icecap ballast problems

[tangmang23]

Hey guys,

So I came home today to a very bad odor and a dark fish tank. My New icecap ballast still works just fine and the fuse is not blown, but on the old ballast that i got when i purchased the tank was out. I replaced the fuse and they blow instantly when i turn the power on. I checked for a short in the wiring but found nothing. Keep in mind this lighting has been working this way for almost 8 months with no changes. Do i have a bad ballast???

currently im running 3 48" t5 HO bulbs on the equivalent of a IC660 ballast. My first thought was this was to much power but why did it take this long. My second thought was maybe i have a burnt out bulb. One bulb is pretty dark due to be over driven, so i replaced it and i get the same results.

what are your thoughts??

[Loverotties]

Disconect all the wires going to the bulbs and see if it blows the fuse,then you really know the ballast is bad.

[tangmang23]

so i tried that method, the ballast wont fire unless bulbs are plugged in. It needs to create a full circuit so that method is out i guess.

[crvz]

so this isnt an icecap, right? if it were, Id say send it to them as it's a $60 fee for a full restore. Otherwise, I'm at a loss. I'd recommend replacing the ballast if you can't get someone to service it.

[dcmartinpc]

Icecap customer service is great! I would recommend sending it to them if it is an Icecap, if not, I would replace it with an Icecap

Don

[tangmang23]

well im in luck, it is an IceCap. the exact model is A4. I think its more designed for VHO bulbs but when i called icecap about a year ago, they said as long as its wired correctly it shouldnt be a problem. but i got curious and took it apart myself, and its black, i mean BLACK. and it smells lovely lol, jk jk. I am deff. going to be replacing this with something, but what. If i get a new icecap wouldnt a 430 do the job for 3 48" bulbs??

what about WorkHorse ballasts??