[Papa Doug]

Is Perry still around here?

My brand new Sunlight Supply pendant is causing my gfi to trip. Its wired into an electrical box, fired by Sun Aquatics electronic ballasts. I tried switching wiring to other ballast, bulbs, etc. The only common factor is the pendant itself.

[Rubisco]

Open the pendant and inspect the wiring.

Matt

[charlie]

Originally Posted by Rubisco

Open the pendant and inspect the wiring.

Matt

It definitly sounds like they have something hosed in the existing wiring in the pendant. See if you can get ahold of the company that sold it to you. Maybe they can talk you thru the wiring while you have the pendant opened up.

[Papa Doug]

It now appears the pendant itself is fine. I hooked it up separate yesterday to an Icecap ballast I have and it ran fine, although it would not do that the day before on the other ballast and using the GFI plug.

I then plugged the second light in and the GFI tripped again. So my old pendant runs fine on the GFI, the new one does not on the other ballasts but does on an Icecap. The both together trip the circuit but run fine on separate circuits. :slap:

Looks like the GFI may be defective, at least for a pair of 175w halides or a combination of all of the above.

[charlie]

Well............... If you have enuf circuits, sounds like you are gonna be OK, huh? I would look into maybe changing out the gfi, and see what happens. Is that what you were thinking?

[Papa Doug]

Its been running all day Charlie. I have an extension cord running out into the living room. My wife is really impressed.

So the GFI is faulty, but only when these pendants are running on it. I ran other equipment on it fine.

I have an electrician coming to install a separate breaker and new line for the aquarium, in my wifes brand new modular.

[charlie]

I would definitly have the guy check it before he changes it out, just to make sure tho Doug.
I bet your wife was just thrilled with the extension cord!!!!

[captain Jim]

I had a simmilar problem an took it apart and found a wire was bare and just touching the side, better check just to make sure!

[Papa Doug]

Originally Posted by charlie

I would definitly have the guy check it before he changes it out, just to make sure tho Doug.
I bet your wife was just thrilled with the extension cord!!!!

I need an additonal circuit anyways. My spare room/hide away/office/fishroom, is wired on GFI/arc fault breakers. Ok for some things but not good for firing halides.

[Papa Doug]

Originally Posted by captain Jim

I had a simmilar problem an took it apart and found a wire was bare and just touching the side, better check just to make sure!

I may do that.

[Rubisco]

Originally Posted by Papa Doug

I need an additonal circuit anyways. My spare room/hide away/office/fishroom, is wired on GFI/ground fault breakers. Ok for some things but not good for firing halides.

Just out of curiosity, why would a GFI breaker be bad for metal halide?

Matt

[Rubisco]

Just out of curiosity why would your GFI breaker be bad for firing your metal halide?

Matt

[Papa Doug]

Originally Posted by Rubisco

Just out of curiosity why would your GFI breaker be bad for firing your metal halide?
Matt

Sorry, I edited my post. It was supposed to read GFI/arc fault breaker. With halides using an arc when starting, it trips the breaker. As does pulling a plug and getting that little spark.

[Rubisco]

Im sorry, but it is my understanding that with MH all that is needed to ignite the lamp is open current since the ingnition chip is in the lamp itself and not at the ballast like an HPS. Am I missing something here?


Matt

[Papa Doug]

I dont know. Does the lamp not arc inside when firing? I think it does but never looked close enough. I can tell you that when any of my halides fire, they trip out the arc fault breaker. I also found the same comments on some older arc fault breaker threads on another board.

By the way, this is a separate event from my pendant/GFi breaker problem. The GFI/arc fault breakers are in the electrical panel for the room. The GFI in question is installed in my cabinet and runs off a separate circuit. {the extension cord to the living room, }

[vtec si]

Doug is this on a 15amp or 20amp circuit? I had a simular problem until I added a GFCI breaker to the main panel for that 15amp circuit. Then I was able to take out the 15amp GFI outlet. All my other circuits are 20amp set up the same way. But in your case it sound like something is causing it to short out and make the GFI trip.

I wish I could be more help!
Martin

[Papa Doug]

Hi Martin,

Been running fine on the extension into the living room so far. Its a 15 amp circuit. I have not tried it on the GFI since then, although I still have other items on it.

The only trip was the GFI recepticle itself and not the panel circuit breaker. However when I tried to run the halides on the rooms circuit, which is on a GFI/AFI in the panel, the halides did trip it. Thats where the halide arc came into effect I guess.

When I run another line, I will install a separate 15 amp GFI breaker in the panel for it.