I think that’s the problem - My T5 fixture is from Sunlight supply and has no fans so it probably runs too hot, causing the ballasts to burn out. The other problem is the bulbs are a PITA to replace. The polycarbonate lens is a pain to remove, and the reflectors extend all the way to the end of the bulbs so I can’t get my fingers in to turn the bulbs. All this means I need to completely take the fixture off down and Lay it on the floor to replace the bulbs.
The other problem is I’m having trouble sourcing a replacement ballast for my lights so I may just replace them anyway.
@oreo5457 - those Quanta lights look amazing. Do you get much shimmer from them? I’m strongly considering getting an aquatic life dimmable T5 hybrid fixture and putting a couple of the Quanta strips in the middle but I’m worried it will be too much par and I’d like to get a bit of shimmer.
How many bulbs is it (4,6,8) ? You would always just get 2 ATI replacement fans and wire them into a 12v wall wart plug or a tank mouny fan and face it up at the bottom of the fixture to push some heat away.
I am kinda having the same issue because the end caps on my Tek light are super old and I habe to wiggle the bulbs to get them to fire up majority of the time.
Depending of how many switches your fixture has you can always replace 2 bulbs with 2 led bars and just remove the bulbs and mount the bars in place of them.