how does your supply house handle bad ballasts?

[charlie tuna]

what is the proceedure your supplier uses in replacement of ballasts on new fixtures during the first year of operation????

[bphgravity]

The two suppliers that I use never give me a problem when returing any problem or defected materials.

When it comes to ballasts, they just check to make sure that I did indeed purchase fixtures with the respective ballast within the last year. I usually just get a universal replacement ballast.

It has been my experience that replacements never operate as well as manufacturers original. Even when efficencies and noise ratings are the same, I always have problems like hard starting and excessive "hum". :eek:

[michael nye]

I'll tell you, there has been a line of ballast come with new lithonia fixtures, not the normal, Advance but some generic brand in the T-8 fixtures and I've had to replace over half of them the wholesale house gives them to me, but I'am eating the time. The customers are working with but I am eating the time. I have gotten where I open the fixture and check the ballast before I leave the parts house.

[charlie tuna]

i had a job with lithonia two light fixtures - electronic ballast - dual voltage 120/277 volt.
this was in a prison complex and access was a problem - 157 fixtures total - two days and eight were out! then six more after a week! they were supplying me with the same ballasts. then a day later two of the replaced ballasts went out! that did it - i ordered straight 120 volt electronic ballasts and went in and replaced them all!! we assumed that the ballast were seeing a spike or surge and shifting to 277 volts and then would not operate on 120 volts??????? this complex is spread out and supplied by five different services. i try to stay away from dual voltage ballasts...

[-marty]

I had a problem with a lithonia hid ballast. The supplier (Stusser) sold me a ballast and told me that after the defective one was returned to the factory to be tested and was found faulty I would be credited. I was ignored when I asked them to help me with the $600. cost to fly to the village to replace it.