Flickering Light

[Tiggle]

I bought my tank a new light and globe nearly a year ago and all was going good until about 2 days ago when it started flickering. The light turns on fine but within an hour it turns itself off, then back on, and off again and drives everyone in the room crazy, including the fish does this sound like its the globe or the light its self? I rang my local fish shop who said it sounded like the starter motor had gone and could be replaced cheeply, but that doesnt make sence to me since it starts up all right. Im just trying to avoid spending more money then i have too.

Thanks
Tara

 

[The-Wolf]

The tube has gone, it needs replacing

 

[daddyfish]

I take it your talking Flourescent Lighting.

If this is the Case, It Could be 1 of 3 things.

#1. The Tube is Shot, the Simplest....

#2. Your Starter Module is Going Bad, Which controls the Starting of your Light, Usually located by the Bulb itself, Easy to replace, Twist pull Out REPLACE. A Couple of Bucks to Replace...

#3. Your Ballast went Bad. A little Harder and more Expensive to Replace. It's located under your light Fixture, and Cost about 15 to 20 Bucks to replace.

 

[Tiggle]

Thanks guys

I was hoping it wasnt the tube... ive never had them do that to me before when they've gone. they usually just stop working. Ill try replacing the starter motor first, being its the cheepest of the options and see what happens.

Thanks again

 

[daddyfish]

Thanks guys

I was hoping it wasnt the tube... ive never had them do that to me before when they've gone. they usually just stop working. Ill try replacing the starter motor first, being its the cheepest of the options and see what happens.

Thanks again

Sorry I forgot to tell you, that if You have a Starter, there won't be a Ballast.

But a Ballast while it is more costly, is More reliable, then it's Cheaper Counterpart.

 

[Lateral Line]

An electromagnetic ballast wastes an awful lot of power mostly as heat. True they last forever, but then, I've never had an eletronic starter fail either.

 

[daddyfish]

An electromagnetic ballast wastes an awful lot of power mostly as heat. True they last forever, but then, I've never had an eletronic starter fail either.

"TRUE" I to have never had a Starter Fail either. {BUT} I have had to replace a Few because they had Gotten "WEAK"
To Where the Starter would take Longer to Start up the Bulb/Tube then it "USE TO".

 

[Dubby]

An electromagnetic ballast wastes an awful lot of power mostly as heat. True they last forever, but then, I've never had an eletronic starter fail either.

"TRUE" I to have never had a Starter Fail either. {BUT} I have had to replace a Few because they had Gotten "WEAK"
To Where the Starter would take Longer to Start up the Bulb/Tube then it "USE TO".

A small point for those who are not familiar with starters and ballasts -

Fluorescent lights come with two types of mechanisms - electronic ballast which has no starter and an electromagnetic ballast which has a starter. The starter as the name suggests is used to get the tube lit. So if the starter has failed the tube may keep flickering as it fails to light up fully. Tubes with starters take a while to light up.

In case of electronic ballasts the function of the starter is created electronically and at much higher frequency thus causing the tubes to light up very quickly (rapid start). There is also less flicker noticeable with these.

 

[Lateral Line]

Sorry Dubby, but that is not right.

Electronic starters do not use ballasts. Ballasts are heavy duty coils, transformers. Electronic starters simulate the electrical properties of such a coil, they do so without wasting many Watts heating the coil up.

What I think you mean is the capacitor unit which is an integral part of an electro/mechanical ballast switch. Yes, that is the "starter" for that unit, but it is not a "starter". It is simply functioning as a switch.

Electronic starters are much more efficient then electro/mechanical ballast units.

 

[Dubby]

Sorry Dubby, but that is not right.

Isnt that what I said ? "electronic ballast which has no starter "