Hello everyone, I have been running a 400w HPS in my grow room with a 400w digital ballast. I have been using for a while this setup and the ballast was connected to a timer that I bought from my local hardware store. It has been 4 months now, and I have been noticing that timer sometimes would just not turn on so I would have to manually unplug and replug the ballast to make it work. I really didn't give too much thinking into it, however after some research around the internet I found that what has been happening is probably caused by the fact that I am not using a contactor. After some reading I got really, REALLY paranoid about possible fire hazards of which I wasn't even aware! Now I have been doing some research but I am having a hard time in understanding what exactly needs to be done and what would be for me the cheaper (but still effective) solution. So first of all my first question is: do I really need a contactor? Because I have been reading around that you can find heavy duty timers for cheap which should also act as contactors. So in case this is true, would a heavy duty timer solve my problem? Are there any specific things that I should be looking at when purchasing one? Or can you maybe recommend me a good one? (I live in europe, so I usually don't find all the products from the US) Thank you all in advance, hope you can help me with this 'cause now I am anxious that I might burn down my house!
I think I paid €40 in a grow shop for a double socket soft start connector, cheap for some peace of mind
Yeah I saw that, but I have found around the internet and on eBay heavy duty timers that claim no need for a connector and are specifically designed for his lighting. Those are around 12 euros and I wonder if they actually work/prevent fire hazard
I gave it a quick look on eBay and amazon and I can't seem to find them apart from really expensive models. Isn't there anything else I could get?
Yeah but what I am saying is that they don't sell titan timers in europe, is there any european counterpart or equally good brand that I could use? Do you think that is the reason that my light has trouble turning on? Also I moved my grow tent to another room because of temperature problems, but in that room I have only one outlet, meaning that the ballast is plugged to a timer which is plugged to a power strip where also the air pump and the oscillating fan are connected to. Is that risky? Should I try to plug the ballast/timer to a separate plug? Do you think this timer would be what I am looking for? http://www.legrand.com/ecat_export/699811-omnirex-t-plug-in-time.html
Not from Europe. I'm sure there's good brands available there too or there's always shipping. A junk timer could be the reason, your the only one there to find out. All we can do is make suggestions. My suggestion is don't go cheap on something that's very important and a safety concern. Think about it this way, if the growing thing works out for you then you don't have to buy weed anymore. Spend the $$$ on quality items and they'll last longer, saving you $$$ in the long run. I know nothing of the brand you posted. Looks like the cheap junk ones we get here at wal mart minus the plug in.
I know what you mean, and I do want to make a good investment, however I feel like I can still get something good without going over 20 euros. Are there any specific requirements that I have to look at to know if the timer is gonna be good or not? I mean in terms of wattage, amps and voltage. So is it dangerous to plug the ballast>timer to a power strip?
Just read reviews and get something quality. I have no idea what 20 euros relates too. But here in the US 20 dollars is pretty reasonable for a quality timer. You pay for what you get. Go cheap, get cheap. 1 of my lights is plugged into a titan analog timer, another is plugged into a titan analog power strip. Don't overload your breakers and get a quality powerstrip and you'll be fine. But seriously a couple extra dollars/euros for peace of mind is worth it. Unless you're only planning 1 grow, you'll wear out 10x as many cheap timers as compared to just spending a bit more and getting something of quality. Saves $$$ in the long run. I'm all about saving money as long as its a smart decision and quality products. But here in the US when a junk timer is $10 and a quality titan goes for less then $20, the choice is very easy......titan and be set for years of great service. I'm not buying quality equipment only to plug it into a cheap piece of crap
Well just like light bulbs get changed at least every year, timers should be tossed every few years too. I just had a very nice 12 year old timer weld the power plug into it. Yea fuck that shit, fling it away and spend $20.