Fluorescent Repair

[waterdrop]

One of my two cheap marineland 18w fluorescent fixtures decided to flash on and off rather than coming fully on this morning. The symptom is that it does little fast blinks like its trying to start up (& I notice the ends of the tube looking orange) but the tube fails to light up and then it seems to try the sequence again.

I'm thinking this just means the fluorescent bulb is bad and not the electronic starter, right? Seems like the repeated attempt to start must mean the starter is doing its job ok. The fixture has a little small cannister like those I think used to be called "ballasts" on the older type fixtures. Is this little can the "starter?" (in case that's what I need?)

Thanks! ~~waterdrop~~

 

[aaronnorth]

theelectronic ballast will be ok. It might need a new starter. If you can see the white cap at the top right of this hood, then it might need a new one of these:

http/www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/technic...m_lights/102967

otherwise it is the bulb.

 

[BINKSY]

As already said i think the ballst will be fine as the lamp is trying to light.


One trick to try is to twist out the starter then put it back in whilst the light is still on and see if the lamp lights, just be a little careful whilst doing this, but if the lamp lights then you know its the starter.



Cheers Gordon

 

[jimmyringo]

Mine was doing the same recently.Blinking repeatedly and lighting orangey at the ends of the bulb.Just needed a new starter.Cost less than a pound at B&Q(or wherever).

 

[waterdrop]

Thanks guys. Sheesh, not my day. I had taken the bulb in and out and turned the little capacitor-looking can but apparently that's not the starter, per above. Then I went out in my shop because I had recently bought a new gro-light type tube but I had bought it based on the length of the fixture and it turned out my real tubes are smaller, so I wanted to get the tube to take with me to return. As I got it off the shelf I just had time to note that the K-rating was not what I would have wanted anyway, when it shot out of the end of the box and literally exploded all over my shop floor.

So I guess one would want the existing starter to know what value of starter to buy, right? A bother since I'm at work, but I'm asking as perhaps the ones for this very standard, very straight little 18w (shorter than two foot, as the tank is two foot wide) would be pretty straight-forward and I could risk a hardware store trip without knowing all the details?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[aaronnorth]

yes, plants will grow under ay kelvin rating anyway.

 

[BINKSY]

all you need to know to buy a starter is the wattage of your lamp, for example on my 2ft tank my tube is 18 inches long and is rated at 15 watts, the starter will say on the side which wattage lamps it can start.



Cheers Gordon

 

[waterdrop]

Thanks Gordon and Aaron!

 

[BINKSY]

Your welcome, good luck with it.


Cheers Gordon

 

[waterdrop]

Mine was doing the same recently.Blinking repeatedly and lighting orangey at the ends of the bulb.Just needed a new starter.Cost less than a pound at B&Q(or wherever).

Well guys, thought I would followup so this thread could retain some more information:

I picked up a pack of starters and a new bulb. I ended observing a couple of interesting things. I swapped in a new starter cylinder and nothing changed. The bulb just kept trying to start and had orangy lookend ends (also noteworthy was that after my original post it had gone back to working ok for another week or so!).

So next I swapped in the new fluorescent tube. A couple of strong blinks and boom.. on came the very bright seeming light. I then turned it off and swapped the old starter back in and it started the tube just fine, so I've left the old starter in and stored my 2 extra starters I got. **So perhaps a bad bulb can give the same symptoms as a bad starter.**

Also, of more minor interest, the new bulb, same size as the old, was rated at only 15 watts instead of 18 watts, but it seemed -much- brighter to my eye. The old bulb should not have been that old as both my fixtures and their bulbs are only a few months from being bought new, definately less than a year anyway.

Anyway, was a slow day, just finished my weekend water change and just thought I'd post up this tidbit.
~~waterdrop~~