnt workign so i tested it today and the bulbs brojke and no longer works any suggestion other then buying a new one. does anyone have one i could borrow hehe i dont get paid till next friday .
or would someone want to coral sit for me ?

StirCrazy · #2 05-15-2003, 12:31 AM

how old is it? could it be a warenty replacment?

Steve

Canadian Man · #3 05-15-2003, 12:48 AM

Did the bulb shatter

?

Aquattro · #4 05-15-2003, 01:04 AM

maybe you have a bulb that needs a pulse start ballast? I have a couple of bulbs that won't fire on regular ballasts. They were fine for a while, then nothing!!

kari · #5 05-15-2003, 01:38 AM

I might be able to find my old 175watt 10k bulb that you can have if I didn't toss it. What type and watt do you need? I'm working out of town until Friday.

Kari

kgb · #6 05-15-2003, 03:26 AM

ok any watts is good
but anything over 65 k is good

um it didnt shatter. but there is a crack in it bout 2 cm long . i dont know though they guy at the hydroponic people said that its screwed.hrrmmm so was there a warenty ? if not it still good . how much does a bulb run for >?
does anyone here in town have a 175 watt pulse star ballast that i could try it on to see if it is a pulse starter

Canadian Man · #7 05-15-2003, 04:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgb

ok any watts is good
but anything over 65 k is good

um it didnt shatter. but there is a crack in it bout 2 cm long . i dont know though they guy at the hydroponic people said that its screwed.hrrmmm so was there a warenty ? if not it still good . how much does a bulb run for >?
does anyone here in town have a 175 watt pulse star ballast that i could try it on to see if it is a pulse starter

By watt's I think kari ment power so you are running a 175w bulb. It is a 10k bulb which refers to the color. If it's cracked than the bulb is screwed. You should be thankful that the bulb didn't shatter.

How close to the water did you have it?

A new bulb is about 100+ dollars. I wouldnt try to start that bulb again even to try it in another ballast.....

Aquattro · #8 05-15-2003, 04:12 AM

Jon, while I agree with you as far as safety goes, I ran a severely cracked bulb to the point that the heat fused the crack closed. I got many more months out of it.
As long as the inner envelope isn't cracked, it will probably light.
However, from a safety stand point, the bulb would be better off replaced.

kari · #9 05-16-2003, 04:11 AM

Be careful. Salt water + electrical problem + explosive hazard + contamination = ouch.

When all is solved, you are still welcome to the bulb to hold you over.

Kari

Delphinus · #10 05-16-2003, 03:35 PM

A little off topic, but, a couple years ago I had a bulb once where the outer globe somehow snapped off (right in two, the break point right above the inner arc tube). I happened to be home for lunch that day, the light had been on about 1.5 hours when I noticed something was amiss ... I noticed something was amiss because my acro that was right under it was totally bleached, apparently by the UV burn. That coral didn't make it

An interesting side note though, where the glass had broken, and the end part was sort of leaning off (didn't fall completely off because of the wirefram inside the bulb was supporting it mostly), a piece of it touched the arc tube (that was still lit). Where it touched, it had melted. Wow, that's hot.

Anyways, I'm not sure I'd run a damaged bulb. If nothing else, there is the UV risk if it's the outer envelope that's damaged. And if it was the inner envelope, the arc tube or whatever it's called, that was cracked I'd have to wonder, if nothing else, what sort of spectrum I was getting and what sorts of elements might have leaked out, or whatever. I don't understand the science of bulbs.

Andrew, you're screwed, you need a new bulb. Sorry. But there you have it. Unfortunately, s--- happens every so often. Your corals will be fine for a couple of days without light, but the longer they are without light, the more you will need to back off your photoperiod and re-acclimate them to the light once it's replaced, otherwise you run the risk of burning them.

If I was you, I'd probably jump on Kari's offer ... and then saving my pennies for a new bulb. Yeah ... I know it sucks ... I've been there. Nothing worse than having an unplanned big purchase, but, unless you have a backup bulb (hanging onto your old bulbs for this purpose, once you've replaced them, is probably the sage thing to do), there are not a lot of options here.