chvynva916 Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 I know that 6 months is the standard life of a pc, but after 2 mos my AH 13w pcs are noticeably darker and less blue. Should I replace them? Are AH bulbs not that good? Link to comment
Dave ESPI Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 yeah.. You get what ya pay for. sux d00d. get CSLs. Link to comment
Physh1 Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 I agree....CSL bulbs will last longer....even the Coralife bulbs last longer. Cameron Link to comment
reefist Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Who is the manufacturer of the bulb? The 13W bulbs CSL sells are manufactured by Sylvania. You shouldn't be able to notice a difference in output yet. Maybe your water color has changed. Put a sample into a white container to check for yellowing. If it isn't the water I would get on the phone and complain. Link to comment
chvynva916 Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 I would get on the phone and argue, but these bulbs are only like $6 each, and I would probably pay at least $5 in shipping (which I'm sure they wouldn't agree to pay anyway). There's no doubt, though that the bulbs have reddened. The actinic bulb used to be too bright to even look at, now I can look right at it and it is noticeably brighter. The tank water is no different, probably even clearer now that I have a prizm. All of the actinic color is gone from the tank, it is very noticable. Link to comment
cmv Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I'd contact AH and ask them about it. Has anyone experienced this with their 55w PC tubes? I was considering buying some but if... Link to comment
reefist Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 If they won't send you replacement bulbs free of charge I would never do business with them again. It would be in their best interest to exhibit some good customer service and replace them with no questions asked. They aren't going to lose anything as you pointed out they are cheap bulbs. I would be interested in knowing the outcome of this, it just might influence my decision on where I buy my next bulbs. Link to comment
JPF Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Is the life of most PC bulbs really only 6 effective months? I have a 20L with a pair of 32w pc and a 28 bowfront with a pair of 55w pc. 28 has been up 6 months, the other a year. Am I over due? What brand bulb should I grab for a tank of all softies? Jim Link to comment
BCOrchidGuy Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 I've read that PC have a life expectancy of 12 - 14 months on one site and that they maintain over 90% of their colour and brightness up till failure (expected between 18-24 months). I wish I had a quantum light meter to measure my lights and see what kind of light I can expect but for PCs I would HOPE 12 months would be average. Link to comment
LiQuiD Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Yes, they should be good for 12 months and even then you shouldn't be able to notice the difference with your eye. This may sound strange, but it may be the problem. I have a freaky thing about exposed bulbs over water (electricity and my children, you get the picture) I keep them as close as possible but always have a plastic or acrylic cover/shield between them. The salt creep seem to get onto the clear acrylic within 2 months to the point that when I lift the hood, I notice the light seems much dimmer. I get a paper towel with some clean water on it and I give it a good wipe down. Wow, what a difference once that cloudy crud is off. The glazing is easier to notice on the acrylic shield then would be on the bulb itself I would imagine, but I would also imagine that it would get on a bulb. Try shutting them off and giving them a few minutes to cool, then grab a wet paper towel and wipe them down. You may be suprised that it was just a build up of salt on the bulbs like frosted glass that is making them seem dim or dis-coloredwhen they are really fine. Just a suggestion, you could just have a s**t bulb. Link to comment
chvynva916 Posted January 3, 2003 Author Share Posted January 3, 2003 good idea but no. I clean my bulb covers every week. I guess the problem will be aleviated soon anyway. I'm buying a JBJ 2x55w formosa fixture to be used briefly with my 5g and permanently with my upcoming 10g and I assure you my bulbs won't be from ah. Thanks for the advice!!! Link to comment
gobies Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Please do ping AH about the bulbs...their customer service is said to be very good. You're the only person I've ever heard of who's named a bristle worm. Link to comment
chvynva916 Posted January 3, 2003 Author Share Posted January 3, 2003 You are right about AH's service. Every time I have dealt with them they have been incredibly professional and nice. Everything I have ordered from them has arrived quickly. More amazing, I have never built anything in my life and with help from their webpage I managed to retrofit a 13wx2 pc on my eclipse hood. It was the most complex thing I have ever built (pretty pathetic huh?) I noticed something looking at my lights. My bulb covers kind of press down on the bulbs making the glass part bend away from the plastic part a little. Could this be responsible for the dimming? Link to comment
OscarBeast Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 I have almost a one year old 10,000K and an Actinic 03 36 watt PC from hellolights and I can't tell the difference between now and the day I got them. It is about time for me to order a new set though. I ordered my kit from ahsupply, but got my bulbs from hellolights because at the time hellolights had the only real Actinic 03s. I have to say that I am happy with the bulbs. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.