compact fluorescent lights humming

[statman]

I recently plugged in my CF fixtures, that had been in a closet for over a year, and found that they make an annoying humming or buzzing noise. Since its been around a year since I last used these, and it was in the basemnt where I spent little time, I dont quite recall if they have always made these noises.

So my question is this: Do CF lights always have this buzz or do mine maybe just have some dust or othr debris clogging the fans up causing to do this?

 

[Orion]

I'm not 100% sure if electronic ballasts act the same as magnetic, but older magnetic ballasts sometimes get a hum to them when they start to go bad.

It could be the bulbs too. I'd check over everything and if the sound persists, I might change out the bulbs first to see if that helps, and then check on changing ballast.

 

[statman]

i honestly have no idea what the ballast is, or how to change one. im sure its fairly simple though. where does one go about purchasing one, and do i need to know what size i have, or something like that? how long does one generally last? these lights are now a year old, but only have maybe 2 months of time actually being used.

also since to me it sounds like its coming from the fans, i tried to take them out tonight to see if something was clogging them up. unfortunately there was atleast 1 screw on each fixture that i could not get to come out, so no luck on cleaning the fans off. i did however notice that a little of the noise is vibration. if i pressed firmly down on the fixture it didnt make as much noise, however it still is rather loud.

oh and as far as bulbs go, when i initally plugged it in it still had in the 6700k bulbs from when i used it before, and it buzzed. i took those out and stuck in the 10,000k and acintic bulbs it came with and it still made the same noises.

 

[statman]

does anyone else have any thoughts or ideas?

 

[Lotus]

It sounds like something to do with the fans. Are the silicone bands still on the lights? If those have come off, it might be causing a problem.

 

[statman]

are you talking about the little rubber band looking things that hold the metal brackets around the bulbs?

 

[Lotus]

Yes, I was talking about those. Are they still there? If they are, it's probably an unbalanced fan. You could try some compressed air in the fans to clean out any dust.

What brand is the fixture?

 

[statman]

Yes, 3 of the 4 are still on. I thought they were supposed to stay on. The brand is Odysea (or something similiar, not sure on spelling)

 

[Lotus]

Yes, the bands should be on.

That brand is notorious for poor quality. We had one, and the fans would make a grinding noise every time we turned it on. After about a year, the fixure just stopped working. I'd blame the humming on poor engineering, unfortunately.

 

[statman]

booo. i was on ebay before work and found some cheaper alternatives, like Jebo. Is this brand even worse? I really dont want to spend $500+ on new fixtures if I dont have to.

 

[Lotus]

What lenghth fixture and what wattage do you need? Is it for plants or a saltwater tank? Do you need the fans?

I'd stay away from Jebo, too. I have a feeling Jebo and Odyssea are the same company (but not sure). At the end of the day, it's better to spend a little more and have a fixture that lasts 5 or 10 years, rather than having to get a new cheap one every year. Plus, if you get a fixture from a company that has some kind of customer support, if it buzzes, you can send/take it back.

 

[statman]

I need (2) 36" fixtures, and it would be for a salt water tank that im planning for. As far as wattage, im really not sure. I dont really have the knowledge of all the coral lighting requirements as of yet. More than likely though I will just run the lower light requirement varieties.

 

[Lotus]

Is this for a 72" tank? How deep is it?

It would be a good idea to ask over in the saltwater forum for some suggestions. PCs aren't generally the best choice for corals. A lot of people now go for T5 fixtures or metal halides. If you're serious about corals, it might be better to put up with the humming until you save up for the lighting you really want.

 

[statman]

I dont even plan on starting this tank until spring, so i have plenty of time. However I have live rock, sand, powerheads, etc. to purchase as well so I really didnt want to have to get lights as well. Is the price jump from cf to t5 very large?

edit: im not sure of the tank dimensions off the top of my head, however it is a 120 gallon tall tank.

 

[statman]

T-5 Aquarium Lighting: Nova Extreme T-5 Fixtures w/Lunar Lights Is something like this decent? It seems basically in the same price rang that I paid for the Odyssea CF. Is there any reason that a t5 fixture would make any noises, and would i notice any increases in the electrical bill at all?

 

[Lotus]

Well, you're not going to need the lights until the tank has finished cycling anyway. Still plenty of time to research! Start looking into corals you're interested in, then decide on your lights from there. PCs can work, but you'll be fairly limited in what corals you can keep. The depth of your tank also makes a big difference in what lighting will work.

There are usually used fixtures available on sites like Reef Central Online Community if you want to go that route. IMO, it's better to buy a good quality used fixture than a cheap new one.

Reef tanks aren't cheap, so take your time to decide on what's best. There's nothing worse than spending $$ on equipment that you'll need to upgrade later because it's not the right thing.