VHO problems ,,,darn it

[Murphs205]

man ,,,they keep shutting off ,,,,, worked fine forever ,,,,all of a sudden this week ,,,they kick off every 2 hours ,,,they are not hot either ,,,fan running ,,,not hot at all up there ,,,, i run a ice cap 660 w/ 4 VHO 110 watt bulbs ,,, 2 white 2 blues ,,,,,, i can figure out why ,,,i have taken it allllllllllllllllllllll apart ,,,,, seems fine,,nothing loose, wires all good and clean, end caps are tight and clean ,,,, just burring me up ,,,,,,,, man Murphy's law AGAIN !!!!! im going to take them out in the street and run them over ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Murph ,,,,,,,,

 

[USAquatics]

Sounds like the ballast is overheating. Then shutting off. Do they come on by themselves after shutting off? Have you moved your ballast lately. Or, stacked something on top of it, or near it. How old is the ballast? At twelve hours per day, 2-3 years would be a good life.

 

[Murphs205]

the ice caps is about 1.5 years old ,,,,,,,,,, not hot at all ,,,,, sits all alone , not stacked on anything , nothing touching it ,,,,, it must be going bad somehow ,,,,,,,, man ill tell ya ,,,,,its time to break down and get a new MH system ,,,but the 800 bucks hurts ,,,,,

 

[oldreefer76]

Thermal overload or a voltage regulator going bad, if you decide to get rid of it let me know they are repairable

 

[EYESEEU]

hey murph check this out try this Continuity Tests

http://www.icecapinc.com/trshoot.htm

 

[oldreefer76]

Murph,
I can stop over and help you do the test if you need , I have a DVM and can stop after work tommorrow

 

[Fdfiremedic]

Hey Murph mine did the same thing years ago and I remember sending it into icecap and they repaired it for very cheap. Sounds like the Ballast is going bad. You dont even need the receipt for warranty just send it back.

 

[Murphs205]

Thank you guys ,,,,,, i will check it out some more after work wed ,,,im done messing with it for now ,,, i think i will use this one for a excuse to get a new MH system ,,,,, i think i have already convinced myslef ,,,now to work on the keeper of the cash ,,,,,,,,, shes a hard sell too ,,,,i have a 5 day golf trip to Vegas next month too ,,,,,,, it wont be easy for new lights ,,,wish me luck ,,,,lol

Murph

 

[USAquatics]

A five day golf trip to Vegas and a new MH lighting system in the same month. WOW does the keeper of the cash have a sister? Sounds like she's a keeper. Good luck with the asking (begging). LOL

 

[itZme]

it's usually around $65 to have IceCap rebuild your ballast. It only takes a few days.

I was wondering something else though,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, why are there always so many commas ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and no periods in your posts,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ?????????????????????

 

[Brad Black]

Same thing happened to mine in december, sent in and fixed for 50-60 buks good service.

 

[Murphs205]

my bad ITZME, i will use the proper periods , comas , and question marks for you . (thats a period)

NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol thanks you for the info on the Ice cap ITZME. (thats a period)

i took the entire fixture apart this morning, seems to be fine. no problems so far today. (thats a period)

 

[itZme]

Thank you (exclamation point) :thumbsup: Good luck.

 

[itZme]

Murph, if you will be at the next meeting I have a URI A4 ballast which is identical to an IceCap 660 you could borrow the try out and be sure it is your ballast that is bad. If it does the same thing with my ballast it would have to be something else like wiring or bulbs or even worn endcaps that aren't making good connection.

Let me know if you would like me to bring it. I work in Medina and wouldn't mind if you wanted me to bring it there to pick up before the meeting.

-- Kevin

 

[cowboycaddy]

I had the same problem a while back.All I did was reset my icecap timer and everything was ok.Might help if you use one of them.