Light keeps turning off and back on???

Lifted1

Lifted1

Active Member
Digital Greenhouse 1kw ballast (HTGS). This ballast has been used for bout a year. when i went in the flower room this one light was out. so i unplugged and plugged it in and it kicked back on. the last time i went in the room the light was out again and i was thinkin chit i just go turn it on again and then it just kicked back on on its own. i dont know whats up. i don't think the bulb would cause this? i got backups bulbs but no more ballasts.

i tried elevating the ballast as well to get good air circulation around it. still did it. so then i put a fan on it as well. still does it.

if anyone knows whats goin on lemme know.


 
Lifted1

Lifted1

Active Member
i'll b tryin that man.
it happens intermitently. its not like it happens like ol faithful. If it happens again and i can get to it while the bulb is cool i'll change it out.

im just thinkin that bulbs dont go out and then still kick on and off if there bad right? just either good or no good????? ive never had a bulb go bad. how many harvest should you get out of a bulb?

i really don't know what to make of this.
 
doc111

doc111

Well-Known Member
Lifted1 said:
i'll b tryin that man.
it happens intermitently. its not like it happens like ol faithful. If it happens again and i can get to it while the bulb is cool i'll change it out.

im just thinkin that bulbs dont go out and then still kick on and off if there bad right? just either good or no good????? ive never had a bulb go bad. how many harvest should you get out of a bulb?

i really don't know what to make of this.
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Sounds like your ballast is going bad. It should have a warranty. If it's only a year old I'd take it back or contact the company that makes it.
 
maximus316

maximus316

Active Member
bad igniter in your ballast, but could be deeper than that though. Check your wiring because you don't want a fire. Better to be safe than sorry...
 
S

SlikWiLL13

Well-Known Member
try a new bulb before you go sending in your ballast. i had this exact thing happen and a new bulb solved the problem.
 
maximus316

maximus316

Active Member
when bulbs blow they usually wont re-lite and just wont burn. but I would try another bulb just to make sure. I have seen the smallest things make something not work so you always wanna start checking the easy shit first..
 
Mr.Therapy Man

Mr.Therapy Man

Well-Known Member
My digital 600s lumitecks started that shit and they are laying in the floor (gathering dust).I struggled with that shit for a month before I went back to magnetic.Are you burning hortalux eyes or reguler bulbs.Factory rep told me to use reg bulbs,I told him to go get fucked
 
Lifted1

Lifted1

Active Member
well.....it happened again and the bulb wwas cool so i swapped them.


seems to be way brighter. after holding them next to eachother prior to swapping.....the old bulb did have a grey tinge around the center. def not nearly as clear as the new. it does seem blinding ly bright. which makes me think, how many grows should you use a bulb before it loses effeciency?

its back to bangn bright now. i left it for a few hours and so far it still on so????

i b checkn regularly to confirm b ut at this point im leannin towards IT WAS THE BULB!


oh, and they are grow bright bulbs. i think those are el cheapo's arent they??
 
doobnVA

doobnVA

Well-Known Member
I've been doing a lot of reading about HID lights and ballasts, as I'm researching a purchase in the near future.

It's my understanding that some ballasts contain a mechanism that will "cycle" (turn off and turn back on) the bulb when the bulb is burning out. Here is an explanation:

At the end of life, high-pressure sodium lamps exhibit a phenomenon known as cycling, which is caused by a loss of sodium in the arc. Sodium is a highly reactive element, and is easily lost by combination with other elements, and migration through the arc tube walls. As a result, these lamps can be started at a relatively low voltage but as they heat up during operation, the internal gas pressure within the arc tube rises and more and more voltage is required to maintain the arc discharge. As a lamp gets older, the maintaining voltage for the arc eventually rises to exceed the maximum voltage output by the electrical ballast. As the lamp heats to this point, the arc fails and the lamp goes out. Eventually, with the arc extinguished, the lamp cools down again, the gas pressure in the arc tube is reduced, and the ballast can once again cause the arc to strike. The effect of this is that the lamp glows for a while and then goes out, repeatedly.


So, a new bulb should fix this "cycling" issue at least until the new bulb starts to go bad - but at least when that happens you'll know what the problem is =)
 
S

SlikWiLL13

Well-Known Member
doobnVA said:
I've been doing a lot of reading about HID lights and ballasts, as I'm researching a purchase in the near future.

It's my understanding that some ballasts contain a mechanism that will "cycle" (turn off and turn back on) the bulb when the bulb is burning out. Here is an explanation:

At the end of life, high-pressure sodium lamps exhibit a phenomenon known as cycling, which is caused by a loss of sodium in the arc. Sodium is a highly reactive element, and is easily lost by combination with other elements, and migration through the arc tube walls. As a result, these lamps can be started at a relatively low voltage but as they heat up during operation, the internal gas pressure within the arc tube rises and more and more voltage is required to maintain the arc discharge. As a lamp gets older, the maintaining voltage for the arc eventually rises to exceed the maximum voltage output by the electrical ballast. As the lamp heats to this point, the arc fails and the lamp goes out. Eventually, with the arc extinguished, the lamp cools down again, the gas pressure in the arc tube is reduced, and the ballast can once again cause the arc to strike. The effect of this is that the lamp glows for a while and then goes out, repeatedly.


So, a new bulb should fix this "cycling" issue at least until the new bulb starts to go bad - but at least when that happens you'll know what the problem is =)
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that sounds like the problem i had.


OP - how old is your bulb? the one i had problems with was of unknown age(bought used).
 
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