M-59 Retro Wiring Diagram

[Trae]

After buying a Hellolights 400 watt retro and not knowing how to wire it I found this page. Here is a link:

http://site183.mysite4now.com/v3glassworks/M-59

Have not tried it but plan on it in a day or so. I DO NOT GUARANTEE IT WILL WORK NOR IF IT IS CORRECT. Now that should have been a big enough disclaimer.

Trae

[captexas]

You could have emailed Hellolights for the info. I'm sure they would have been able to help you. Of course if your ballast is from somewhere else, they won't know how it is wired, but they can tell you what the wires on their retro kits are supposed to be connected to a normal ballast.

[Trae]

Yeah, but that would have been the easy way. Besides I figured they would have had an easily accessible diagram instead of just saying have a qualified electrician install it for you.

Trae

[captexas]

That's strange. When I got my VHO retro kit from them it came with a complete wiring diagram even though every thing was already hooked up.

The part about having a qualified electrician install it for you is to cover them incase you hook it up incorrectly, burn your house down, and then try to sue them. While they make/sell the product and know how it is supposed to be connected, they are not licensed electricians and are not there at your house to make sure there is nothing else that could cause a problem. Also, the electrical code vaires somewhat from city to city and there is no way for them to know all the rules which an electrician and they would have to abide by.
I don't recommend anyone doing any kind of electrical work unless you are 100% comfortable with it. A lot of house fires start because of bad electrical wiring.

Hopefully everything works out with your setup.

[Trae]

I am glad they are covering themselves. I would have never thought, that is why they have the info on a qualified electrician.

Your input has been greatly appreciated. Guess I got a get a electrician since I do not know the codes in my city.

Trae

[captexas]

Trae -
As long as you are comfortable doing the wiring, it's no big deal. The electrical code is what any electrician would have to follow if they did it (that's if they want to keep their license of course). Having a huge container of water directly over an electical outlet isn't exactly code approved, but we all do it! Most DIY wiring for tank lights is not up to code, but if you are careful you will be ok. Again, the referring you to an electrician is just to keep them from being liable if something were to happen, as electricity can be very dangerous. Hope that helps.

[Trae]

Pulled the link since Hellolights has the info.

Trae

[captexas]

As Josh said, usually don't need an electrician. Just have to have some idea of what you are doing. I work on a lot of construction sites and I have seen licensed electricians do some stupid/crazy stuff before. I like to think I know what I am doing, but even so, I have been zapped a few times, usually at work!

Just recently a 14 year old boy was electrocuted to death when his uncle was trying to do some wiring repairs at his house here in S.A. The uncle kept having a breaker trip at the house so he decided to run a new wire from one part of the house to the main panel. The boy was pulling the wire through the crawl space under the house when he unfortunately found what was causing the problem. An electrical wire was shorting on a metal pipe under the house, therefore causing the breaker to trip. While crawling under the house, the boy touched the pipe and was killed. The uncle was slighly injured when he crawled under and crabbed the boy to pull him out and he was shocked.

Just want everyone to be careful out there. Not just being electrocuted that can hurt you, but a fire from a short can be devestating as well.