Ballast UVB failure

[davidjames]

Today I received an Arcadia 6% 24 watt t5 UVB lamp in the mail as to replace a 6 month old Retisun lamp. It was put into a Zoomed t5 fixture (recommended 24 watt HO bulbs only), and within 10 minutes, smoke billowed from the sides of the fixture and both the lamp and fixture ceased to work. The fixture is about a year and a month old. I was wondering if there is anyone with a similar experience for either Zoomed or Arcadia products, or if there is any reason the addition of this new lamp would cause the ballast to fail?

Luckily I have a cheap t5 fixture being used as a grow light, so the 6 month old Reptisun lamp has been reimplemented as a temporary measure.

 

[nightanole]

I run 4 double bulb 42" fixtures for the last 5 years. I only had one die. It appears what kills the ballast is running them in single bulb mode for several weeks/months. So i dont think it was the new bulb that killed it, i think it was running the over used/failed bulb before hand. T5HO's are very picky and it was not uncommon back in the day to get crappy ballasts that didnt put out enough voltage.

If you want to save the fixture, todd at light your reptiles sells replacement ballasts. If it will fit in the zoomed you are good to go, they are fairly universal.

 

[Mitch77]

As long as both the fixture and lamp were both HO i don't see the problem . I'm assuming the fixture was working properly being you had a Reptisun lamp in it , so i can only imagine perhaps the new lamp had a defect? Might be worth contacting Arcadia , they have the best lamps going IMO , defects usually occur in batches so they may know something and replace it , or you could have just gotten an anomaly. Hope you figure it out , i can only imagine what would have happened had that started once you left the room .

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

Got all my lights from someone that I use to highly reccomend. Then after about 5 months of use my ballasts started blowing up one after another. My inquiries were meat with suspicion and blame that I must be song something wrong or that my house wiring must be bad. I investigated and found that the particular brand I have has horible reviews and that mine is a common problem! Instead of facing more explosive communication from that person I just started hunting around on the net and found the ballasts for much cheaper anyway! I should have done more homework before my massive purchase at the beginning of last year!

 

[davidjames]

I run 4 double bulb 42" fixtures for the last 5 years. I only had one die. It appears what kills the ballast is running them in single bulb mode for several weeks/months. So i dont think it was the new bulb that killed it, i think it was running the over used/failed bulb before hand. T5HO's are very picky and it was not uncommon back in the day to get crappy ballasts that didnt put out enough voltage.

If you want to save the fixture, todd at light your reptiles sells replacement ballasts. If it will fit in the zoomed you are good to go, they are fairly universal.

Thanks! I will check out light your reptiles for a replacement ballast. There is nothing appropriate at the local hardware stores.

 

[davidjames]

As long as both the fixture and lamp were both HO i don't see the problem . I'm assuming the fixture was working properly being you had a Reptisun lamp in it , so i can only imagine perhaps the new lamp had a defect? Might be worth contacting Arcadia , they have the best lamps going IMO , defects usually occur in batches so they may know something and replace it , or you could have just gotten an anomaly. Hope you figure it out , i can only imagine what would have happened had that started once you left the room .

I have heard nothing but good things about Arcadia and was quite excited for the new lamp! I will contact them, and still plan to use an Arcadia for the next one.

 

[davidjames]

Got all my lights from someone that I use to highly reccomend. Then after about 5 months of use my ballasts started blowing up one after another. My inquiries were meat with suspicion and blame that I must be song something wrong or that my house wiring must be bad. I investigated and found that the particular brand I have has horible reviews and that mine is a common problem! Instead of facing more explosive communication from that person I just started hunting around on the net and found the ballasts for much cheaper anyway! I should have done more homework before my massive purchase at the beginning of last year!

Oh gosh I can't even imagine. I was a little frustrated having one fail after a year, not multiple in 5 months.

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

Oh gosh I can't even imagine. I was a little frustrated having one fail after a year, not multiple in 5 months.

Haha, as a breeder I have many cages and therefore many lights! At $30+ per blast failure it adds up quickly! My lights with the ballast problem are made by Odyssea. The ballast sits on the electric cord a distance away from the lights.