Bad fixture popped t5 bulbs...?

[Seand03]

Has anyone ever seen a bad ballast pop a t5 bulb instantly? I got a new fixture and when I turned it on the bulbs flashed super bright then died...

I'm wondering if it was bad bulbs or a bad fixture?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Has anyone ever seen a bad ballast pop a t5 bulb instantly? I got a new fixture and when I turned it on the bulbs flashed super bright then died...

I'm wondering if it was bad bulbs or a bad fixture?

No I haven't, but what fixture do you have?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Nope, I'm thinking the bulb got damaged in shipping. If its a multi bulb unit, put one of the other lamps in that spot and try it again.

 

[Seand03]

No I haven't, but what fixture do you have?

The aquatic life hybrid one where you add your own leds.

 

[DSC reef]

Have you tried putting in another bulb in the same slot?

 

[Seand03]

Ya... same thing they worked in the back now after being put in the front they dont work. I'll call brs monday maybe they can help me out as I just bought all the stuff on black Friday. Maybe the bulbs were all damaged in shipping who knows, the tube did have a dent in it however they were packed very well.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Na, doubt all the bulbs were damaged. Im thinking your right now, ballast not working correctly, or grounded out.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Has anyone ever seen a bad ballast pop a t5 bulb instantly? I got a new fixture and when I turned it on the bulbs flashed super bright then died...

I'm wondering if it was bad bulbs or a bad fixture?

If the bulb flashes on and then out, it means you most likely have a bad bulb (or two or more). Try various combinations of bulbs in JUST ONE of the 2 bulb fixtures and see if you can get any to work. If they don't, then repeat the procedure in the next 2 bulb fixture. Of course, if you have older known working bulbs, try those first. Another person posted on here yesterday with a similar issue and he had 2 of his 4 bulbs that he bought were bad. That's not common but not unheard of. A bad ballast or loose wiring to the ballast might be possible but the odds that BOTH are independently having issues leads me to believe you have some bad bulbs. You just need to keep working different combos to find 2 good bulbs.

Just to clarify, as some people may not be aware, most of the T5 fixtures use a ballast that controls / connects two bulbs. You have to have two good bulbs for either bulb to work. If you have one good bulb and one bad bulb, neither will light. This can make troubleshooting a little trickier but basically requires some trial and error.

 

[Seand03]

Brs took care of it as I expected. They have a replacment on the way, thanks brs!

They are going to test the fixture and see what's up

 

[T-5unsystem]

Did the whole bulb light up or just the end? Occasionally if the cathode on the end is too close to the glass it can make a real bright spot and burn up right at the glass (visible). Its highly unlikely the ballast is defective, miss wired or otherwise the cause. Likely either the bulbs were installed incorrectly or 1 was simply defective. Like Daniel said they must run in pairs or they won't run at all. Often times a good bulb will flash or flicker if the other bulb is defective.