Anybody have an idea what happened here. I have a 1000w hid luminaire hps. made by sunlight inc. in vancouver. Its about 6 or 7 years old. I used it for 2 grows 6 years ago and then havn't touched it till I turned it on 2 days ago. It ran great for 2 days. This morning I came down and I had no power. It's either the ballast or the bulb thats the problem. Im thinking ballast because I cant see anything that looks like its burnt on the bulb. Plus I would think a bulb would dim before it burnt out. It was going strong last night before bed. Anybody have experience fixing ballasts. I know the hydro store can refurbish it. But if someone has a tutorial on how to fix it- please point it in my direction.
Thats probably why they give a five year warranty..sucks..i had a four hps all in the hood and a wire was touching the metal inside..the plastic freyd and all i had to do was open it electrical tape the cut and it worked fine..but im no electrician so sorry bro..hearing a hum from the ballast?
If the ballast is making noise itll be the bulb..they dont have to dim first thry could just stop lighting up like mine did..
Well if the ballast is not humming then somethings blown in there.cuz even if it was the lightbulb..it would still hum and youd see the bulb ttrying to start up..unless a fuse blew or if your wiring is bad...sorry bro.
When a bulb goes out, does it have a burnt spot on it or will it have a loose filament or something? I can tell nothing by just looking at it
Last time my bulb shit the bed it just stopped..it looked burnt in the tmiddle tube but nothing actually broke...it woukd start to light but then just flicker inside the tube inside the bulb..
A bulb can look just fine and be broken. It happened to me and I was using the same exact bulb you were. I have two 1k hps ballast and two hoods. I tested the bulb on two ballasts and it did not work. My other bulb worked on the two ballasts. I had used the bulb two cycles like you then let it sit for 2 years, then it never lit back up. I now use Ushio bulbs, I kinda really think they increased my yield, about 10%. Ushio Enhanced Performance HPS Lamps Sunlight Supply, Inc. - Hydropnoics, Grow lights, Indoor Gardening Wholesale If you ballast does not even hum, check the GFI reset button if it is a GFI, If its not that, check the breaker, if thats ok get a lamp and make sure the outlet is working. You can buy a new ballast re-build kit for like 50 bucks. Its not that hard, to do yourself. As long as you follow instructions and ask questions on GC if you need help. Im good with lighting so you can PM me if you have a specific Q. Also I don't like to buy bulbs online, cause I think they can and will be harmed in the shipping process. I couple of hard bumps and there life is shortened doomed. I always go to the growshop. I know for a lot of you that's impossible, due to where you live.
CrackLemonade, Thanks for the tips. I'll check out those bulbs. extra 10%, thats worth looking into. The outlet is definitely working, no humming. I'll probably have to refurbish the ballast. and I may take you up on the advice about the refurbishing kit. My local hydro shop can fix it as well so I may pay them to do so.