Uggh... major lighting issue

DRC Archive General Saltwater Discussion
1

SO, I came home last night to see that my blue actinic bulbs were not on anymore. I flip over my light fixture to see this:

Luckily everything is in warranty, however getting hold of Current USA seems to be a little difficult. Seems that although they are open from 8:00 to 4:30 PST… they don’t answer their phones… I am afraid of how long it may take me to get this light fixture fixed, I can’t afford to run with 2 x54watts waiting for Current USA to return my message I left.

I am considering switching to a different brand of t5ho fixture. Any recommendations?

2

Well I absolutely would not use that fixture - even for the other bulbs. See if anyone has a spare fixture oyu can borrow until Current replaces this one. Or look at picking up a used one on consignment somewhere.

If you’re hell bent on replacing it I have never heard anything bad about the Tek lights.

3

I just keep thinking that is it possible that this could have caused a fire in my house had it kept burning? Then, instead of just getting replacement parts, I want to know what caused this. The splash shield was on the light, however there is still evidence that salt is getting into the fixture, since one of the screw heads holding the reflector on is rusted. I am not sure what Current USA is going to do, if anything. I am waiting on them to call me back, since I left a message on their answering machine last night about an hour before they were supposed to have closed. I have a small 1 bulb 36" fixture that I can use… and might move my sump light up to help supplement during the day until I can either get a new light, or get a replacement fixture.

Thanks, I will check out the tek fixtures.

4

Just spoke with someone from Current USA. They are going to send me out a complete fixture to replace the one that I have. So, kudos to them. I guess calling and leaving 2 voicemails and sending an email got their attention. :slight_smile: haha.

5

lol nice

6

I would have been shocked if they did anything less than send you a replacement. With how closely forums are tied to this hobby it would only take one thread on RC with those pics to potentially cause enough financial damage to current that would cost them the price of that fixture 100 times over.

I dont want to take away from the fact that they are replacing your fixture for you. I give them big props. Im a fan of Current and your experience will make me continue to be a fan.

Not that my opinion is an expert one, but i would like to say that this could have happened with any manufactures fixture. Although these things can be caused by poor workmanship they are more often caused by the electronics and electrical components themselves. Ive tore open enough current fixtures to know that their craftsmenship is up to par. Coincidentally i just gutted their 72" pro nova this week. The only thing i saw that was even close to being an issue was the use of two white wires tied into a hot splice block. Has absolutely 0 effect on the fixture and how it functions but could potentially cause problems if someone were to attempt to re-wire the fixture.

7

I won’t voice my opinions too much on a public forum, but I have heard too much about Current in the last two years.(and I hear a lot about what is going around in the industry) I won’t personally be buying any of their fixtures any more. If you would like to hear more talk to me at a meeting.

8

There has been a down slide in current products as i’ve heard. i’ve heard icecap started making fixtures, any reviews from anyone yet?

9

The guy I talked to said that because of the picture that I sent to them, he thinks corrosion had some part in the failure. Because I dont run a piece of glass on the top of my tank and the only thing separating the water from the bulb is the plexiglass that comes with the fixture, the salt can find a way through cracks and crevices and possibly cause this. I don’t like putting the glass on the top of the aquarium because I didnt want the light to have to pass through the plexiglass and the glass on the top of the aquarium. The glass gets dirtier faster because of dust and salt spray on the inside of the aquarium. Looks like I may be thinking of running with that glass in place, or at least a piece of plexiglass from Lowes or Home Depot. We’ll see.

I am still going to keep a close eye on sales and what not on the internet. I would ultimately like to pick up a unit with lunar lights and possibly no cooling fan (or at least a quieter fan than this unit).

10

try getting more distance on the lights from the tank, my tank has a canopy i removed the top from and modded the canopy so the fans just clear the metal rails which moves the fixture about ~6" from the water… perhaps make a custom mod that raises the sides up 2-3" so you have more distance? im sure you can find a way.

The “Mod” that raised the lights off the water…

11

this is just my opinion but dont feel corosion caused it. heat was more the cause, or a loose wire or bulb arching.

12

[quote=“martinfaimly, post:11, topic:2709”]
this is just my opinion but dont feel corosion caused it. heat was more the cause, or a loose wire or bulb arching. [/quote]

arch-ing? or arc-ing?

just to clarify…

i figure you are saying arch-ing as in the bulb bent and shattered, but why would the end cap burn? (i dont know just asking)

if arc-ing as in electricty than what would cause the jump? (which i doubt at all, but shawn would be the man to ask)

13

[quote=“TimH07, post:12, topic:2709”]

[quote=“martinfaimly, post:11, topic:2709”]
this is just my opinion but dont feel corosion caused it. heat was more the cause, or a loose wire or bulb arching. [/quote]

if arc-ing as in electricty than what would cause the jump? (which i doubt at all, but shawn would be the man to ask)[/quote]

if it was heat and electrical problem then melting was for sure . and it was melted and plastic was on fire. as a few months ago if you remember my little fire in my ballast box.

