ballast help!!!

[metmike]

hey guys my buddy has a 75 gallon tank he had a dual bulb fixture for two 48' bulbs he had to change the a ballast in the fixture about 3 months ago we recently too the fixture apart because he got a canopy and we mounted the lights and ballasta now the ballast wont start the lights in the morring unless some one wigles the bulbs and then the lights come on and a another thing the ballast gets really hot during the day I am needing to know why the lights dont come on by them selfs and how com the ballast gets so hot any info would be really helpfull we have got to figure something out thanks
metmike

 

[bigarn]

If the ballast is getting hot it should have a fan in the canopy. If you have to wiggle the bulb to get it to light, the bulb and or the fixture is faulty or the wrong size. IMO

 

[wwfstyle]

my 1st guess would be that the bulbs aren't in all the way. Check your wireing. Your ballast will get hot. I have a work horse 7 and boy that thing gets HOT. I have a 2x4 under it to keep it away from my carpet. So the ballast I would say is normal.

 

[metmike]

the only reason that I dont think that it is the worng ballast for the two light bulbs is because it was working great for like 3 months or so never had to wiggle the lights to get them to come on and now u do. is there a wrong way to mount a ballast?

 

[metmike]

and I also thought about the lights not coming on may have something to do with the end caps maybe there wore out or something

 

[metmike]

with the ballast getting so hot could that hurt anything could that cause the ballast to go out?and if the ballast does go out could it take out the light bulbs as well