“If you have somebody who attends your church who repairs color copiers, you should befriend him,” says Robert Mokry of Texas-based LightParts, Inc. “He’ll have knowledge of everything that goes into one of these lights.. Oddly, all of those things are found in color copy machines.”
Lighting is an important and often costly investment for any house of worship, so regular preventative maintenance should be routine. This will ensure that your lights are in good working order for years of use. Knowing how to handle routine cleaning and basic service is critical to avoid damaging your equipment while maintaining your lighting investment. It should also be noted that part of that knowledge is knowing when you have crossed into needing professional service repairs, especially as it can be both costly and dangerous—there is lethal voltage—to work inside a moving light.
Basic maintenance considerations
When thinking about maintenance, start your planning at the purchasing phase. It may prove wiser in the long run to buy fewer lights that, while being more expensive, will provide reliable service rather than a larger quantity of cheaper units that may not last as long. “The first and best way to insure reliability in automated and conventional lighting systems is [to] choose the products you purchase carefully—thoroughly evaluate the manufacturer's reputation for reliability, warranty, and ease of service,” explains Robert Mokry, co-owner, CFO, and head of marketing for Austin, Texas-based LightParts Inc., a company that specializes in service and repair of automated lighting. Another point to consider is if your church occasionally has big productions and needs to increase the lighting inventory for only a few shows per year; then the ability to rent additional fixtures of the same type in your area may influence your purchasing decision.
It's recommended to create a consistent schedule for routine cleaning and preventative maintenance. “We recommend a cycle of every six months for a thorough cleaning and maintenance; more if you're in a very dusty environment or use a lot of fog or haze in your productions,” Mokry comments. “This will help ensure extended operations as well as discover small problems before they turn into bigger ones.” It's a good idea to keep a logbook in your maintenance area or light booth of when units were cleaned and serviced, as well as when you changed lamps. This will help you keep track of your maintenance and help you plan out your operating budgets.
When you're planning your lighting, consider where you will place the units in your facility with an eye to fixture maintenance. Where you mount the lights and how you can access them will impact your maintenance schedule and budget. Remember, it is always best and safest if no lighting fixture is serviced in the air; they should be brought to the floor, or better yet, a bench or table in a workshop to deal with the maintenance or repair. The fixtures will need to be easily accessed for lamp changes, regular scheduled maintenance, and for repairs when something fails. Repeated heating and cooling of the light going on and off is the primary cause of failure—and ultimately normal end of life—of lighting fixtures and electronics.
When you get ready to work on any light be sure to disconnect it from the power supply. Also be aware that with automated lights, there may be capacitors and other devices that still hold a charge. If you don't feel comfortable doing the work yourselves, there are theatrical supply dealers as well as manufacturer and third-party service centers to handle the more difficult internal repairs. Don't feel bad, most production personnel cannot do many of these repairs themselves and rely on highly trained service technicians for this level of work.
When you unplug your light, look at the connector and the cable. Check that the strain reliefs are in place, that there are no cuts or knicks along the cable, and that the connector pins are clean and not bent. Next look at the lamp socket; the lamp socket is the area that takes the most abuse in any light—conventional or automated—and is the one area where a failure is most likely. When re-lamping or performing routine maintenance, be sure to check the lamp socket for discolored or charred lead wires, wear spots on the leads where they might rub against metal parts, discolored metal where the lamp plugs into the socket, and a lamp socket that doesn't hold the lamp firmly. As the lamp heats and cools, the socket will become discolored and will lose its tension that holds the lamp in the socket. When loose, arcing (flickering of the light when the fixture is on) will occur.
When it comes to automated lights, the optics— while key— are just one part of the overall unit.
Cleaning smarts
Almost all automated lighting units have fans to cool the electronics, especially those with higher wattage lamps. It is important to keep the fans and any filters working and dust-free. While some manufacturers suggest using compressed, oil-free air to clean fixtures, LightParts prefers using a soft, clean brush and vacuum cleaner for cleaning fixtures. As Mokry explains, “This method removes the dust from the fixture as opposed to just blowing the dirt somewhere else.”
Also, when vacuuming or using compressed air, don't allow fans to spin while cleaning. If the fans spin, they may generate back-currents that can damage the circuitry or power supply. “Another thing to keep in mind is [that] fog/haze fluid coats optics,” says Mokry. “Try to use as little as necessary and keep foggers as far as possible from fixtures with fans running.”
