This is interesting and I never noticed it before but in the JPG EXIF I can only see white balance = auto or manual whereas in my RAW files I can see the specific white balance in the Camera Raw section of the metadata. So I assume that 'manual' would be any of the modes other than 'auto'.

There is also some talk among Canon users that the custom white balance may work better in some cases using an 18% grey card. Go figure.

Regarding your white balance issues, you should try shooting a frame using the correct exposure, only with your hot lights turned off...if the frame is not dark - nothing on the histogram --- then you are getting mixed light from sources other than your hot lights.