MH bulb flicker/burn in time.......?

[butesch]

I realize a bulb has burn in time..........but how much are they supposed to flicker? I have a 175watt Hamilton Tech 10K run from a IceCap ballast. Reef Fanantic said the flicker may be a defect in bulb or ballast if it continues after the burn in.........

How much flickering does everyone else have during burn in?

Thanks.
Brook

 

[Anonymous]

My icecap ballast flickered until I threw it in the trash. Sorry!

 

[Anonymous]

MH lamps need 100 hours to burn in for color and to stop flickering.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I have 2 pfo and a blueline ballast and the bulbs never flicker. The icecap went back to the mfg at least 4 times during the year I had it. Blew fuses, flickered etc etc. Never got better.

 

[Hal1]

Along for the ride. I've got the same problem with my brand new 250W Ushio. The thing is, only one of my two bulbs does this. Both are on Icecap ballasts. I too am hoping it is only a burn in thing, but haven't seen many people saying this is the case.

 

[Anonymous]

My 10K 175W ushios's took the full 100 hours to burn in. They were on a standard ballast, not an icecap. I swore that the lamps were defective, but the folks at Champion insisted that I wait and see. Sure enough, they never flickered again after the 100 hours.

Louey