help! Stubborn bulb

[redbora]

i just replaced one of my double ended mh bulbs but the same side of one bulb it keeps falling out of the socket

any advice or tips on how i can get it in there??

thanks

 

[masterswimmer]

Push hard until it 'snaps' in there. And make sure you're pushing on the ceramic ends, not the glass itself.

 

[redbora]

any trips to hold the bulb or anything, i've tried three times already

 

[bad coffee]

What wattage?

first of all, UNPLUG YOUR LIGHT FIXTURE. 'off' is not good enough. unplug the thing and save yourself some grief.

If it's 150, make sure the points of the socket still have tension on them. if you take a screwdriver and gently push on them, they should push back. If the points are bent out, bend them in slightly. Put the bulb back in, and see if it holds. If not, bend a little more, and try it again. Eventually it will hold.

If it's 250/400, check to see that the clips on either end are completely closed when there's no bulb in the socket. If not, try gently bending one side of the clip to meet the other one. Then try the bulb.

It also could be the lightbulb. Try flipping ends and see if the same end of the lightbulb falls out, or the same end of the socket.

Plug it back in and you should be good to go.

B

 

[redbora]

so i get to try out your advice, the stubborn bulb is in so far, but now the other one is out. I check the wires and everything, check the bulb and this is what i find

is this normal?? the bulb is only maybe a month old, what causes this

 

[Pseudo]

The holder clips are loose causing the bulbs to fall out and worse to arc across to the bulb base contacts. You need to squeeze the contacts in the fixture closer together (not touching) so that the bulb is held firmly in place. If this is not corrected it can lead to bulb failure, overheated bulbs, worse case is a fire.

Kasei

 

[redbora]

well that's the odd part, that bulb in the picture was secure, it wasn't the one that kept falling out :banghead:, this is extremely annoying

side note, anyone know where i can get bulbs cheap, not cheap bulbs, but bulbs at better pricing, 250 hqi's, those were aqualine

thanks

 

[Pseudo]

reefexotics.com, house of fish, premium aquatics just to name a few depending on bulb.

Kasei

 

[scumonkey]

http://www.hellolights.com/

 

[redbora]

what brands are "the best"?? i'm looking at 10,000k, 250w hqi, i've used aqualine for a year, my lighting is two 250w hqi with two blue t5