New problem...

[flower]

I put a new bulb on the left side that would not stay lit. WORKS YAY!
However now when the other side kicks on..it blows a fuse every time. I had no issues with the right side...Now what?
I kind of know what the problem is. The GFCI outlets feel the "pulse" and kicks off. There is nothing but GFCI outlets all around the tank. It used to blow the fuse when both kicked on at once, so I would start the right one then the other after it was good and lit. Now the left side can light but the right side no matter what can't.
They won't light together or one ahead of the other..left or right first, as soon as the right kicks on..the GFCI kicks off.
I need a smiley thet pulls it's hair out of it's head so I can express myself.

 

[geoj]

The GFCI is telling you something

I am no electrician but sounds like a short or you are overloading the circuit.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoJ http:///forum/thread/384723/new-problem#post_3371296
The GFCI is telling you something

I am no electrician but sounds like a short or you are overloading the circuit.

It wasn't doing it before...How do I fix it?

 

[2quills]

Are your lights on the same circuit as the rest of your equipment?

 

[geoj]

Try the bad light in the kitchen if it trips there then I would think there is some thing wrong, if not then you will need to move some of the power cords to a different plug.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoJ http:///forum/thread/384723/new-problem#post_3371302
Try the bad light in the kitchen if it trips there then I would think there is some thing wrong, if not then you will need to move some of the power cords to a different plug.

This light weighs too much for me to lift, that's why it is on a pulley. Could I run a heavy duty extension cord? I might have one in the garage, if I can get someone to go fetch it for me.....On top of it all my knees gave out...I'm off work for two weeks at least and maybe 6. I got cortisone injections in both knees today. I can't hardly walk and there are 3 steps on my porch.

 

[geoj]

Don't do that, how about going the other way unplug every thing you can in that area and then try to light the bad light, if it trips thin there is something wrong, if it lights then you are over loading that plug

 

[2quills]

Flower, did you replace the old bulb with the exact same type? What brand if I may ask?

 

[flower]

Yes it is the same bulb, I got it from Coralife.
I just talked to my boss...he knows a little bit. He said I must have a wire touching the hood, a bare spot or something. I messed up my knee and I'm off work, no extra money until I get back to work. So I can't replace or fix this thing till I'm back to work..
Do you think it's safe to just use the lights on the other side? I just bought a $70.00 yellow ruffle leather, and I have bubble coral that I can't put in the seahorse tank, the one is too big and bubble coral stings. I can just move my light needy corals to the one side. That''s also the side the anemone is stuck on. I have the actinic lights too, no problem with them either.

 

[scsinet]

If the lamps are run by separate power cords, then they are on separate ballasts, so yes, it should be okay to run the side that is not blowing a fuse/tripping a breaker.
Is the fuse it is blowing the lighting system's fuse (if it has one) or the fuse/breaker in your house's panelboard?
Does the fuse blow instantly when the fixture is energized or does it take a moment? Do you see any light whatsoever come from the lamp prior to the trip?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SCSInet http:///forum/thread/384723/new-problem#post_3371438
If the lamps are run by separate power cords, then they are on separate ballasts, so yes, it should be okay to run the side that is not blowing a fuse/tripping a breaker. Yes a seperate cord, and ballast, the actinic also has a seperate cord...so I did it and one side works great with actinic so at least the anemone and corals can live until I can fix the problem. THANK YOU! I was worried.
Is the fuse it is blowing the lighting system's fuse (if it has one) or the fuse/breaker in your house's panelboard? It trips the GFCI every time, but when I kept putzing with it, and the house breaker for the GFCI line once.
Does the fuse blow instantly when the fixture is energized or does it take a moment? Do you see any light whatsoever come from the lamp prior to the trip? As soon as I saw MH lamp try to fire it flashed for an instant, and the GFCI tripped.

Thanks for your help everyone...I'm so frustrated. It's like I'm cursed when it comes to lighting for that reef tank.

 

[2quills]

Haven't you always had a problem with the gfci tripping?
I'm inclined to think either you have to many gfci's running on the same circuit, or you have the circuit a bit over loaded. Alot of time if you run more than one gfci on a circuit they will do funny things. I would try like geo sugguested and unplug everything...then take the cord from the bad light and plug it into one of the other gfci and see if they will both work. Could could also just be that the gfci in that location needs to be replaced.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/384723/new-problem#post_3371449
Haven't you always had a problem with the gfci tripping?
I'm inclined to think either you have to many gfci's running on the same circuit, or you have the circuit a bit over loaded. Alot of time if you run more than one gfci on a circuit they will do funny things. I would try like geo sugguested and unplug everything...then take the cord from the bad light and plug it into one of the other gfci and see if they will both work. Could could also just be that the gfci in that location needs to be replaced.

all the GFCI outlets are on one house breaker in the cabinet. I have the 4 GFCI in a group 2 on each side of the fish tank. I had a guy remove the wall...run the lines and install the outlets before I moved the tank into this house. Here is a picture of the one side , the other side is exactly the same.. As you can see it isn't overloaded..but I did do what geo recommended to test it, and it still blew the little GFCI fuse breaker. I listen to you guys, you should know that. Also I plugged it into different outlets in case the one was bad.

The white is a Coralife timer, the good Ballast is attached it it. The square plug are moonlights, that are not on right now.

The heater and one #3 koralia power head is running off of it.

Full view a little blurry but you can see it.

 

[2quills]

Well shoot, Flower! The problem surely sounds like it is the ballast then. I know that's probably what you don't want to hear. The only other thing I could recommend but don't necissarily want to recommend is plugging it into an extension cord and a non gfci outlet like you said. But if there is a bad connection in there then you'll probably end up frying something in the ballast. Although the ballast is pretty much useless to you know anyways if it's not going to work. You could try it and just be prepared to unplug it really fast if it does. It should trip the breaker if thats the case and your house hole wiring should be fine. Unless you can open up the ballast and inspect all the wires...not sure what else to tell ya.
Coralife is no longer running under the coralife name, you say?

