Mh Bulbs

[Bomber]

when i first set up my new tank..one of my mh bulbs wasn't working..so the guy who ownes a lfs gave me a lend of a mh bulb to see if my bulb was wore out.. but that wasn't that case..i just didn't let my balistes charge up ennouf..anywyas i brough the mh bulb back to him like yesteday..and at work i get a call saying i brough back the bulb burnt out.. .. my qusetion is can a new mh bulb burn out if it gets pluged in for like 15 - 20 seconds and then unpluged and maybe repluged in like a few hours later for 15 - 20 seconds agin?? cause thats what he said i did..but my dad is 100% shour the bulb was perfict when i brough it back to him..

Thanks
Billy!

Ps: he only said the bulb was gone because one of his friends took it home and it didn't work for him?? did i do it or did his friend.. i'am going to have to pay like $80.00 for this freaking bulb that i'am almost shour i didn't hirt..

 

[Bomber]

Anyone!!???

 

[SkiFletch]

Halide bulbs burn out in a few ways, let me see if I can describe them for you.

1- Using an improper wattage ballast
2- Using an improper starting ballast (pulse start vs probe start, etc)
3- Re-striking the bulb within 5-15 minutes time depending on the bulb
4- Dropping the bulb
5- Breaking the bulb
6- Freezing the bulb
7- Using a bulb on a malfunctioning ballast

All these are possible ways of failure of a bulb. Striking a bulb and turning it off shortly thereafter and allowing it to cool for an hour does nothing to the bulb other than account for maybe an hour of use. If the bulb truly is dead and the shopowner isnt lying to you, I can only imagine that either your ballast is malfunctioning, the bulb was dropped, or he gave you a wrong bulb to use with your ballast starter. If he gave you a probe start bulb to test with, and you have a pulse start ballast, you can wreck a bulb that way.