When a $600+ light fixture fails on you twice within a year!

[mrhasan]

This is the 2nd time within ONE FREAKING YEAR that the channel 1 of my ATI dimmable stopped working (bought it on last boxing day). ONE FREAKING YEAR! When I put down $600+ on a fixture, is it too much to expect it to run without any problem for at least a year? Or is it just a complimentary part of "you get what you pay for"?!

My $100 odyssea "asian market crap" did better than this and didn't burn down my house.

Rant off.

[blackradon]

They won't give you a replacement part? Seems weird. ****ty to hear either way.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by blackradon

They won't give you a replacement part? Seems weird. ****ty to hear either way.

They will but my concern is I shouldn't be needing parts twice for such an expensive fixture within a year. I have to go through the inconvenience of waiting for it for 2+ weeks. Luckily 4 lights still works so I won't have to worry about corals loosing colors.

[blackradon]

Well atleast they are placing it. What do they say is the root of the problem? It can't be fality three times! Have others had this problem?

[kien]

I feel your pain. Seriously, in this hobby you don't always get what you pay for. I have a bucket full of dead tunze 6105s to prove it *sadface*

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by blackradon

Well atleast they are placing it. What do they say is the root of the problem? It can't be fality three times! Have others had this problem?

They initially thought the root of the problem might be humidity but then they ruled that out because of the way my tank is set up. I have seen people facing issues with ballast with these fixtures.

Originally Posted by kien

I feel your pain. Seriously, in this hobby you don't always get what you pay for. I have a bucket full of dead tunze 6105s to prove it *sadface*

Agreed! Don't even get me started on that old tread

[mrhasan]

Update: ATI apparently released a new relay to address such issue (so must be a common one) and they will be the sending me new ones asap.

[mike31154]

ATI? What type & model exactly? I did a quick search using ATI dimmable aquarium light as criteria & seems these are T5HO. If that's the case, then the 'dimmable' part is very likely part of the issue. Fluorescent lighting & dimming have never been a very feasible or reliable technology. Flourescents, after the 'start' phase, generally like to run at a constant, predermined current using a specific ballast & messing with that reduces their efficiency & life. The added complexity of components required to dim fluorescents is another reason to stay away from them. Metal Halides are the same. If you want dimming, the most robust, easiest & cost effective solution is the good old filament bulb (soon to be outlawed) or, gasp, LED. The last fixture I had used a combo of MH & T5HO. Instead of dimming the T5HOs on that, I actually overdrove them with Workhorse ballasts, no dimming.

I feel your pain & T5HO will be around a little longer, but best to stick with standard, non dimmable fluorescents until they too go the way of the dodo bird.

EDIT: And for a company that manufactures fixtures for aquariums to think the problem might be humidity, is cause to raise an eyebrow, no?

[kien]

I like to dim my tank by squinting my eyes. It's very cost effective and the technology is proven.

[andestang]

Well this is my pride and joy of a high end light that I've used less than 7 months, and there is 2 more ballasts to come out yet. And this is a 12 bulb/ballast fixture. They are not dimmable and as you can see somewhere along the line they even stuck in a non-original ballast. I was hunting for dimmable ballasts but hard to find in a 80w version. This is going to be turned into a LED/T5 similar to the ATI unit.



using a good old stand-by so it's at least somewhat usable



a little advertising plug