 

[2quills]

Real quick before I had back to work. If you have any older bulbs laying around try swapping it out and see what happens and or also check to make sure the bulb is screwed in all the way. Pluggin the ballast into an extension cord to another plug would/should only be the last resort. Good luck.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/384723/new-problem#post_3371513
Well shoot, Flower! The problem surely sounds like it is the ballast then. I know that's probably what you don't want to hear. The only other thing I could recommend but don't necissarily want to recommend is plugging it into an extension cord and a non gfci outlet like you said. But if there is a bad connection in there then you'll probably end up frying something in the ballast. Although the ballast is pretty much useless to you know anyways if it's not going to work. You could try it and just be prepared to unplug it really fast if it does. It should trip the breaker if thats the case and your house hole wiring should be fine. Unless you can open up the ballast and inspect all the wires...not sure what else to tell ya.
Coralife is no longer running under the coralife name, you say?

LOL...that was my first thought ...another ballast...I tried two different ballasts on the right side with the same results, and that ballast works fine for the left side.. It must be a short on that right side. There isn't much light needy corals in the tank, so what does need it has been placed under the left side. The yellow ruffled leather is still stressed from the shipping and hasn't bloomed open yet. The bubble coral looks happy and the anemone is still hiding in the back of the tank with the clown fish wallowing it.
So for now all is good. I'm not working and I don't know when my benifits will kick in, so no extra money to pour into lighting..fixing or replacing.
My unit came with a book...when I tried calling, it was disconnected. I called the store I bought it from and they gave me a number, and said Coralife sold out to Oceanic. I still have the new number thay gave me. The unit is no longer under warranty so it really doesn't matter. This unit was over $1000.00 and I got it half price...now I know why.

 

[scsinet]

Okay here's the thing... GFIs do NOT trip due to overcurrent. They are not designed to do that. You can plug a hundred gazillion things into them and as long as none of them have a ground fault, they won't trip.
GFIs trip due to ground faults and ground faults only. If the GFI is tripping then that is what you have, or a nuisance trip. Since you say that this cord trips any GFI instantly and that nothing else trips your GFIs, then it is likely not a nuisance trip, but a legitimate fault condition that it is detecting.
GFIs are designed to trip when the current flow on both sides of the circuit are not equal, because the current is being diverted to ground somewhere... hence "Ground Fault." Of course their primary purpose is to trip if your body forms a fault path, but any time a piece of equipment has either a slight or a total short to ground, it can cause this. Salt creep is notorious for this.
Likely culprits?
- Salt creep on the lighting sockets or any other electrical connection
- Frayed cords exposed to water
- Internally damaged ballast components that are leaking current to ground
- Salt creep built up in power strips, etc...

 

[2quills]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SCSInet http:///forum/thread/384723/new-problem#post_3371587
Okay here's the thing... GFIs do NOT trip due to overcurrent. They are not designed to do that. You can plug a hundred gazillion things into them and as long as none of them have a ground fault, they won't trip.
GFIs trip due to ground faults and ground faults only. If the GFI is tripping then that is what you have, or a nuisance trip. Since you say that this cord trips any GFI instantly and that nothing else trips your GFIs, then it is likely not a nuisance trip, but a legitimate fault condition that it is detecting.
GFIs are designed to trip when the current flow on both sides of the circuit are not equal, because the current is being diverted to ground somewhere... hence "Ground Fault." Of course their primary purpose is to trip if your body forms a fault path, but any time a piece of equipment has either a slight or a total short to ground, it can cause this. Salt creep is notorious for this.
Likely culprits?
- Salt creep on the lighting sockets or any other electrical connection
- Frayed cords exposed to water
- Internally damaged ballast components that are leaking current to ground
- Salt creep built up in power strips, etc...
Do you think it's possible that the length of the powercord from the ballast to the outlet could come into play if it's too long? Wondering if the amount of voltage required by the ballast could cause a short laps in the current traveling from the hot all the way up and through the ballast and then back to the wall?

 

[flower]

Okay...you guys are talking alien words to me. I don't understand a ground fault. Don't bother to explain as it will not help, I think you have tried three times since I have been on the site and I still don't get it. I'm a picture kind of person.
This I know...The cord has always been as long as it is and it didn't start messing up until now. So a long cord responsable wouldn't do it.
These lights hang, there is no salt creep on the lights, no salt creep on the ballasts either since they are in a seperate cabinet off the floor and away from the fish tank by 2 feet. Dust was the only stuff on these lights and plenty of it. The ballasts get dusted each week, but the light is sealed up and gets dust in there from the fan that runs 24/7 so when I had it down I dusted it..
I did dust the wires in the light when I had it down to change the bulb...so maybe a wire got pulled or something. Although I don't think I was rough with anything. I used a little feather duster no rags, no rubbing, NO WATER, or liquid of any sort. I dusted the unit and used the pulleys to lift it back up into place. After the cleaning and the new lamp bulb placed on the left side...the right side now will not work, it trips the GFCI outlet.

 

[2quills]

Right on, Flower...just trying to illiminate all possible causes. I'm not sure how yours is wired up, but I did some searching around for people who have come across the same issue. Alot of the time it took nothing more than taking the light and ballast down and cleaning everything off really good, re connecting all of the connections and letting it dry out for a day or so and everything went back to normal. So it sounds like moisture from evaporation making it's way into the ballast or connection points at times could be the possible culprit.