Service and maintenance
15
Take the following precautions to avoid humidity during service:
• Carry out lamp replacement and adjustment during dry weather conditions or in a dry location indoors
only. The relative humidity level should be no higher than 50%. If the humidity level is above 50%, remove
water vapor from the fixture using the procedure described in “Dehumidifying the fixture” on page 15.
• Make sure that seals and sealing surfaces are clean, dry and in perfect condition before installing a cover.
If you need to clean seals, use water and a soft cloth only. Replace any seal that shows signs of aging,
damage, cracking, stretching or deformation. Replacement seals are available from Martin.
• Reinstall seals in exactly their original position.
• Do not use liquid gasket or any other type of sealant on sealing surfaces or seals.
Pressure relief valves
Three valves with gas-permeable but waterproof membranes manufactured by Gore (arrowed in Figure 9)
equalize pressure by allowing air and water vapor to pass into and out of the fixture when it heats up and
cools down, but they act as barriers to water in liquid form. The expulsion of warm air (with a slightly higher
water vapor content) and intake of cool air (with a slightly lower water vapor content) prevents humidity
buildup over time, provided that the valves work correctly and that the fixture is correctly sealed.
Valves become blocked over time as the micropores in the membranes fill with dirt particles. If a valve
becomes blocked, excess pressure can cause water to be sucked into the fixture and damage seals. Valves
cannot be cleaned – they are service items that require occasional replacement. It is impossible to give
precise replacement intervals because environment and conditions of use vary, but if the fixture is used in
an environment where airborne dust or dirt is present, we recommend that you replace the valves with their
rubber seals each time you replace the lamp. If heavy dust or dirt is present and the fixture is powered on
and off frequently you should monitor a potential need for valve replacement carefully. If any valve shows
signs of contamination or is not in perfect condition, replace it immediately.
The instructions supplied with the Martin vacuum tester contain details of checking permeability of pressure
relief valves.
New pressure relief valves are available from Martin (see “Spare parts” on page 26).
Dehumidifying the fixture
The fixture’s pressure relief valves prevent humidity
buildup, but if any cover is opened – and for the user this
means the rear cover for lamp replacement and
adjustment – in an environment where relative humidity
is higher than 50%, it is necessary to dehumidify the
fixture after reinstalling the cover.
To dehumidify the fixture:
1. Work indoors or in dry conditions only. Place the
fixture on a suitable work surface. Disconnect the
fixture from DMX.
2. See Figure 8. Unscrew and remove the fixture’s three
pressure relief valves (one valve in the base and two
valves on the sides of the head) and remove them
completely. Make sure that the valves’ rubber O-rings
stay in position on the valves.
3. Apply power to the fixture and wait for it to complete a
full reset without any errors when it starts up.
4. In the fixture’s control panel, go to SERVICE
→
DEHUMIDIFY
→
RUN. Make sure that nobody is
looking at the front of the fixture because the lamp
will now strike. Press ENTER to start the
dehumidification program.
5. The lamp will strike and the frost and spot diffuser
effects will deploy. The fixture’s sensors will measure
the relative humidity level inside the fixture:
• If the level is above 45%, the fixture will run the
dehumidification program until relative humidity
inside the fixture has been reduced to 45% or for 10 minutes, whichever comes sooner.
Figure 8: Pressure relief valves
