T5s Keep Burning Out

rooroo · 03/02/2007, 01:57 PM

I posted this in the IceCap forum, but was hoping someone in here might have a good idea of whats up.

I have an IceCap 430 running 2 35" 54W T5s. The bulbs keep on burning out after about 4-6 weeks of use. They get blackened on one end (same end for both), then both burn out at the same time.

I have 2 4" fans blowing into the canopy, and the canopy has a big opening in the back so ventinllation is not the issue.

I also have another 430 ballast running two 24" (75w) VHOs. No problems at all with those.

My question is what could be causing the bulbs to burn out? I am starting to think it's a moisture problem because the side that gets blackened on the bulbs is the same side that there is more water spray on. I can see some water spray in the morning on the canopy when I feed the fish. Would this cause problems? I am planning to put an acrylic canopy over the tank tonight.

Also, I've heard of running one VHO with one T5. Would this eliminate the burning out problem and what kind of wattage would the T5s run at?

lelenb · 03/02/2007, 02:31 PM

One thing you might consider is your timer. In the past I had a timer that had a problem starting my CF's and the lights would not always start and the lights would make disconcerting sounds that sounded like they were going to burn out. This may not be your problem at all but just a thought.

Are both ballasted powered off the same source? I would look and see what is different. I had to move my metal halide to a different outlet because there was a ground issue with the outlet. Maybe it is poor contact causing under voltage on that side. Have you cleaned the contacts on the caps?

rooroo · 03/02/2007, 02:50 PM

They're brand new endcaps. Got them for christmas. The IceCap guy said it may be a loose connection, so I am going to see if thats the problem. Maybe we didn't install them to be tight enough, but the bulbs snap in pretty nice.

I have an Aqua Controller Jr as my timer so I doubt that is the problem. And I do run both ballasts off the same outlet... well the same powerstrip, which is the DC 8.

03/02/2007, 01:57 PM	#1
rooroo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New Market, MD Posts: 406	T5s Keep Burning Out I posted this in the IceCap forum, but was hoping someone in here might have a good idea of whats up. I have an IceCap 430 running 2 35" 54W T5s. The bulbs keep on burning out after about 4-6 weeks of use. They get blackened on one end (same end for both), then both burn out at the same time. I have 2 4" fans blowing into the canopy, and the canopy has a big opening in the back so ventinllation is not the issue. I also have another 430 ballast running two 24" (75w) VHOs. No problems at all with those. My question is what could be causing the bulbs to burn out? I am starting to think it's a moisture problem because the side that gets blackened on the bulbs is the same side that there is more water spray on. I can see some water spray in the morning on the canopy when I feed the fish. Would this cause problems? I am planning to put an acrylic canopy over the tank tonight. Also, I've heard of running one VHO with one T5. Would this eliminate the burning out problem and what kind of wattage would the T5s run at?

03/02/2007, 02:31 PM	#2
lelenb Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Aromas, CA Posts: 10	One thing you might consider is your timer. In the past I had a timer that had a problem starting my CF's and the lights would not always start and the lights would make disconcerting sounds that sounded like they were going to burn out. This may not be your problem at all but just a thought. Are both ballasted powered off the same source? I would look and see what is different. I had to move my metal halide to a different outlet because there was a ground issue with the outlet. Maybe it is poor contact causing under voltage on that side. Have you cleaned the contacts on the caps?

03/02/2007, 02:50 PM	#3
rooroo Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New Market, MD Posts: 406	They're brand new endcaps. Got them for christmas. The IceCap guy said it may be a loose connection, so I am going to see if thats the problem. Maybe we didn't install them to be tight enough, but the bulbs snap in pretty nice. I have an Aqua Controller Jr as my timer so I doubt that is the problem. And I do run both ballasts off the same outlet... well the same powerstrip, which is the DC 8.