Off Topic, Kino Flo Divas blowing safety switch

[jimhare]

Sorry this is off topic, but does anyone know why Kino Flo Diva 400s blow the safety switch in my house? I have 3-phase and can power a small city, but for some reason the little Diva 400s always blow the safety switch (not the breaker itself, just the safety switch.)

As they are pretty low draw, I'm thinking there is something else at play here.

I've tested them elsewhere and they are fine.

Also, this is second set of Divas I've used at my place and the result is the same.

Does anyone know if the ballasts are doing something funky?

Any solution?

Thanks!

Jim Hare

 

[Paul Hazlett]

I have never had this happen with mine, so the only thing I could suggest is the house wiring is not on the right phase as the kinos.

Just a shot in the dark

 

[jimhare]

Hey Paul,

Thanks for that. At the moment you're all I've got so can you tell me how this would manifest itself and if anything can be done?

How does the house phase react to the Kinos in this case?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Mark Phelan]

Jim,

It might be the outlet itself. Here in the states the GFCI safety circuit breaker outlets will trip if overloaded. Over time, these can wear out if tripped enough, causing them to trip too readily and needing replacement. Just a thought.

 

[Cail Young]

Smells like earth leakage in the Diva - have you tried other Divas or is this specific one doing it? Might need some repair.

 

[Paul Hazlett]

like mark said, it might be the outlet. have you tried a high wattage source in that same socket? and the kino in an already tested socket?

is the kino the right voltage for your country?

just spittin in the wind here...

 

[jimhare]

Worked it out. Kino advise against using any kind of GFI protection.

Also found several articles saying this is very common with flouro ballasts.

http://www.tvss.net/pq/ballast.htm

http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-174420.html

My understanding is the majority of outlets around the world only use GFI in wet areas. It makes sense why most people don't experience issues.

The solution is to bypass GFI and rely on the grounding for protection.

I have had the same issue with rented Divas in the past so this is nothing new and doesn't suggest defect in the Divas. I think my house is just going overboard trying to protect me!

As long as I don't use them in the bathtub I should be fine.

Thanks for the responses.