Ballast fuse melted

[Purps]

My 1000 watt magnetic switchable ballast melted my fuse. The plastic cap on it was completely melted.. Do I just have to get another fuse or is my ballast done? Is it normal for the fuse to burn out like that?

 

[Purps]

Anybody?

 

[dank_]

It's been a while but I think they're only like $10-20. The hydro shop had them. Although, that was 4 years ago...

Why did it get so hot? Ambient temps? Electrical wires hot?

 

[FatMarty]

My best guess Purps is that the wire connection to the fuse holder had what's called a "cold solder joint" and as a result it heated up and melted the housing. Once you pop the cover off the ballast it should be obvious if other components are burned. If it just looks like the fuse holder then it's worth a shot to replace it.

There's no real way of knowing without seeing it; but fixing the fuse holder is cheaper than a ballast as long as you got a friend who knows how to solder large wires properly.

Radio Shack should carry a replacement holder and fuse.

 

[Purps]

Thanks guys.. The inside is not burnt up at all. Ill try and find a fuse when some stores open in a couple hours.

 

[hiboy]

loose connections causes resistance which intern causes heat and will melt the weakest link, which sounds like your fuse cap. make sure to crank them wire nuts if thats the route u take
h

 

[Purps]

So I took the ballast to my local hydro store and he said there shouldn't be a fuse in the ballast, everything should be hardwired instead. And i shouldnt fix the ballast because its not hardwired and it could cause a fire. Does anyone know what he is talking about? He wasn't trying to sell me another ballast by the way..

 

[FatMarty]

Well in a way that makes sense - the fuse is an extra, and at somewhere around a 12 amp surge when it starts up that is a weak link.

I have old sun system ballast from the 90's, and it doesn't have a fuse anywhere inside or outside. I have replaced the ballast transformer and capacitor and added an extra square foot of heat sinking to it; so I happen to be familiar with it's innards to know there is no protection fuse inside.

Mine is magnetic, as yours is; it's possible there is no danger in eliminating the fuse and twisting those two wires together with a wire nut. I would watch it like a hawk while testing it though. If it heated up once - it might have bad windings or another problem like a bad capactitor or igniter.

Replacing any internal parts of a magnetic ballast requires some skill to be safe - there are large currents present on the inter connecting wiring that will heat up and cause problems if not joined properly.

Another problem with replacement of ballast transformers is mounting alignment.
The Universal kit I got for mine did not align, and I tried adding a few spacers between brackets to get the holes right to bolt it in; that caused terrible humming and vibration.
For a minute I thought my new ballast kit was bad; but once I drilled some extra holes in my case to accept the new ballast transformer all of that ceased. So a very tight fit at the mount point, along with solid electrical connections, is critical to success in repairing your own magnetic ballast.

Hope this helps.

 

[Purps]

Thanks for the info Marty. I'll try and twist the wires together. Let's hope this works. Don't buy your ballasts off eBay everyone!

 

[hiboy]

Yeah that fuse sounded wierd to me, havent seen any ballasts stock with them. ITs not wrong to have them as long as they are rated for your draw. Normally a breaker will do the same as the fuse, just not melt...........

Unsure what he means the ballast should be hardwired, dont u have a slot to plug in a cord ,, either 120v or 240v?
Not many lighting ballasts require a hardwire,, if any
h

 

[Purps]

Ya I'm not sure what he meant either. It has two slots that I can plug in either a 120v or 240v