Ballast keep burning out

Hey. This is my second ballast this month.
It doesn't get wet. The connectors are taped so that it doesn't get moisture but still it blows.
Got a T8 aqua-glo 20watt. Had a 20watt ballast which smelled like burn and now a 30watt is doing the same.
What can I do?

 

Bumping this up for you

 

Sounds like there may be a short somewhere. Is it new-ish that may still have a warranty (may not honor with the modification though)?

What brand/model is the fixture?

 

Boyu and no our lfc don't give warranty with light bulbs and ballast

 

Sorry for the long delay. I mean the entire light fixture, if it had a warranty. If all the connections are secure from what you can tell and you can't find a short. The power cord could have one internally (no broken insulation). Outside of replacing the power cord itself (AT OWN RISK), I would look at having to replace if no signs of defect can be found. I don't think it would be worth the risk of it failing while not at home.

Again (AT OWN RISK). If you are comfortable with a multi-meter to check volt/amp/ohm, you could connect to the fixture and move the wires around, then watch the meter for drops. It comes down to how much time/money you want to spend on it to risk of it happening again.

I had a fixture in a more severe state, the bulbs quit working so I bought a ballast, went to remove old one and found most of the bulb socket wiring cracked and fraying inside the fixture. I was lucky they didn't touch each other or the metal reflector the wiring ran through. I ended up retrofitting an led setup.

 

Sorry for the long delay. I mean the entire light fixture, if it had a warranty. If all the connections are secure from what you can tell and you can't find a short. The power cord could have one internally (no broken insulation). Outside of replacing the power cord itself (AT OWN RISK), I would look at having to replace if no signs of defect can be found. I don't think it would be worth the risk of it failing while not at home.

Again (AT OWN RISK). If you are comfortable with a multi-meter to check volt/amp/ohm, you could connect to the fixture and move the wires around, then watch the meter for drops. It comes down to how much time/money you want to spend on it to risk of it happening again.

I had a fixture in a more severe state, the bulbs quit working so I bought a ballast, went to remove old one and found most of the bulb socket wiring cracked and fraying inside the fixture. I was lucky they didn't touch each other or the metal reflector the wiring ran through. I ended up retrofitting an led setup.

I think I should just replace the ballast with a cheap one for the tie being. Can the bulb itself cause ballast to burn out, my old cheap boyu light blew a ballast after 7 months. Replaced the llght with aqua-glo. Is the light to strong? is there alternative power connectors, feel like I waste money on ballast

 

If you are keeping everything within spec (voltage, wattage...etc) then, in theory, there shouldn't be any issues unless there is something else going on (like a short) that you can't see.

If you are using a bulb that requires more power than the ballast can give. Yes, the ballasts fate is sealed. It isn't a matter of if it will fail, it's when.

Whatever the ballast wattage is, you should match the bulb to it (ie. 20w ballast = 20w bulb). It sounds like this is what you were doing originally which is what leads me to believe there is a wiring issue somewhere.

As for changing the power connectors. Do you mean the power cable? If so, you can if that is something you are able to do (AT YOUR OWN RISK). I recommend soldering and heatshrink tubing to project the new connection if it doesn't have mounting terminals.

 

Every time I see "AT OWN RISK" I worry but I'm not capable to DO IT and would cost more to buy the tools needed. I'll look at light fittings that use T8 bulbs instead