icecap ballast problems...

[mph84]

I have 2x 250w icecap ballasts(newer style) that I've been running for about three years. Tonight one of them made a clunking noise. During the time period of the noise the house lights flickered and the bulb went out over the aquarium. I couldn't figure out what had happened so I left everything plugged in and after a while the tank lit back up. shortly there after the same thing happened again... clunking noise, flickering house lights, bulb not burning... I'm assuming my ballast is going bad but I don't really know. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

mike

 

[tgriffin]

Sounds like it's going bad Mike! I think you should just go ahead and get 3 400 watters and throw them over the tank

 

[mph84]

i'm gonna go steal adams!!

 

[eric b]

I might know where 3 - 400 watt dimmable ballast are for sale.......They are older Icecaps and will fire all bulbs if you are thinking about stepping up shoot me a pm.

 

[mph84]

I didn't know Icecap made a dimmable? Can you dim them down to a certain wattage like the lumateks? i.e. 400-250-175?

 

[atmercure]

mph84;792377 wrote: i'm gonna go steal adams!!

Blondie guards the tank!!!!!

Edit:

Eric B;792392 wrote: I might know where 3 - 400 watt dimmable ballast are for sale.......They are older Icecaps and will fire all bulbs if you are thinking about stepping up shoot me a pm.

I am interested in one.

 

[eric b]

atmercure;792397 wrote: Blondie guards the tank!!!!!

Edit:

I am interested in one.

Trying to sell all 3 together for now!

 

[eric b]

mph84;792394 wrote: I didn't know Icecap made a dimmable? Can you dim them down to a certain wattage like the lumateks? i.e. 400-250-175?

They were made for icecap by Metrolight before icecap made there own so they are actually Metrolight branded which is still in business. They have icecap stickers on the bottom of them. Only 1 tech guy at icecap even remembered them and he gave me the number to a tech guy at Metrolight in Tennessee who was the most help.

No they have 2 wires that exit the ballast and I believe a 0-10 volt resister/rheostat is need but I have never used that feature. It is not a voltage change like lumateks it just appears to dim the bulb but like I said never hooked it up to test it out. But after speaking with a guy at Metrolight who was the only one I reached that remembered that ballast. He said that after the bulb reaches full brightness for a set time it will then dim down based on where resister/rheostat is from his memory. I don't remember what he said the max dim was but around 30-40% comes to mind but that was last year and my memory is shot and they have been boxed up as I am going LED instead!