HELP!!! 250 Watt 2 year old HPS lamp keeps turning off every 10 minutes!!!

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by can-a-bliss, May 30, 2009.

  1. #1 can-a-bliss, May 30, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: May 30, 2009
    My HPS lamp has been turning off every ten minutes, an unwelcome pattern I just noticed. It goes off for about 30 seconds and stays on for about 10 minutes in intervals. Does this mean I need a new bulb? New Equipment? Its been kinda hot and rainy here lately, I don't know if that makes a difference. There also has been several power outages due to some thunrderstorms in the past couple of weeks. I've also been noticing some stretching with my k train and wasn't sure if it had to do with genetics, but now I think it may be my faulty lamp. Please give me some good and swift advice so I can save my ladies!!!
     
  2. sounds like it could be an issue with the ignitor....just a thought.

    try a new bubl if that don't fix it get a new ballast.
     
  3. please let us know what you find out
     
  4. is it a light that you purchased, as in it is basically a light you can buy at home depot for lighting up signs and such. if so then it has a photocell imbeded on it, and it will sense light, so once it gets so bright it senses it and turns off. and the process repeats.

    solution: find where it is sensing it(normally a swirly little circle) just cover it with something dark.

    obviously the ignitor is working because it lights it up to begin with, try setting a fan up to cool the ballast off, if that doesnt work then get a new bulb and you should be good to go.

    start with diagnosing the problem and check it off. trial and error :)
     
  5. Sounds to me that some kind of thermal protector is activating - maybe inside the ballast.

    A lot of these ballast assemblies have the ignitor and other bits inside the case housing the ballast. Makes replacement of duff components difficult and often expensive.

    I prefer to have a separate magnetic ballast and the ignitor wired externally to that.

    And if the bulb is lighting up OK, the ignitor is probably sound.
     
  6. Aloha !


    IT IS THE LAMP


    When a lamp starts to fail iy cycles , the interval will get shorter and shorter

    When an igniter fails, the lamp won't start.
     
  7. Well the lamp has the ballast built into it, I got it from HTG Supply. I had a fan blowing air on it and thought that might have been the problem so I took out the fan, but waited 30 minutes and noticed it clicked off 3 times. I just started using this lamp 3 months ago even though I got it 2 years ago, I had it in storage since I wasn't using it. I will go ahead and buy a new bulb. Thanks for all the advice.
     
  8. Another question, can I just purchased a 250W HPS bulb from home depot instead of ordering one online and having to wait for it to be shipped? Or do I have to use the specific SunAro Max bulb?
     
  9. you dont HAVE to get that exact bulb, you CAN go to lowes or home depot and get a 250watter, but the ones that you can buy online(that are typically more expensive) are spectrum enhanced, meaning they emit more rays of light that your plant loves.
     
  10. I just got back from Home Depot, and decided to do away with my HPS and switch to CFL's, They only had 3500 K Cfl's so I got those. Hopefully less heat will be generated.
     

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