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Re: [APD] Failed CF Retrofit - Don't let it happen to you!



Speaking of failed retrofit kits. I thought I might warn everybody that there 
is a company selling retrofit PC kits on Ebay for ridiculously low prices... 
you get what you pay for. They do come with a Fulham Workhorse 7 ballast which 
is good and the bulbs appear to be ok... but the reflector, clamps, and 
endcaps are CRAP! I got a dual 96watt CF retrofit for $99... even with a crap 
reflector etc. it's not a bad price for a ballast and two bulbs, but you 
shouldn't trust the reflector, endcaps, and clamps. I was stupid and trusted 
them and the bulbs fell out, breaking one of them. $99 isn't a good price for 
1 bulb and a ballast. I was upset with them, but mostly I was upset with 
myself. They did agree to let me send it back for a refund, but I would lose 
what I spent on shipping and would have to pay to ship it back, by that time I 
decided it was cheaper just to buy another bulb. So if you want to get some 
bulbs and a ballast all pre-wired, its a decent deal, but DON'T trust the 
clamps and endcaps to hold those bulbs! 

I also have a question, Bob mentioned that his bulbs burned out because he had 
just attached the reflector to the bottom of the hood and he thought they 
might have overheated. I am mounting mine inside a wooden canopy, should I put 
some blocks or something between the canopy and the reflector so there is some 
room for heat to dissipate? I haven't had a chance to reset it up and let it 
run for an extended amount of time (after my incident), so I don't know if 
attaching it directly to the wood of the hood will pose a problem. I was going 
to mount a couple 8cm fans in the back of the canopy. Any ideas on how to 
prevent what happened to Bob from happening to me?
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