ATI T5 Actinic bulbs not working????

[Thor2j]

I have a aquatic Life T5 Hybrid fixture. I bought 8 different ATI bulbs online in all different colors. The only one that didn't work was the actinic. Called the reseller and they sent me a new one. That didn't work either. Last week bought a 3rd one from local store. Nope, that one doesn't work either. All the other colors are fine. They are 60" ATI T5 bulbs. They don't even allow the other bulb in the bank to light up either. Tried both banks and same results.
Any ideas??

 

[dedragon]

most likely three broken bulbs just coincidence they were all ati actinic (if using a 4 bulb blue plus is recommended over actinic esp if using leds with it

 

[Rmckoy]

I highly doubt it’s 3 bulbs to be the issue .
Check ballasts .
I’ve had to replace ballasts in my fixture a few times …

 

[Thor2j]

most likely three broken bulbs just coincidence they were all ati actinic (if using a 4 bulb blue plus is recommended over actinic esp if using leds with it

I have 1 Coral Plus and 1 Blue plus in each bank now with 3 XR30 Gen 5 Blues.

just annoyed I have $75 of bulbs that don't work.

 

[Thor2j]

I highly doubt it’s 3 bulbs to be the issue .
Check ballasts .
I’ve had to replace ballasts in my fixture a few times …

Brand new and tried both sides, different ballasts, same results. Other 7 bulbs work fine.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Those actinic lamps don't light up like other bulbs, but they won't look the same when powered as not powered.

Does it look half lit up?

 

[Rmckoy]

Brand new and tried both sides, different ballasts, same results. Other 7 bulbs work fine.

That’s weird .

 

[dedragon]

Brand new and tried both sides, different ballasts, same results. Other 7 bulbs work fine.

this is why i am suspecting the bulbs, you can return bulbs if they are broken on arrival though, i have done it a few times

 

[Thor2j]

Those actinic lamps don't light up like other bulbs, but they won't look the same when powered as not powered.

Does it look half lit up?

Sometimes it looks half lit , other times nothing.

 

[dedragon]

Sometimes it looks half lit , other times nothing.

but the other bulb in line with the actinic wont fire at all?

 

[Thor2j]

but the other bulb in line with the actinic wont fire at all?

Nope, very weird. All others work fine.

 

[Thor2j]

ATI just emailed me and said not their problem and they test all bulbs b4 they leave. But the other 7 work so I have no clue.

 

[dedragon]

it is usually something you bring up to the place you brought it from. BRS and my LFS both exchanged them for new ones.
If it is dim i would leave it on for a while to burn it in, unless the other bulb in line was completely off as well. It the other bulb is off the actinic bulbs seem to be the problem

 

[A. grandis]

Brand new and tried both sides, different ballasts, same results. Other 7 bulbs work fine.

Sometimes it looks half lit , other times nothing.

Assuming tha you actually have tested and know the ballast isn't the problem...
The ATI True Actinic doesn't look very bright to our eyes anyways, so you might think it is defective when it is actually just starting to warm up. Wait for a while to see if it comes on. It will look very dim by nature in the beginning, not bright like the other bulbs at all!
When it doesn't light up at all, could be just a problem with the socket or you didn't fit it correctly in the socket, but that could also happen with the other bulbs as well, of course! Make sure you fit them in the socket correctly and the socket has no connection problem, like a loose wire.
I had similar problems with Giesemann bulbs using my ATI fixtures in the past, but after couple days they lit properly. That could be a small compatibility fault with the ballasts used by ATI in my case.
Good luck!

 

[MIke Wood]

should have a 30day guarantee on them. you can email the online retailer and they should give you a credit or if it was a LFS they should exchange it. I had one blow out after 3 weeks of use. the online retailer gave me a credit. which was useless really because they are only sold in packs of two. so i bought one from a LFS. 1 month later and its still on.