Lighting 1 bulb keeps dying in a Fusion 8 bulb T5HO fixture

[lunarman]

I have this fixture.

http://www.growlights.ca/growlights...w-t5-ho/fusion-bright-2x8-192w-t5-ho-kit.html

1 bulb in position number 3 keeps dying on me. I just replaced it again for the second time in a week and it died again.

Anyone know of issues where fixtures have a defect that causes bulbs to blow in a specific position over and over?

 

[lunarman]

Bump. anyone familiar with T5 fixtures and the inner workings?

 

[Spanglish]

Hi bro, not to sure what the problem could be but this guy seems to know the inner workings and might give you a few ideas.

​

 

[Banjacked]

I have this fixture.

http://www.growlights.ca/growlights...w-t5-ho/fusion-bright-2x8-192w-t5-ho-kit.html

1 bulb in position number 3 keeps dying on me. I just replaced it again for the second time in a week and it died again.

Anyone know of issues where fixtures have a defect that causes bulbs to blow in a specific position over and over?

My GUESS is either one or both of the "end caps", the bits the tube clicks in to. It's quite possible that one of the connections in them isn't sitting right so the pressure on the pins on the tube isn't right, you get a bad connection, things work up and move a little, the tube doesn't get the necessary power and PFZZT. It could also be a dodgy wiring connection to a cap, everything warms up and the connection goes loose and PZT. Either way, things cooling down and then you giving everything a wobble as you replace the tube means everything works until the same "problem" rears its ugly head around the same length of time later.

Since it only affects one tube, that's where to look at first as I can't see that unit having one ballast per tube, meaning a bad ballast would knock out multiple tubes. No, this is peculiar to that one tube so start with the obvious and replace the "caps", they're not expensive and are usually just clip in parts, and make sure all connections to and from these two "caps" are sound.

 

[lunarman]

Thanks for the troubleshooting ideas. I have 2 lights out now. I would love to take this fixture apart and have a look at the ballasts and lamps on the ballasts to see if the 2 are on one ballast. And then look at wire connections and the pin connector slots. Too bad these lights have this kind of issue because I love the way they veg my plants. I don't want to even stop using it to take it apart!

My GUESS is either one or both of the "end caps", the bits the tube clicks in to. It's quite possible that one of the connections in them isn't sitting right so the pressure on the pins on the tube isn't right, you get a bad connection, things work up and move a little, the tube doesn't get the necessary power and PFZZT. It could also be a dodgy wiring connection to a cap, everything warms up and the connection goes loose and PZT. Either way, things cooling down and then you giving everything a wobble as you replace the tube means everything works until the same "problem" rears its ugly head around the same length of time later.

Since it only affects one tube, that's where to look at first as I can't see that unit having one ballast per tube, meaning a bad ballast would knock out multiple tubes. No, this is peculiar to that one tube so start with the obvious and replace the "caps", they're not expensive and are usually just clip in parts, and make sure all connections to and from these two "caps" are sound.

 

[Banjacked]

Thanks for the troubleshooting ideas. I have 2 lights out now. I would love to take this fixture apart and have a look at the ballasts and lamps on the ballasts to see if the 2 are on one ballast. And then look at wire connections and the pin connector slots. Too bad these lights have this kind of issue because I love the way they veg my plants. I don't want to even stop using it to take it apart!

No, if two lamps were on one ballast then both would have gone if the ballast was down. Would it be "number 2 and 3" or "1&2" out, by any chance? If the "first/last two", as it depends on which end you count from, are out then it could be a connection problem with what is the second to last set of connections of a single ballast unit, or, of course, the first lamp to go is the end of the link in a two lamp per ballast system and the "new" dead lamp has the dodgy connection. If not two lamps at the end of the unit, but "2&3", then we're looking at possibly 3 lamps per ballast and the fault lies at lamp 2's connections. Any other combination means it's more complicated and I'd need the schematics.

Gotta rip her down, have a look inside, find the fault