Dual PFO Ballst problem

[dapettit]

I know it's Christmas day. . .

I have noticed that the light color output on the right side of the tank is much yellower than the left side. I switched the bulbs and it seems to be even yellower. I have not been able to switch the connections to the ballast (hard to get to). I'm running XM 250W mogul base 10K bulbs which are know for being bright white. Does this sound like a ballast problem?


Dave-

[dapettit]

What no one??!

[Bill S]

It DOES sound like a ballast problem... But, I'm not a ballast expert.

[JimD]

Well what kind of ballast is it, dual, two singles?? Magnetic, electronic? Either way, you're gonna have to get to the ballast to diagnose the problem.

[technomex]

I ran a dual 400W pfo ballast for a while. About the only thing in there that would possibly go out, would be the capacitor. I doubt it is the core. I had to change mine out once after one of them literally blew out. Crack it open (if it is no longer in warranty) and take a look.

[dapettit]

The only problem is everything is new. Less than a month old.

[erikharrison]

try and swap the cabling to verify if it is indeed the ballast and not any of the wiring.

[caferacermike]

Well everything has what they call a "burn in" stage. There is no guarantee that wrapping X amount of copper wire around a magnet will produce the EXACT same results every time, it very well could be that each ballast burned in slightly different. It's reasons like this I prefer separate ballasts. If you think one is wonky you can send it back. If the system had not been "less than a month old" I also would have said to check the caps. But hey since it is new, call PFO and explain the problem. They may send you a new one. Mention something about asking about the problem first on a large reef forum community, maybe they will want to help more so that you don't send out a bad message about PFO.

[dapettit]

I took the ballast off the RK2 and plugged it directly into the wall. 30 minutes later the bulb went place. Replaced it with bulb from the right side and it glows yellow. the light inputs were switch the night before and bulb was bright white. I will be pulling the base off and double checking the wiring.

Thanks for the advice Caferacermike. If the above doesn't work that was going to be my next step.

[dapettit]

After all the troubleshooting it looks like its the mogul base. It's either crosswired or just plain bad. How do I know your ask? I removed the bases from both reflectors and put the know good on the side I was having problems. Screwed in the bulb, connected the cable to the suspect input on the ballast, powered the ballast on and presto changeo we have white light. Since my eyes are really bad I'll check the suspect base in the morning.

Thanks for all the input. I'll keep everyone posted. . .