Wire heated up on my 4ft T5 Lightset!!

**limsteel** · 13th Aug 2007, 20:18

Bought 2 set of 3x54W T5 from Nature aquarium the ~$100 type (China one I think)... Rarely power on all 3 light on 1 set... recently I wanna boost my Foreground growth thus I power on all 3 tube in the front light set... Discover that the wire is very hot...

When I disconnected and check the wire inner core... the insulation is of low quality very soft. Unlike those common computer cables, the external and inner insulation is tougher (maybe thicker)...

Any guys here bought the light please check before the wire melts and cause a short circuit and fire! Will contact Chan Tomorrow regarding this.

**juggler** · 14th Aug 2007, 11:24

Is the cable thin? I guess if too much current passes through a thin cable, it heats up.

For my 5ft light set, I DIY with thicker cables. Each set powering either 3x36W or up to 6x36W -- a bit more wattage than yours. The cable is OK - not hot.

I once had a "commercial" 5ft light set with 6x36W and 6 x magnetic ballasts. The cable is thin with a 2-pin plug. One day I smelled something melting and found that the 2-pin plug had started to melt my mechanical timer. That was scary.