Ballast Repair

[Aquatic Hamster]

Can a ballast be repaired? I have an Aquamedic ballast that was starting to make that dreaded electrical smell. I have a spare one so I pulled the ballast in question offline, removed the case and found the following.

I don't know the details of ballasts, but I do know black charred areas tend to be bad.

Is this something that can be repaired locally or is this like most items bought in the US today, disposable. It is an M80 magnetic ballast.

 

[hexedagain]

That looks like just your capacitor is burnt. You should be able to get a replacement for that. Check your LFS or online.

 

[robthorn]

chad you might be able to get a replacement at graingers or a local lighting store. no fish store will have one.
frontier lighting in clearwater sells alot of mh but I wouldn't count on parts.
watt is the microfarad rating? should something uf like 400uf or something and does it have a voltage rating on it?
I will look around I can buy from grainger. shoot try grainger.com also and if they have it I can get it for you. is that a 250watt ballast?

 

[robthorn]

actually I see now it's only a 32 uf . let me see what I can find

 

[Aquatic Hamster]

Robb, it is a 250 watt ballast and a 32uf capacitor. The name brand of this particular capacitor is Electronicon. Its a German brand which makes since Aqua Medic is a German company. I'm not having a lot of luck cross-referencing this part on the Internet so far in English. Which is a little suprising. It looks like both ends terminate into metal wire terminals tighted by a screw. So if I can find the right part it looks like an easy swap out.

 

[Aquatic Hamster]

Thought I give one more try. Anybody in the Tampa area know where I can get a capacitor like the one burning out in the photo? I will even settle for a shop that would do the repair, if the cost doesn't approach that of a new ballast. Thx.

 

[robthorn]

dang it sorry I forgot to check grainger. I will do it this morning for you. I do need the voltage though. is it 400v?

 

[Warnberg]

Aquatic Hamster, once you get the capacitor replaced make sure that fan is still working as well, it may have stopped causing the cap to overheat...

 

[robthorn]

got an idiot on the phone at graingers I will look it up myself later today.
the ballast should run without a fan. I am sure thats an add on by whomever but the ballast in the box. they are designed to run hot in confined spaces. of course having a fan will not hurt it at all and may make your bulb last an extra couple hours.

 

[Aquatic Hamster]

The fan still works, as does the ballast. However I don't want to use it anymore as the capacitor is certainly to go postal soon. I tried a scan at graingers but didn't have any luck.

I called a couple of local electrical shops and they want to do a kit replacement of transformer, capacitor and starter. I can get these online myself for $85. I was just hoping to find the correct capacitor for $20 or $30 and be done with it. Thanks to all that have helped.

 

[robthorn]

chad frontier lighting in clearwater can order it from texas so a coupls days in shipping. for me its just under $30 not sure if that includes shipping, for anyone that doesn't do business with them it is closer to $40. if you want I can order it for you but I will need the cash first.
robert

 

[Aquatic Hamster]

Great. It sounds like I'll be seeing you Saturday so perhaps we can finallize things then perhaps. Would you like me to bring the capacitor by on Sat just to confirm I gave you the right info?

 

[robthorn]

well I can see it's a 32 microfarad from the picture. the funny thing is they told me most 250watt mh ballasts use somewhere around a 15uf not a 32. the 32 must really give it a huge kick.

 

[mrivers]

Try Lightbulbs Unlimited, I've picked up a few caps there (Dale Mabry store) in the past.

 

[Aquatic Hamster]

Rob, here is a better pic of the capacitor just in case. Its is 250v if that makes a difference.

 

[robthorn]

250v is cool. the new one might be higher but that is cool

 

[Aquatic Hamster]

All right, if you think the one from Texas is a good replacement for this one I'll bring you the money. Just let me know the total with the shipping. Thx.

 

[robthorn]

yeah the voltage is just the max voltage it will take. so 370 and 440 are better or at least can be used in more applications. I will call and order it tomorrow.