Oh My! FIRE!

I use longhorse 5 and 7's.

 

He does have all the ballasts on GFCI's.

He has Lumatek 250w electronic ballasts. Not the dimmable ones. model #4613.

 

I just got off the phone with an application engineer at Fulham and this is what i found out:

1. According to them, there is no Longhorse 7. So maybe you have a different ballast than that?

2. The Longhorse 5 does NOT have an EMI filter. So, if you're using a Longhorse 5 ballast, the reason that it does not trip the GFCI is because there is no EMI filter (I guessed this was the case in one of my previous posts) And we know that EMI filters generally = leakage current, which is what trips the GFCI.

3. Fulham does not recommend installing an EMI filter for home use unless it causes interference inside the home. I asked for a schematic, and they do not provide schematics or details about application use for specific ballasts without knowing the application use first. This is because they will recommend a ballast to use based on your application. (this is how they side-step the FCC rules, they can make a ballast without an EMI filter as long as they state what the use is for).

4. Because there is no EMI filter, there will be no current leakage, and you can run this ballast on a GFCI with no problems! ;D

I suspect you have not experienced any interference issues with it so far?

 

I'm so glad you're okay! We had this happen to us several months ago, as well! Fortunately, we had good fuses, both in the power strip, and outside. Both fuses blew! We were out of the house at the time. I came in and smelled smoke anyway, My husband went and flipped the circuit breaker back on, and flames shot out from the power strip under my tank! YIKES! Fortunately, only a Rio pump was destroyed. Coulda been soooo much worse!

Just goes to show, INVEST IN THE *GOOD* POWER STRIPS! don't skimp there! make sure they have fuses in them!

 

Are his Lumatek Ballasts the Blue, Purple or Silver ones?

I'm suspecting that the Lumatek's also don't have EMI filters... Doing as much research as I could, I found that some of their models have shielded power cables, and other passive devices, but may not have active EMI filters installed. This would account for their working with GFCIs's. I couldn't get anyone at Lumatek to pick up the phone, but I left them a message.

I'll be outta town all weekend, so we'll pick this back up on monday... though I may be able to update from my iPhone...

I'll leave you with this:

EMI - Sex Pistols

;D

Cheers! Have a good weekend!

 

Hmm, then maybe they are workhorse 7's and 5s. If you look at the list of them, you will see the 5 and 7 that are suited to tank use. 120v.

Nope, never any interference, and my friend uses a couple W7s to run his t5s as well.

 

LOL


They are purple.

 

ive tripped my gfci 3 times so far this month haha

 

You're absolutely right! I need to get that. I'll go check them out at my local H. depot tonight. I'm pretty confident that I can install the in-wall. Hope these outlets are truly grounded. I also have two power strips laying under the sump... so this is a must after your post.

Thanks for the wake up call!

 

Today's update:

I spoke with Vertex's lead tech in the States and didn't get much information from him, but this is what I found out... The company uses the same ballast as the ones Icecap uses. He has no idea who the OEM manufacturer of the ballast is though (frankly, it would certainly help a LOT in researching this to know of the OEM manufacturer of your ballast). He also said that it should not cause interference issues with your APEX controller, nor should it trip a GFCI, and he said that if your ballast/ light is still under warranty that you should contact the place you purchased it from for a replacement... sounds like you could also call him because he was very friendly and may be able to help you... his name is Albert the number he can be reached @ is 1-877-682-3474.

I also spoke with a tech at Lumatek who makes ballasts for Sunlight Supply... he couldn't answer my questions either, and is going to get a senior tech to call me back about the ballast later today.