Lighting pro's please help

[adamjr]

I need some help finding a cap for my old cool touch lighting 250 watt dual halide. The cap that was provided with the system was a 15 ufd (micro) 400 V. One of the two caps vented which is what allowed me to convince the Mrs. that twin Icecaps were the way to go.

Now that we are planning a basement tank move and system upgrade I'd like to use the dual 250 over a prop tank with a couple of Iwasaki's since it's growth I'm looking for and not how the corals in that tank will look.

Thing is I've looked on eBay and searched online for these caps and they seem to be hella expensive by themselves.

I looked at a picture of the cap and coil setup on Hellolights.com that they sell for around 50 bucks and I took the number off of that cap. I found it at an electrical distributor online for $105.00. For that price I could buy two of the Hellolights.com setups and install them in my cool touch case.

I know that someone on this board is a professional lighting contractor but I can't remember his screen name. We met at a CMAS meeting.

Any idea where I might find the cap I'm looking for on the reasonably priced side? What should I be looking to pay for just the cap?

When I removed the old cap one of the connections was severely coroded and the wire nut was deformed. Am I off base in thinking that the cap may have blown due to arcing from a poor connection? Should I replace both caps just to be safe?

Thanks in advance.

Adam

 

[jgleach]

Call cooltouch lighting. They will sell you one pretty reasonably. I've gotte a couple replacements from them already.

cooltouch

1-866-266-5824

BTW...if you seem to be going through caps regularly, try drilling some ventilation holes in the ballast box. The aluminum boxes that cooltouch uses (or used to use) didn't remove enough heat and the capacitors were failing due to heat. I've even drilled small holes and tiewrapped the capacitors to the outside of of ballast box.....good luck.

Jeff

 

[adamjr]

Thanks for the reply.

I had the setup running about 18 months. I agree with you about the lack of heat removal. I am pretty sure the poor connection is what caused it to vent though.

If you don't mind me asking what did they charge for the replacements?

Adam

 

[jgleach]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7096668#post7096668 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adamjr
Thanks for the reply.

I had the setup running about 18 months. I agree with you about the lack of heat removal. I am pretty sure the poor connection is what caused it to vent though.

If you don't mind me asking what did they charge for the replacements?

Adam

Adam,
I honestly can't remember....I know on one occasion they replaced one for free....and when I did buy one, I KNOW it was far less than the nunbers you've quoted.....at those prices, you can buy a whole new ballast.....

ballast

 

[gvibes]

I just did a bit of googling - will this work? http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?han...oductid=815635&e_categoryid=5&e_pcodeid=58163

$8.40

 

[adamjr]

Unfortunately not. That's a little one. The ones for halide are about as round as a silver dollar and around 5 inches long. Thanks for looking though.

Adam

 

[MARSHALL MANN]

shouldnt be more than 10.00

 

[adamjr]

Thanks,

When I saw that $105.00 price tag I said a few expletives along the lines of "that can't be flippin right!"

Adam

 

[jgleach]

Sooooo......Adam, did you find your capacitor?

 

[adamjr]

I have been busier then a 1 legged man in a butt-kickin contest this week not to mention 2 round trips from Deerfield to Harvard. My dispatcher is lucky I like her. Cool Touch never returned my email either.

I know of a couple lighting places near a couple of calls I am going to tomorrow and I might be able to stop in to them.

Thanks for asking though.

Adam

 

[jgleach]

Adam,
Why not call cool touch? I remember when I needed a cap....I called or stopped into every electrical or lighting place I could find in the phone book....they weren't much help. Cool touch, on the other hand, was quick, easy and cheap....good luck.

1-866-266-5824

 

[adamjr]

I'll take the number down and give them a jingle tomorrow. I have to go to the office at some point so I'll do it then.

Thanks for the tip.

Adam

 

[adamjr]

Called Cool Touch lighting this morning. 2 caps and ups shipping was $30.00 even. The fact that it shipped this morning and I should have it by probably Tuesday, priceless.

Thanks,

Adam

 

[jgleach]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7134100#post7134100 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adamjr
Called Cool Touch lighting this morning. 2 caps and ups shipping was $30.00 even. The fact that it shipped this morning and I should have it by probably Tuesday, priceless.

Thanks,

Adam

told ya so....NA NA...NA NA NA

snicker snicker......

 

[adamjr]

thbbbbbt!

Adam