Most conventional lights are, for the most part, fairly basic, but remember that most of the lenses, reflectors, and glass gobos have coatings to improve the optics or to help shed heat more efficiently. It is important that you use care when cleaning them or you may damage these coatings and weaken the optical output of the light. Play it safe and assume that all lenses and reflectors have a specialized coating and you won't go wrong. To that point, you don't want to use household cleaners and you should always avoid any cleaners with ammonia. The wrong cleaning agent will damage your glass coatings, discolor your reflectors, and even cause metal pitting.
Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC), the maker of the Source Four line of fixtures, has great recommendations for cleaning coated lenses and glass reflectors. Here is some of their advice. [The full list can be found at: http://www.etcconnect.com/Community/wikis/products/how-to-clean-source-4-lenses-and-reflectors.aspx] “Do NOT use household ammonia and water to clean the lens, as it may damage the glass surface and anti-reflective coatings. Never use blue window cleaner to clean the reflector because it may stain the reflector. Diluted solutions of isopropyl alcohol are recommended (begin with a 10% alcohol solution.)”
For glass lenses, ETC recommends: “Dampen a clean, lint-free cloth with alcohol/water mixture or white vinegar. You may also use water, but it will leave spots, which you may remove by polishing the lens gently with a clean, dry cloth. Warning: Never use glass and window cleaner, ammonia, or any abrasive material to clean the lens. Glass and window cleaners can stain the lens surface. Abrasive materials (such as steel wool) will damage the lens. Starting from the center, gently wipe the lens.” Remember to wipe in one direction and lift the cloth to avoid scratching and grinding small particles into the surfaces. You don't need a lot of pressure; you just want to get the items clean and dust-free, not grind the dust into the coatings.
Mokry concurs with the advice to be wary of what you use to clean your fixtures to avoid doing harm. “At LightParts, we use Zeiss Pre-Moistened Lens Cloths Wipes made by Carl Zeiss Optical, who makes precision lenses,” he says. “They're individual lens cleaning wipes impregnated with alcohol that are ideal for cleaning optics, mirrors, and reflectors. Also, if you use fog and haze in your productions, these lens wipes will soften and remove the built-up fluid residue from lenses and reflectors. Open one up, lay it on the lens, drag it gently across and throw it away. You can repeat as necessary. You can also use 90%+ isopropyl alcohol along with a lint-free, abrasive-free cloth. It's the cleaning combination most recommended by lens, mirror, and dichroic filter manufacturers.”
These recommendations reportedly work for both conventional and automated lights and will help ensure that your optics are clean and dust free, letting the light shine through.
Automated lighting considerations
When it comes to automated lights, the optics—while key—are just one part of the overall unit. There are electronics, including numerous motors that control the movement, color, gobo, zoom, shutters, iris, etc. There are circuit boards, igniters, lamp ballasts, etc. While many of these items can be swapped out fairly easily by disconnecting the cables and unscrewing, care does need to be taken, especially to not generate any static charges that might damage the new parts. These internal parts should stay fairly clean if the light has a good filter by the fan. If not, carefully vacuum or use oil-free compressed air to clean off any dust. Make sure all the connections are tight and correct. When inspecting inside the light, look at the wire harnesses. Keep an eye out for cracks and discolored connectors, which are a sign of heat or age. Be careful when working around the wire harnesses; don't pull or move wires around unnecessarily.
As mentioned before, there are high voltages inside automated lights—voltages that can be lethal. This is an area that I would recommend that you leave to the trained professionals. “I would be really cautious with anything that involves high voltage, lamp circuits, etc.,” Mokry says. “We put disclaimers everywhere: ‘If you are not a technician or if you are not comfortable' in big bold letters, ‘don't chance it. There are lethal voltages present inside these fixtures.' Never work on a fixture in the air. Never. Take it down. There is only one thing worse than getting shocked by a fixture and that's getting shocked while you're standing on a ladder or hanging up in the air. That's how people get hurt. Don't take those kinds of stupid chances. Be smart; be cautious. The truth of the matter is, the worship service is going to go on even if one or two of the lights don't work. No matter the show, let's always keep this in perspective. Don't ever risk someone being hurt or shocked over a light.”
Mokry has a bit of unconventional advice when looking for someone to help maintain and do some basic service on your automated lights. “If you have somebody who attends your church who repairs color copiers, you should befriend him,” says Mokry. “He'll have knowledge of everything that goes into one of these lights—mechanical, optical, electronic. Oddly, all of those things are found in color copy machines.”
You should consider finding a theatrical supplier, rental house or independent service company, as well, who deals with service repairs and may even offer routine maintenance calls. Help and good advice is available, so look around and find the right fit for your facility's needs and your lighting team's skill level. Remember, routine maintenance will extend the life of your lights and ultimately your lighting budget.
