Conventional Fixtures Cyc Light Heat Issue

[Jamyo]

Curious to see if anyone has run into this issue before and what the solution is. There hasn't been any change in lamps used/wattage/etc. The triple cyc fixtures are about eight years old probably 2/3 of the units are having this issue. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[SteveB]

Altman ?.

 

[Jamyo]

Yup! Altman

 

[SteveB]

I'm going to refrain from stating why it was an easy guess, but no, I've never seen that.

I have 8 Altman 3 cell Ground Cyc units, 12 EconoCyc's as well as 24 some odd Q-Lite flood units, all Altman. The highest wattage lamp I run in any of these fixtures is 500 watts, but that's only due to circuit limitations and or not needing 1kw. All of my Q-Lites are 15 years old or better and all have intact reflectors.

Maybe they don't like 1000 watts ?. I know, I know they are UL rated.......

I would call Altman, their support folks are always very helpful, though they might have you go thru a dealer. I'd get an e-mail and send them the photo. They *should* / *possibly* warranty this, but not sure.

In any case I have had to remove reflectors to get at the sockets and it's an easy fix, just a couple of screws.

 

[techieman33]

We've had our altman sky cycs for ~10 years and haven't had any issues with 1k lamps.

 

[DiscoPony]

You may check to see if the reflector is installed correctly and hasn't been bent or pushed forward. I had this problem on our Altman ground cyc's and turned out the reflector was pushed forward about 1 inch.

 

[Jamyo]

Thanks for the thoughts -in some units, though not all, the reflector was bowed out towards the lamp. Would this proximity be enough to cause the amount of heat transfer needed to turn the wire casings into dust and create the corrosion that is shown in the upper left corner of this pic? I just want to make sure if I adjust the reflectors that it will take care of any issues and not just cover one up . . . Thanks again!!

 

[techieman33]

View attachment 7207Thanks for the thoughts -in some units, though not all, the reflector was bowed out towards the lamp. Would this proximity be enough to cause the amount of heat transfer needed to turn the wire casings into dust and create the corrosion that is shown in the upper left corner of this pic? I just want to make sure if I adjust the reflectors that it will take care of any issues and not just cover one up . . . Thanks again!!

Yes the reflector was holding a lot more heat and helped contribute to destroying the wiring. You'll need to replace the sockets to replace the wiring, it's a pretty standard socket and you can get them a lot cheaper buy not buying the altman socket.

 

[derekleffew]

... it's a pretty standard socket and you can get them a lot cheaper by not buying the altman socket.

True for other manufacturers besides Altman (and in fixtures other than cyc light s, too). Search for "R7S socket." Likely best sourced from your preferred lamp vendor. There are some variations in the mounting ears or flanges, so check the picture carefully to make sure the new match the existing.

I've seen the same toasted reflectors. It's amazing how thin some are, barely thicker than aluminum foil. Just because a fixture is listed, by NRTL for 1000W, doesn't always mean you can use 1000W, if you want color, lamp, or reflector to last beyond a few minutes.

 

[skippy]

forgive me for being nieve, what is the reflector is it that little nob on the lamp...?

 

[Les]

The knob is just the factory seal and has nothing to do with the operation of the lamp -- just a necessary evil. The reflector is shown in the pic in the first post. That shiny peened item with the hole burned in the middle (the reflector takes up the entire picture).