do metal halide ballasts go bad?

[dwillingm]

I have a 4 year old magnetic metal halide ballast i got for pretty cheap from hello lights. it is powering a 400 watt 20k XM bulb.

I have noticed that the bulbs are not firing nearly as brightly as they used to. do these ballasts go bad over time, and need to be replaced?

I have also had a hair algae problem over the last 6 months, and although no water parameters ave changed to cause this. Could a bad ballast be to blame for this? Phosphates and nitrates are all undetectable.

 

[areze]

donno about the ballasts, but the bulbs definitely do. have you changed the bulbs?

 

[reefkrazy]

YES! They need to be replaced aswell. Go to home depot and pick up a M59 ballast. 400watt of course. If you can't find one there go to a electrical supply store. Just make sure it is multi tap. Meaning 120\240\480v or just one for 120 volts.

 

[Uploadead]

of course they do. the salty air can corrode them if they aren't contained properly.

 

[dwillingm]

When I replace the ballast, is there a need to replace the capacitor as well?

Thanks.

 

[dwillingm]

bump.

is there a need to change out the capacitor when i replace the ballast, or that something that is only used to fire the bulb initially?

thx!

 

[PaulErik]

Generally you don’t replace the ballast coil. It should last many years (10 plus years). The life will vary by the operating temperature. Rarely do ballast coils wear out. They usually stop working all together.

If you have lighting problems then it is most likely the capacitor if it is a CWA (Constant Wattage Auto Transformer) ballast. In a CWA ballast the capacitor is also used for regulating the lamp during operation. Overtime the capacitor can drift from its designed specifications and cause problems.

 

[dwillingm]

Thanks PaulErik, you saved me $50.