Fairly new kessil 360we stopped working

[John08007]

I posted this in the kessil page, fig someone would've responded there.

I would consider thus newer, I believe this Black Friday it will be 2 yrs old. Injust came home from vacation to find my tank dark. Checked ny apex and it was supposed to be on, unplugged the control wire and nothing happened. When I tiled the light a little bit of water came out of the side vents. I have this mounted in my hood about 8-9" above the waterline- there is no was what so ever that water splashed into it, I'm thinking maybe some sorta condensation? I unplugged the powerboat which seemed cold to the touch. Not sure where to begin, what kinda power is supposed to be leaving the power block to the light? Should I disassemble the light to blow it out or is using compressed air through the vents enough? I love this light, can't believe I'm having trouble with it.

 

[piranhaman00]

Two years for these “high end” leds seems pretty common. People hang them close to their open top tanks.

If there is water in it it’s fried.

 

[Sean Clark]

Sounds like humidity got to it. Did you happen to change your hvac settings while you were away on vacation? If you turned your ac off then the tank would be affected which could have caused more humidity than normal in you hood.

 

[_AV]

Hmm... Water inside this light is not what I would normally expect and is troubling. The structure of the light inside is that the lower half, where the vent holes are, is all heatsink and the LED cluster. But still you should never have water in there. It cannot be the condensation in a working light because the fan normally takes care of it. But there could be some condensation if the light's been off for a while. If that's the case, water in the light is not the cause of the failure.

I have seen, however, that water sips in through wiring into the fixture to cause major damage. I discuss the issue in this Radion repair video for example:


What I'd do is take it apart and make sure everything is dry and not corroding any more by wiping it clean. If you need help figuring out how to take it apart, here is one of my classic Kessil repair videos with a detailed disassembly/reassembly segment:


Then, depending on what you find inside, the light may still be repairable.

 

[Bpb]

Hmm... Water inside this light is not what I would normally expect and is troubling. The structure of the light inside is that the lower half, where the vent holes are, is all heatsink and the LED cluster. But still you should never have water in there. It cannot be the condensation in a working light because the fan normally takes care of it. But there could be some condensation if the light's been off for a while. If that's the case, water in the light is not the cause of the failure.

I have seen, however, that water sips in through wiring into the fixture to cause major damage. I discuss the issue in this Radion repair video for example:


What I'd do is take it apart and make sure everything is dry and not corroding any more by wiping it clean. If you need help figuring out how to take it apart, here is one of my classic Kessil repair videos with a detailed disassembly/reassembly segment:


Then, depending on what you find inside, the light may still be repairable.

Is there anything we as non-electrically inclined owners can do to reduce the chance of shorts and things happening to the components on kessil lights? Or is it just chance?

 

[Montiman]

Is there anything we as non-electrically inclined owners can do to reduce the chance of shorts and things happening to the components on kessil lights? Or is it just chance?

Keep away from water.

I have 7 kessil lights now and have had 6 more in the past and the lights closest to water always died first. they may have lasted 5 years or more but they still died before the lights that were farther from the surface. I prefer to mount the light 12in from the water or more and use the narrow reflectors to reduce water damage. Even with water-resistant design water and electricity do not mix. I have seen my tangs splash on my lights that are 12in off the water so I am sure the lights that were 8in off the water got it a lot worse over the years.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Keep away from water.

I have 7 kessil lights now and have had 6 more in the past and the lights closest to water always died first. they may have lasted 5 years or more but they still died before the lights that were farther from the surface. I prefer to mount the light 12in from the water or more and use the narrow reflectors to reduce water damage. Even with water-resistant design water and electricity do not mix. I have seen my tangs splash on my lights that are 12in off the water so I am sure the lights that were 8in off the water got it a lot worse over the years.

