Some ballast questions

[Anonymous]

I have a 250 watt MH fixture powered by an ARO electronic ballast, which has failed. The ballast now hums, so I figure it is the culprit. I opened it up and everything is encased in black semisolid goo; I initially thought this was confirmation that the ballast was shot but I'm now guessing they're built like this, and non-repairable. The DE bulb doesn't visibly appear burned out. I have several questions:
1-Can a MH bulb be tested other than by using another ballast?
2-How would I test this ballast other than buying a new bulb?
3-Is black semisolid goo normal in an ARO ballast?
4-I'm considering Icecap as a replacement ballast (@ around $135). Any input for or against this choice? Are cheaper brands comparable?
5-My light fixture has two wires. I read somewhere that with an Icecap ballast you need to buy an adaptor to fit the included wiring plug, or the warranty will be voided. Should I find and purchase this adaptor?
Thanks for your input.

 

[Len]

It sounds like a ballast problem to me too. I don't know any way to test the bulb or ballast (at least not safely for a non-technician).

I'm not sure about the black tar; this is common in defective tar ballasts, but I'm not sure what it's doing in an electronic ballast. It could be designed this way, but I don't see why.

Consider Lumatek or Galaxy electronic ballasts. These two are the e ballasts of choice these days because they run efficient and very bright.

The two Icecap ballasts I've owned recently needed to be hard-wired. I forget if it had two leads or three (I think two ... just hot and neutral). There wasn't any wiring plug included. The Lumatek definitely has a wiring plug built on the ballast itself for fast disconnect. IIRC, it's a standard IEC 3 prong plug (forget if it's male or female, but either are easy to find).

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the information. I saw Galaxy ballasts on a few sites for not much more $, but hadn't heard of them. I'll reconsider per your recommendation. Would you choose Lumatek or Galaxy over Icecap?

 

[Len]

Yep. For MH e-ballasts, I'd go Lumatek or Galaxy.

 

[Anonymous]

1-Can a MH bulb be tested other than by using another ballast?
Not really, they do have bulb testers, but that basically has a ballast in it to light it up.
2-How would I test this ballast other than buying a new bulb?
Use an old bulb? Seriously, I have a shelf full of them (can't find anywhere to safely dispose of them ), or if you have reefers near by ask to borrow an old bulb someone might have laying around
3-Is black semisolid goo normal in an ARO ballast?
The infamous black epoxy! yes this is normal, it's a way that an electronic manufacture can 1) insure there's no way for you to fix it, and 2) make sure no one can copy the design. There might be some thermal issues as well, but I'm guessing the first two are the big ones I wanted to make two separate power inputs for my electronic ballast, it's 2x250, so I could 1) stagger lights turning on, and 2) not pull 500+ watts from one plug everytime the lights go on. But nope gooed up
4-I'm considering Icecap as a replacement ballast (@ around $135). Any input for or against this choice? Are cheaper brands comparable?
Used to be you could find a brand or two on sale for a considerable discount (I think ARO was one of those brands), however looking around a bit it seems they're all fairly comparable. I bought mine a few years back because the dual 250 cost the same as an ice cap single 250, so it really was a no brainer, but I see that same ballast now and it's now much more expensive. I think most are fairly safe bets regardless of which direction you go.
5-My light fixture has two wires. I read somewhere that with an Icecap ballast you need to buy an adaptor to fit the included wiring plug, or the warranty will be voided. Should I find and purchase this adaptor?
The adapter is simply because the ballast might come prewired with some adapter instead of loose wires. If you cut the adapters off the ballast I'm guessing you will void the warranty but who knows.

 

[Anonymous]

Much thanks to you both