14

what i am referring too…http://delreefclub.org/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=28&topic=2550.0

15

oh i remember that clearly and im so glad thats all you lost on that one sir! :BEER

16

Yeah, I highly doubt it had anything to do with the corrosion, that was just what they were saying.

As for modding the height of the light, I too have a canopy for the tank. The light already sits on the included pedestals that come with it, and I believe there is only about an inch at the most between the top of my fixture and the inside of the top of the canopy. So I already have a pretty good amount of distance.

What I did do to fix the increased amount of corrosion on the side of the light was put a small piece of black acrylic directly over the corner overflow. I was getting the majority of the salt creep directly overtop of the overflow and figured that would help stop that. Plus I used black because I was getting alot of algae growing on the top of the overflow and figured that would help minimize the algae growth. I just made that change like 3 days ago when I realized I had a couple pieces of scrap black acrylic left over after making my background.

17

arcing is usually caused by miss alignment of the end caps. if they have been twisted off line a little, some arcing can occure. Ive had it happen on my DIY VHO light endcaps ive mounted. and a little corrosion on the pins. when it arcs, the pins can weld to the contacts or melt them down, like that. Alignment and positive clean contacts are very important. was the bulb in sqaurely? at a perfect 90 degree rotation.?

18

[quote=“ihuntinde, post:9, topic:2709”]
Looks like I may be thinking of running with that glass in place, or at least a piece of plexiglass from Lowes or Home Depot. [/quote]

Glass will significantly effect your par ratings and plexiglass will likely bow and fall in your tank. If the plexi stays atop your tank it will likely become discolored and effect par and appearance of your tank. Perhaps consider raising the fixture a little above the aquarium. Most of the current fixtures have tiny little legs and don’t elevate the fixtures enough in my opinion. (seems others made posts about this as well nm)

19

[quote=“kaptken, post:17, topic:2709”]
arcing is usually caused by miss alignment of the end caps. if they have been twisted off line a little, some arcing can occure. Ive had it happen on my DIY VHO light endcaps ive mounted. and a little corrosion on the pins. when it arcs, the pins can weld to the contacts or melt them down, like that. Alignment and positive clean contacts are very important. was the bulb in sqaurely? at a perfect 90 degree rotation.? [/quote]

Well, I can’t say it was a perfect 90 degree rotation. The endcaps are plastic and from the very beginning were extremely hard to turn with the bulb. The prongs on the bulb on one of the endcaps was actually giving before the endcap would turn, and it would pinch the prongs together. I ended up turning the endcap mechanism with a screwdriver, spreading the prongs on the endcap back apart, inserting the bulb into one end of the fixture and prying the other endcap outwards, in order to get the bulb in place. Everything popped back into place, and the bulb felt very snug.

When the next fixture comes in, I am going to use an electrical grease like electricians use on the main power wires that come into a home and connect to your breaker box. It’s to help prevent corrosion, and is supposed to resist breaking down from heat, although I am sure it has a specific temperature point where it will start to break down.

[quote=“Gordonious, post:18, topic:2709”]
Glass will significantly effect your par ratings and plexiglass will likely bow and fall in your tank. If the plexi stays atop your tank it will likely become discolored and effect par and appearance of your tank. Perhaps consider raising the fixture a little above the aquarium. Most of the current fixtures have tiny little legs and don’t elevate the fixtures enough in my opinion. (seems others made posts about this as well nm)[/quote]

Good point that the plexiglass may discolor, that thought never crossed my mind.

As of right now, I have about 2 1/2 inches of clearance between the top of my tank and the bottom of the fixture. With about 3/4" to the top of the water. I will take a closer look tonight when I get home, but I really do not think it is possible to raise the fixture anymore with the canopy on the tank, unless I can modify the canopy to sit a little higher off the tank, which could be a possibility. I am also going to invest in stainless or brass screws and bolts wherever I can replace them on the new fixture. One of the screws on my current fixture that is holding the leg to the fixture is severely corroded to the point where it is actually falling apart, and there is only one place for the corrosion to fall… directly into my tank. That was another reason I put that black acrylic over the overflow, that is the corner that screw is on.