Solaris Led lighting systems

Hey Pat,

Received my H4 on Friday, thank you. I'm very impressed with the new unit. It is very evident, to me, that improvements in fit and finish have been made, plus a new computer face. So far no issues with performance.

About the packaging. I was happy to see the 72" is now shipped in two boxes. The power sources in one and the fixture in another. My fixture box was literally falling apart. The bottom taped seam was ripped from one end to the other with the power cords exposed. The top of the box had foot prints toward one end and an obvious hole where the perpetrator's heel went through the cardboard. Fortunately the unit came through UPS's rough handling in fine shape. The driver stayed around to see if there was any damage. He admitted, in a joking manner, that another package survived their rough treatment.

I would make a couple of suggestions toward improved packaging that shouldn't be too cost prohibitive. First, use more of the foam blocking that supports the fixture in the box. Perhaps encapsulating the entire fixture. Second, more or stronger tape to seal the cardboard box. I was surprised to see that the tape, top and bottom, was split open nearly the complete length of the box.

The H4 operates flawlessly, is considerably brighter than the 250W (YES, I know we were expecting it to be) and it too operates without directing heat to the aquarium.

Thanks for all your effort Pat in bring out another great product.

Dick
 
What if we took the current box and slid that into another box. The outer box would open on the small end panels. This would cause the weak long top opening portion of the box to have strength by the outer box which would be solid around the body of the fixture? We would then make the inner box white with the PFO Aquatics logo on the sides?
 
Yes, you get shimmer effect with the Solaris. It is somewhat reduced from MHs but you can increase it by agitating the surface water. By directing water flow across and just under the surface, shimmer will be increased.
 
I would like to know how many watts a 6' H4 Solaris fixture draws. The Solaris website says 600watts of LED wattage. But how much extra do the rest of the controls use.

Does anyone have a $25 kill-a-watt meter, that they could give me a max wattage draw?
 
Been looking at this thread on some occasion. Here's my 2cts.

Patrick, from looking at the pics of LarryW posted on the condition of the box, I would suggest adding more of the foam block on the lightset. You may need a larger block supporting both end of the light set and a few more supporting the space between the 2 edge. Wider thicker block is better than a thin strip of foam. It will give support to the lightset as opposed to have hoping the box would.

Handling cargo is my job scope. Sometimes, the handler might placed the boxes on top of the other cargo but other times the boxes might be located at the bottom of the pile. When that happen, the more support the package has, the lesser chance it will be damaged in transit. I do occasionally come across packages that I considered flimsy packed and sometimes wondered why the person/company packaged their product in that kind of material. Usually when it arrived in my hand, I sometimes have to tape up certain area of the box as it will have already have damaged because of the item inside it. Either it is too heavy for the box or that it is even too full to be packed in. So in any case, a well supported item in a box will make a difference.

In this case, the lightset should have a soft plastic covering it to prevent water from touching the set. The plastic could be tied at the opening to enclose the lightset. You'll never know in what condition the box have to go through to get to the new owner. The foam block should be added after the lightset is enclosed in the plastic cover. As for the box, you do not need a full box of colour, just add your company logo should be enough. But for transportation wise, it is better to paste a couple of 'FRAGILE' sticker of both side of the box. Also a couple of orientation sticker eg 'THIS WAY UP' sticker or the double arrow pointing up sticker should be included and pasted on the box. It could be printed on the box in the 1st place to save some labour cost to apply the sticker onto the box. There are other handling sticker such as the 'HANDLE AS GLASS' too. You might want to get those too if you really need it.

I have seen your product for the 1st time a couple of days ago. It's great that your company comes up with these alternative lighting equipment. I would get it if I can afford one. Hope you'll find my contribution in this thread helpful in the course to provide excellent customer support.:)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10027425#post10027425 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Amphibious
That would be a big improvement and probably end the shipping damage.
Click to expand...

I would agree. But suggestions to increase the foam blocks inside the inner box to better support the fixture are also good.

I was pleasantly surprised as to how much shimmer I'm getting. Very similar to my old MHs.

Spleen
 
Could someone tell me how tall the Solaris units are including the mounting legs? I have 7 1/4" inside my canopy at the moment. Would I have to modify the canopy to fit a Solaris inside?
 
7 inches from the rim of the tank to the top of the fixture using the mounting legs. I'd be worried about overheating with such limited airspace in your canopy. My fixture runs consistently between 90 - 95 degrees when all the lights are on with an open top tank.

Spleen
 
Yes, you can cut vent holes in the ends of your canopy to accomodate the Solaris venting feature. It's important to size your holes as large or larger than the Solaris fans and be sure they line up together.
 
ok, I am going to chime in here on the packaging.....

I was concerned about the hole in the side at first, but the ends of the unit were encased in those foam blocks, and it didn't really have a chance to move around. The unit was about 5" into each block, and I had to pull everything out to remove the foam. Yes a thicker box might have been better, but as long as the unit wasn't damaged, then I could care less. It's a freaking box for god sakes. Let's not get away from the fact that the 400w unit is now shipping, and looks freaking awesome.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10035823#post10035823 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LarryW
ok, I am going to chime in here on the packaging.....

I was concerned about the hole in the side at first, but the ends of the unit were encased in those foam blocks, and it didn't really have a chance to move around. The unit was about 5" into each block, and I had to pull everything out to remove the foam. Yes a thicker box might have been better, but as long as the unit wasn't damaged, then I could care less. It's a freaking box for god sakes. Let's not get away from the fact that the 400w unit is now shipping, and looks freaking awesome.
Click to expand...


Good thing the unit was not damaged you will not be so happy today ;)
They need to use a better box ( stronger ) it may cost more for a shipping but if i pay two or three grand for a light what is $200 for shipping ? nothing if i get the light in one piece.
 
I agree, that a thicker box or a double box would be better, and it appears PFO will resolve the issue on future shipments.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10035997#post10035997 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LarryW
I agree, that a thicker box or a double box would be better, and it appears PFO will resolve the issue on future shipments.
Click to expand...
I'm sure of that .
Hey..... you need to get your tank going :cool: what is the hold up?
 
lot's of stuff.... :D well I am actually pretty close, I just need to get my powerheads, and return pump, and plumb the system. Then I need some base rock, and I can setup my structures, and then add sand, fill and order LR. I am actually looking at around september when it will be up.
 
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