Smoking Par Cans

[jonaldridge166]

Hi everybody

 

just a quick question. I have just got back from setting up for an event. I was trying to use my 6 new par 64`s, As well as 4 of my cct sil30`s. And all of the 64`s began to smoke. Very heavilly.

 

Ok so there not brand new but ive only used them as blinders for another event, so no more than 5mins use in all.

 

So any ideas or have I been sold some lemons :P B-)

 

thanks jon

[charl.ie]

It will probably be the paint on the inside of the can burning off. When we got some new ones, we left them on for a few hours in a well ventilated area.

[mutley]

Depending where they've been used and stored before, it could just be dust burning off them...?

 

Where were they smoking from, the back (lampholder), or the front (lamp)?

 

Did they have a gel on? It could be that the gel was touching the lamp and smoking as it melted (especially if not high temp gel).

 

It could also be that if they're the black cans (not silver), the high temperature paint cures with heat. Although I would expect this would have been done during manufacture, if they're second hand, they may have been repainted, and not yet cured. If that's the case, just "cook 'em!" The hotter they get, the harder the paint cures and the longer it lasts (upto about 380'C).

[tokm]

I had a similar thing happen at a conference/event I was designing, back at the beginning of the year. The can's were going to be in view of the delegates/clients, so we asked for shiny as possible chrome cans..

 

The crew goes and rigs them up, come the morning of the conference, we turn them all on (all being run off local 13a of course) a few minutes later, one of the venue staff comes upto me and says 'do you know your lights are smoking'. Course we thought, 'oh it must be the gels' (they all had freshly cut bits of L101 in them - Don't ask!), took them out, still smoking.. Uh oh we say! And so then we had to agree to turn the can's off as that particular room's sensors couldn't be isolated! Not impressed at all, the company providing the kit fessed up and took responsibility, but still, very embarrassing for myself and the company I was working for who was supplying the production package to the end-client.

 

There we some similarly new can's located in the main room, they too smoked, though after around 45min/an hour, an hour at 100% they did all stop smoking.. So in answer to the OP's question, I suspect all you can do is leave them to smoke away, they should stop.. eventually! If they don't I can only suggest sending them back to your supplier, perhaps the wrong paint was used on that batch or something!

 

HTH, Tom

[gareth]

It's an oil residue from the manufacturing process - just leave them running for an hour or so in a well-ventilated area and it'll all burn off.

[dmxtothemax]

Hi everybody

 

just a quick question. I have just got back from setting up for an event. I was trying to use my 6 new par 64`s, As well as 4 of my cct sil30`s. And all of the 64`s began to smoke. Very heavilly.

 

Ok so there not brand new but ive only used them as blinders for another event, so no more than 5mins use in all.

 

So any ideas or have I been sold some lemons :P B-)

 

thanks jon

 

My new par 64s did the same thing! so I am guessing that it is normal, these lights run very very hot, and I am thinking it is just the paint burning a little, it will stop after 2 or 3 good sessions of use.

[gareth]

I am guessing that it is normal ... I am thinking it is just the paint burning a little

No need to be guessing or thinking - I explained in the post above yours, made three hours earlier, what is causing the smoke.