Plus one for this! Kessils (other than the ap700/ap9x) in a canopy that sits right on top of the tank is not great for the lights. I love Kessil but I have seen the insides of a few that had areas where there was no conformal coating. Mainly the fan. I’ve seen several with a salt bridge shorting the fan, which in turn causes the fixture to overheat and well there goes that. I called Kessil out on some fuge lights as they are meant for a fuge. Most fuges are under a cabinet next to a skimmer and with limited clearance. They get exposed to a lot. I’ve lost a couple, well within the warranty period. I still love Kessil and continue to use them.

 

[Bpb]

Keep away from water.

I have 7 kessil lights now and have had 6 more in the past and the lights closest to water always died first. they may have lasted 5 years or more but they still died before the lights that were farther from the surface. I prefer to mount the light 12in from the water or more and use the narrow reflectors to reduce water damage. Even with water-resistant design water and electricity do not mix. I have seen my tangs splash on my lights that are 12in off the water so I am sure the lights that were 8in off the water got it a lot worse over the years.

I just got mine last weekend. I’ve got them 14” off the water using the 55 degree reflectors. Hoping to maximize their life.

 

[HB AL]

I doubt enough condensation can accumulate in it considering the heat when it's on. Call Kessil directly you will get good advice from the maker.

 

[araziza]

I had two 360xs die on me in the last 6 months. The second was three day ago and I was told they were outside my original one year warranty, but they would give me a discount on a new one. Hope things work out better for you.

 

[_AV]

Is there anything we as non-electrically inclined owners can do to reduce the chance of shorts and things happening to the components on kessil lights? Or is it just chance?

Kessil failures have a lot to do with the design and components quality. As of late Kessil 360x and 360w have been my most frequent repair, surpassing Apex and Radion gear. Take it for what it's worth as I only judge by what's being sent to me and you guys ultimately decide what to send in for repairs.

With that said, I also suspect that in many cases these lights are being run at their max intensity. They are smaller lights and the demand for high PAR numbers seems to be consistently high in our hobby. At maximum intensity you are really pushing many components inside the light to their limits, which are not great to begin with.

So I guess my best advise in lowering your chances of a failure is to keep these lights at below max intensity. Even 10% lower intensity will make a difference. That and the usual advise of keeping the lights clean, and away from water splashes.

On the note of water exposure, the electronics in Kessil lights are very well protected by a thick layer of silicon conformal coating. I've never seen any issues with corrosion on the board, except for one recent case of the LED cluster itself giving in and corroding from the inside (see video below). The moisture seems to be affecting the fans in these lights the most. Especially 360W models.

 

[John08007]

Sounds like humidity got to it. Did you happen to change your hvac settings while you were away on vacation? If you turned your ac off then the tank would be affected which could have caused more humidity than normal in you hood.

Nope, my mother in law stayed there to take care of my dog

 

[Bpb]

Kessil failures have a lot to do with the design and components quality. As of late Kessil 360x and 360w have been my most frequent repair, surpassing Apex and Radion gear. Take it for what it's worth as I only judge by what's being sent to me and you guys ultimately decide what to send in for repairs.

With that said, I also suspect that in many cases these lights are being run at their max intensity. They are smaller lights and the demand for high PAR numbers seems to be consistently high in our hobby. At maximum intensity you are really pushing many components inside the light to their limits, which are not great to begin with.

So I guess my best advise in lowering your chances of a failure is to keep these lights at below max intensity. Even 10% lower intensity will make a difference. That and the usual advise of keeping the lights clean, and away from water splashes.

On the note of water exposure, the electronics in Kessil lights are very well protected by a thick layer of silicon conformal coating. I've never seen any issues with corrosion on the board, except for one recent case of the LED cluster itself giving in and corroding from the inside (see video below). The moisture seems to be affecting the fans in these lights the most. Especially 360W models.

Thanks for the reply. If one of mine gives up the ghost I’ll absolutely send it your way for repair, as it’ll likely be out of warranty at that point. I got them used but they came from a good friend who used them for less than a year. I’m sure if one dies inside of warranty he wouldn’t mind sending an email for me as he is the original purchaser