Im need advice from someone fimiliar with setting up flouro's. I'm trying to install 4 4ft flour tubes in my grow. I originally bought a whole set up with the bulbs and the ballast all in a housing for 25$ a while ago. While i upgrade my grow to HID lighting and it has been sitting. I decided to add it to my grow chamber to help supplement light. I put the four tube in the corner of the grow. Wired it all up. But for some reason the lights will not light up. I've done the wirring correctly. But everytime i flick on the power they wont light up. The one sie i have to just touch one of bulbs and then it lights up, but the other side will not light i've tried everything. Its so frustrating i can't get it to work. I've double, triple and quadrople checked my wiring and everything is ok. I can even tell the light is getting power as its getting hot near the contacts, but it won't light. A few times i've gotten the one side to light up, then i'll turn the power off, turn it back on and it won't light WTF. Then i fuck with it for a few hours try again and still doesn't work. Anyone have any advice or troubleshooting help for me. Im also using a magnetic ballast, i was thinking that a new electronic ballast might solve my problems but if i don't have to spend the money i don't want to. I have to go to work but when i get back i'll throw up a pic. thnx for help.
I may be able to give you a few tips but it is too bad that you bought your floro a while ago because 8 times out of ten if the lights don't start up it is a ballast problem!! If you have the receipt and my tip doesn't help you need to take it back!! And as far as replacing the magnetic ballast with an electronic ballast, it won't work! My guess the type of fixture you have takes T12 kind of tubes (they are fairlly big in diameter). This is usually the type of tube that is used on a magnetic type of ballast. Now if you switch to an electronic type ballast, chances are the ballast requires a type T8 kind of tube!! T8 tubes take a completely different type of pin socket on the end of the fixture that secures and gives the tube power! Another words if you need to get a new ballast, buy a whole new fixture!! It will cost the same amount!! Anyways, the other thing you can check is the wiring that goes inside the pin sockets. Again, the pin sockets are the plastic things that you turn your lamp into. Normally the connection in the pin socket is a STAB IN type of connection, meaning you just stab the stripped wire into the designated hole and the wire should not pull back out. It will pull back out if you reef on it, but should not with a small amount of pressure. A lot of the time the wires that go into these sockets will get knocked out during shipping and what not, and if not put back into place you will end up with no light or just one tube lit up! Also when you stab the wires into the socket again you need to check the wiring schematic that is on the top of the ballst and make sure it is in the correct location. Magnetic ballasts are more picky when it comes to this!! So if all the connections in your wiring, and the manufactures wiring are all correct and hold a good connection most likely it is a bad ballast!! Try new tubes first just to make sure it's not the bulbs. TURN OFF POWER before you mess with any wiring!!!!!!!!! Ballasts jump voltages up very high and hurt like a motherf*#@*@ if you get hit!!! Another quick thing is while the bulbs are on and not quit lit to their potential, put your hand on one end of the bulb and slide it all the way to the other end to see if the little bit of light on one end will connect to the other end. Sometimes you can get the gasses and chemicals in the tube to get jump started by your hand. If you can understand any of this, I hope it helps....just smoked one so im not sure if i make much sense. BTW, i am an electrician.