TEK light fixture failing to ignite a bulb? (resolved)

[argan]

i just got 4 new 36" t5 bulbs recently, 3 URI super actinic and 1 giesmann powerchrome. They were all working when i cleaned the reflectors and tried them out.

I set the lights on the bracing overnight and ran them for about 4 hours. So far so good.

In the morning i went to turn them on and only one switch seemed to work.
so i take them off the tank and flip them over and see that the ballast is igniting all 4 bulbs, but only 2 stay on.

so i switch bulbs around, thinking i got a faulty bulb, But nope. Whichever bulb is in that slot wont fire completly.

it seems to be the connection got damp from the water surface? I thought there were no bubbles where it was sitting but guess i was wrong.

Think it well be fine if it dries out and stays dry?

[Coleus]

sometime i have to wiggle the socket a little bit on my fixture

[martinmcnally]

I had this same problem before, after I cleaned the fixture some salt had gotten into the connectors and was shorting it out. You can get a can of electrical cleaning solution from The Source (sorry cant remember what it is called) to spray on and clean out the connectors. That worked for me for a little while, however unfortunately it happened again and I was never able to get it working again.

[lastlight]

If the rotating pin holder is spring loaded like the waterproof endcaps that come with the tek retrofits you can remove them and troubleshoot from there or replace if they're the same. You can buy a single endcap and steal whatever you need from it. BRS sells singles for like $5 I believe.

[argan]

Alright its dried out and working again, thanks guys. I was a bit worried to say the least.

No more putting it on the bracing!! without a shield anyway

[phreezee]

Hopefully I can re-use this thread. I have a 6 bulb 3ft TEK, and when I turned on the 2 bulb switch it turned on for a second and then switched off and remains off. Does this just mean I need new bulbs or something wrong with the ballast/switch?
It confuses me because if I need a new bulb, shouldn't it not light at all? Same goes with the ballast....

TIA

[argan]

yea thats what i thought, If the bulb was dead it would not light at all.

try some of that Electra-cleen stuff maybe on the endcap?

[phreezee]

I"ll try when I get home, my backup plan is this: http://www.aquatraders.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=52327&CartID=1

$60 shipping sucks but at least it's USPS.