MH troubles

jules77 · 04-09-2005, 08:06 PM

Oh what a day I tell ya. First this morning one of my bulbs did not fire (m58 ballasts with XM 10k) and then when the lights went off this evening I look up in the canopy and the bulb next to it is broken. I have got to figure that the problem is these universal type ballasts but they ran just fine for the last week and now all the sudden they are destroying my brand new bulbs. I also noticed that some of the corals that were under these 2 bulbs weren't looking good all day. The canopy is open in the back and I have a fan on one side sucking heat out if the temp hits 79.5. Anybody have any ideas? Man this fiasco is getting expensive, if this isn't a case of you shouldve bought the icecaps than I dont know what is....

Skipponator · 04-09-2005, 08:09 PM

I need bulbs to use my IceCaps.... Did you touch the bulbs when you screwed them in with your hands?

jules77 · 04-09-2005, 09:06 PM

yes I did I thought it was the de bulbs that you weren't suppose to touch?

Skipponator · 04-09-2005, 09:19 PM

No your not supposed to touch any MH bulb the oils on your skin cause this problem, same with auto bulbs.

jules77 · 04-09-2005, 09:26 PM

you would think that they would put that on the package if that was the case

Skipponator · 04-09-2005, 09:48 PM

I think my Ushio boxes say that....

jules77 · 04-09-2005, 09:50 PM

I read the entire XM box and it says nothing about it and can't find anything on the web that says anything about not touching them but heh I am feeling like the village idiot if that is the case...

Frogbone · 04-09-2005, 09:56 PM

I just dropped of a couple of xm boxes at Derek's and besides what's in it it doesn't say anything about the fingergepoken on das lichtbulbs.

However, not to knock you or anyone else, I think it is common knowledge. I don't even touch regular lightbulbs with my hands, I always use a cloth. But maybe I am just too anal about it..engineer, go figure

redwinger · 04-09-2005, 10:07 PM

A small amount of oil on a bulb can cause it to burst or crack. Allways use a cloth or a glove when screwing in a halide bulb. It is more common on the double ended bulbs but can just as easily happen on a mogul bulb. The temperature of these bulbs are just insane.

redwinger · 04-09-2005, 10:10 PM

Did you light acclimate these corals? They were under pc lighting for quite some time and the shock of MH blasting them will stress them out.

Aquarius · 04-09-2005, 11:18 PM

I went from Ushio 10k 175w to XM 10k 175w and didn't keep it like that for long

The corals just did not like the XM bulbs. Never did the ballast it seem. The Ushio bulbs still had even brightness after 8 months, where as the XM's just were off from each other. Needless to say, I'm running Ushio again on the reef and the XM's on the FOLR

PS. yes, I have heard of the "Oil" from ones skin causing "Hot" spots on bulbs, yet I have never had a problem yet with my SE MH in over 3 1/2 years of using them. As for the DE and Halogen bulbs, I'd never touch them with my hand

jules77 · 04-10-2005, 11:13 AM

Well I am unsure what to do now I am down to one working MH bulb over my 125. I think I will move it to the center and order 3 Icecaps and 2 new bulbs and make sure not to touch the things with my hands.

dirk griffin · 04-10-2005, 11:20 AM

There is nothing wrong with touching MH bulbs, De bulbs this is true. The only thing that could happen is your fingerprint would essentially burn on to the glasss envelope and changing your light output at that particular point on the bulb. I generally wipe bulbs off after I install them, but I have very oilly skin.

jules77 · 04-10-2005, 11:43 AM

Dirk you have any ideas why that bulb could have broken if you think that it was not caused by the oil? I am thinking that maybe the ballast over pushed the bulb and it got too hot...

geshields · 04-10-2005, 11:44 AM

I have never had a bulb break, I DO NOT use cloth to handle the bulbs, and I DO NOT wipe the bulbs after handling them...SE bulbs are fine with oil on the outside...