Lights on fire

[bellanavis]

Great, just when we were getting really close to accualy setting up the 380, my lights caught on fire, at least the cords did. Anyone know if they are trash, or if they can be fixed? I can't afford to buy new lights. All my corals are dying.

 

[ghiggi]

I'm not an electrician, but I do know that the smaller the wire, the less current it can carry. So, it sounds like your wire was too small for all of the power your lights were pulling. What is your lighting setup? You may try rewiring it so that the power is divided between two or more power cables, or change out the cable to a larger wire size.
For example, in my hood, I have 2 PC ballasts connected to one power line (384 watts total) and 2 MH ballast each with their own power lines (400 watts each). Each of these three plugs then gets plug into its' own wall recepticle. Each power lines is a 14 guage 3 wire cable.

 

[bellanavis]

Thanks for the answer, but I have no clue, I will have to show that to my husband.

 

[wangotango]

See if you can contact the manufacturer. I'm assuming that they would use the correct wiring etc. but maybe something was faulty. They will usually send replacements if it is their fault.
-Justin

 

[bellanavis]

Ok, thanks, I will see what they say.

 

[acrylic51]

Hey BellaNavis.....can you shoot a pic up of the ballast and the burnt wiring? I might be able to talk you through some on the phone if you like....PM and we'll see what we get......
Did the lights ever fire or did the cords burn first?

 

[raymondcookjr]

Can U Take A Pic Of The Wire Sounds Like To Small Of Wire