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To fix or not to fix....pc lighting

I just got a set of power compact lighting in a tank setup i purchased. I wasnt planning on using the light myself but was gonna offload it to recoup some of my purchase price. It looked good when I got it but when i got it home I found out it had a few issues that would prevent me from selling or even using it.

Its a 48 in current orbit extreme power compact with 2 130w daylight and 2 130w dual actinic.

The problems are as follows.

2 of the 4 internal ballasts are bad...cost $40 each to replace
1 bulb was defective and all 4 bulbs are old and need to be replaced....normal cost $50 per bulb although I found them on aquatraders for $30 each.

My question is simple...is it worth fixing and is there a cheaper way to do it? If it was the 96w bulb setup it would not be too expensive. It really looks like a nice setup and new it costs around $560 but is it really worth putting $280 into it to fix it.... I'm sure if I sell it I wont recoup much due to the fact its a power compact


Thanks for any input.
 

magic

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Plain and simple NO!!!. PCs don't hold their value. PC bulbs are only good for around 6 months so chances are they will need to be replaced. You will probably be hard pressed to get $100 for the fixture after it's repaired. I had a 4 month old Orbit fixture, paid $279 went to sell it couldn't get $100. Hopefully this makes your decision easier.

Bob
 
i would not fix it , instead i would take the money that you were going to use to fix it and put it toarch some t5s and it would be a lot better , jsut my 2 cents.
 
Actually I have 2 sets of t-5s already sitting in storage. I have a 48in 4 bulb nova setup and a 48in 8 bulb setup by nova as well.

The 8 bulb is put away for my 90 gal tank and haven't decided what I am doing with the 4 bulb set yet. It never hurts to have an extra set of lighting around :)
 
I hate to throw something out that can be salvageable and useful to someone. Maybe I will look around and see if anyone needs any parts from it before I chuck it
 

magic

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I'd post it before chucking it "one mans trash is anothers treasure".

Bob
 
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