VHO Lighting Problems

[PhoenixSun]

Help! I have VHO lighting over my soft coral reef tank. Last week the lights blinked and shut off unexpectedtly.

I have gotten a new ballast and wiring kit from Premium Aquatics (Great Guys returned with no questions). When I installed the new ballast and harness I had the same problem!

Is there an issue with the bulbs that could cause the lights to flash for about 1 second and then go dark?

Any suggestions for fixing would be great and my coral would love you.

 

[Ben1]

Ice Cap ballast do this to let you know either your wiring is wrong in one spot, end caps are not seated properly or wiring is loose. It is in the instructions.

 

[PhoenixSun]

I don't have an instruction manual but I will look at each of those.

It's strange that everything worked great for over 6 months and then one not just went out.

I guess I'll start by looking at the placement of the bulbs in the endcaps since I did just replace an older bulb.

 

[gka]

This happens when you have a bad bulb. All of the bulbs have to be in place so you must get a known good bulb and replace each bulb one at a time to isolate the bad bulb. Also it is not uncommon to get a new bulb that is bad. This has happened twice to me.

 

[imow]

Check the fuse in the ballast. I once had water somehow get into the harness plug, and everytime power went to the plug, the fuse blew.
Worth a look.