Hello i just bought a used sunsysem 400 w metal halide with everything. In great condition (So it seems).when i got home i pluged it in and it started to light not very brightly at all then about 30 seconds later turns off. Im hoping this is just a problem with the bulb so i ordered a new one. I also have a 1000w hps sunsystem in which i bought brand new which works great. So i was just wandering if that sounds like the characteristics of a burnt out mh bulb. So any help would be great if you've experience the same thing with burnt bulbs. I havnt yet burnt one out so i'm hoping its not my new to me purchased ballast! thanks. Just to calm my nerves while i wait for the bulb in the mail!
Yes that sounds like a bulb that is toast. Especailly after 30sec it turns off. Wow...never had one that bad.
Hard to say, see what happens with the new bulb. Know that HID bulbs have a limited usable life and then diminish in light output pretty dramatically.
Yeah i believe the guy said it was continuosly used for eight months, then it probably sat around for a couple months. So yeah like i said i hope its the bulb. In which i have nothing to worry about. Hopefully lol
Well i was tired last night and didn't want to deal with it, but today I pulled the bulb out and discovered it was a sylvania probably bought at home depot. I did the calculations and i believe it probably has about 7,000 hrs out of its 10,000 hr life. So i ordered a sunmaster blue cooldeluxe bulb and I'm sure that will be better for the growing process! and hopefully it works! lol. Remember I'm just tryin to assure myself i didn't get ripped off here. Anyways heres a pic of the bulb i pulled out.
End of life At the end of life, metal halide lamps exhibit a phenomenon known as cycling. 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 voltage provided 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. More-sophisticated ballast designs detect cycling and give up attempting to start the lamp after a few cycles. If power is removed and reapplied, the ballast will make a new series of startup attempts. Well I found this in Wikipedia sounds like my problem! Woot! Thats a load off my soulders.