coralvue ballast

[blueboy]

one of my electronic ballasts i got from greg back in Feb. is not firing. we just came home from dinner and one of them was out. it sound like it's trying to fire, but just whirrs for a couple of seconds, then shuts down. any ideas? also i remember a few weeks ago seeing a post that greg wasn't going to be dealing with these lights any more, but don't remember who it was that he said was taking over for him? anyone know? any help will be much appreciated.

[MikeyBoy]

might be the bulb if it crackles and tries to fire.
I have Coralvue pendants and one of the bulbs was bad and it did that.
Polkster13 might be able to help.

[GaryP]

My understanding is that Polkster is handling any warranty issues for Greg. Try contacting him.

[AlexKilpatrick]

Just to chime in on my experiences. I bough three pendants from Greg earlier this year, and I have had three ballasts fail. One of the ones that failed was a warranty replacement. I don't blame Greg, but I am certainly never buying anything from Coralvue again.

[Polkster13]

To Alex in particular and to everyone in general,

Alex, I am sorry to hear about your past problems with CoralVue products. I hope you will give them another chance in the future. The MH ballasts have a three year warranty. How old were these other two ballasts?

There were some problems with the previous versions of CoralVue's ballast. CoralVue has switched to a different ballast for their MH setups and I believe it to be a superior product. That said, I have 6 of the older ballasts and have never had a problem with any of them (except for one blown a fuse once during a thunder storm).

I have switched over to the Workhorse ballast for the T5 setups. These are easier to wire and have a better track record than the older T5 ballasts. I also have several of the older ballasts on my personal setups and again have had no issues with any of them.

Just like anything out there, sometimes there is a bad batch or the manufacturer makes improvements to their product line to fix potiental problems.

Any warranty issues arising from any CoralVue product sold to you from 360Reef (Greg) will be covered by me. If you have a problem with your ballast not working, please give me a call. Sometimes it is not the ballast but either a poor connection or loose connection of one of the wires. If it is determined that it is the ballast, I will give you another one and send the original one back to the manufacturer at my expense.

If you have any questions or concerns about any CoralVue product, please do not hesitate to call me.

Thanks for your continuing patronage,

Frederick
Coral Reef Bazaar
512-680-6647

[AlexKilpatrick]

Thanks, Frederick.

The ballasts are less than a year old. I thought they might have blown a fuse, but I opened one up and I don't see a fuse anywhere.

I'll be in touch.

[JimD]

The fuse is located on the outside of the ballast where the power cord hooks in, theres a little flap that you have to pry open with a small screwdriver.

[AlexKilpatrick]

Thanks for the tip. I would have never, ever found it.

Does anyone know what rating this fuse is supposed to be? It says the ballast outputs 2.1 A, but I don't see anything about the amp rating for the fuse. I assume it is a bit more than 2.1 A

[JimD]

There should be a rating on the existing fuse?

[MikeyBoy]

That is about as good of service as one could hope for.................I just hope none my new pendents have problems <~~~knocking on wood.

good to see old fashion servic still exists............
Great job Polkster.

[AlexKilpatrick]

There should be a rating on the existing fuse?

Ah, yes there is, but it is very faint -- 4A, in case anyone else needs it.

[AlexKilpatrick]

This did the trick. All my ballasts are working now. Thanks for the help, guys. The fuses are available at Radio Shack, if anyone else runs into this problem.

I'm planning on replacing them with icecap ballasts, though. The coralvue's are just too big and too noisy for my tastes.

[gjuarez]

ITs great to hear that from Polkster as I am getting ready to do business with him on a T5 setup. Thats right, good ol fashion customer service. Hey Frederick, you mentioned that you have swithced to workhorse, do you recommend those over coralvues. Please let me know. Jerry

[blueboy]

as it turns out, it was just a bulb. frederick was very helpfull in getting this sorted out and getting me some new 14K's. i like the color much better. thanks frederick

[AlexKilpatrick]

Do the 14Ks look good without actinic supplement? I am considering changing.

[hobogato]

the fuse has to be a 4A "slow blow" fuse or it will just burn out as soon as you turn on the power

[SBreef]

If the fuse is marked with a "T", it is a slow blow. Other types of slow blow fuses will have different letters stamped on them. If it is a "Fast" blow, standard type, do not replace with a slow blow, unless the manufacturer says too! The only reson why slow blows are used, is because of the initial in rush of current, when the unit is powered up. Over fusing can cause major problems, like fire. With all of the humidity and salt creep around our tanks, use only replacement fuses that the manufacturer calls for. And if in doubt, call them!!

[1salt]

Well put SBreef :skeezy

[blueboy]

the 14K looks great without actinic. i was considering getting rid of my T-5 actinics, but i think i'll keep them just for that dawn-dusk effect.

[Polkster13]

If anyone has any questions regarding CoralVue lights or lighting in general, feel free to call me at 512-680-6647 drop me a note at Frederick_Falk@cstdi.com or CustomerService@CoralReefBazaar.com and I will be more than happy to answer your questions.

Also, please be aware that CoralVue is located in Slidell, LA and I have yet to hear back from them. I am doubting I will hear anything from them for a couple of weeks. I do have supplies that should last me till then.

As far as ballasts go; yes, I am switching to the Workhorse ballast for the retro T5 kits. I am also using a different reflector than what typically comes with the standard CoralVue retro kits. I believe these kits to be the best on the market.

I have been very busy of late and also broke my foot and have not had the time to check MAAST lately. However, I do check my email regularly and that is the best way to contact me.

Abe, I am glad to hear the new bulbs are working out.

I am also glad to hear that the problem with the ballast was just a blown fuse.

[hobogato]

i know it is supposed to be a slow blow fuse because the guy at coralvue told me. i had a new style 250 watt ballast that was not working, and that was the first thing he told me to check. the first fuses i tried to use were fast blow, and they burned immediately. when i called david ( the guy at coralvue), he told me to use slow blow. my ballast burned those as well, so coralvue replaced it with the new style ballast. the people at coralvue were very nice and responsive. the only issue i had was with getting in touch with them, because this was a month or so ago when they were moving.

[Polkster13]

Well, not only were they in the middle of the move but they moved to Slidell, LA which has been wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. Greg Houston (CoralVue Distributer) and myself (CoralVue authorized reseller) have been trying to get in touch with David (the owner of CoralVue) for the past week. We have yet to hear back from him. We are praying that they are all okay and just haven't responded because they have much more important things on there plate, like surviving! Hopefully, we will hear from them soon and that they are all okay. Please keep them and the other residents of LA and MS that have lost everything in your prayers and do what you can to help them out (by sending money, food, clothes, et cetera) to the relief effort.