HELP!! My 600 Watt HPS didn't fire!

[BillFromBio]

Yeah I'm about 7-8 weeks into flowering. Its probably within a few days or so of my harvest. Anyway this morning my HPS light failed to fire. I have a digital greenhouse ballast and some high lumen output for the bulb. Bought them together off of htgsupply.com. The ballast starts fine with the fan and i hear a click. The bulb doesn't look blown or bad but then again i'm not sure what to look for. Any Suggestion? Also my second question is whether or not you think i should harvest my 4 plants a few days early. They have had about 21 hours of darkness right now. They have some light from the window getting to the closet now that i opened it. Not alot but enough not to confuse them. Any suggestion, comments, or concerns are appreciated.

-Kevin

 

[Growdude]

Have you checked the trich's?
As long as it remains dark for 12 hours a day or more your plants wont get confused.

If you have a new bulb or can get one try that first, HPS bulbs get black on the ends of the inner tube, usally they cycle when going bad.

Dont harvest early if you dont have too it will really effect the potency of your bud.

 

[King Bud]

The timer maybe? :confused2:

 

[manyBudZ4$]

Sounds like the lamp (bulb) is shot. the lamp could be shot and look perfectly fine. If the ballast was shot or dying the lamp would attempt to light start to come up and then go out agian and or the ballast would be making excessive noise. Im an electrician by trade and HPS dont last long should be replaced yearly depending on its use.

 

[Kupunakane]

Yo Ho manyBudZ4$,
Hey there, and welcome to the site. :cool2: I'm sure that as an electrician you will be very welcome here. There are so many questions that come up regarding electrical uses.
Please do take a few moments and peruse the site rules as they are few and easy to go with. Bring a good sense of Ha-Ha with you when you come to visit as everyone loves good humor. In the meantime we will spark one in your honor. :bong2:

smoke in peace
KingKahuuna

 

[BuddyLuv]

My digital ballast did the same thing. I too thought it was the bulb so I swaped the socket cord from my other unit and the bulb lit right up. I would try changing the bulb first. You can buy one anyware, but don't be suprised if it is the ballast.

 

[BillFromBio]

Already tried plugging it straight into the wall

 

[BillFromBio]

Thank you, now that i have actually looked at the light with some knowledge the black burnt marks at the end of the inner tube. But i do have an electrical mystery. I tried testing the voltage output from the cord that connects the ballast to the light and it wasn't getting a constant voltage, it kinda jumped in the range of 1-2 volts DC or AC. I almost know nothing about electricity but shouldn't that be around 120V?

 

[New_2_Chronic]

I was having the same problem.... my 600 worked fine for awhile then wouldnt fire. Changed the bulb was fine, did it again,,,,same resolution....Ballasts dont go bad that easy, it is most likely the bulb,

You mentioned current and that was my problem. Voltage fluctuations in the line caused the ballast to freak out and the bulbs were blowing as a result....I got my line fixed and everything has been fine....

IMO its the bulb.

 

[BuddyLuv]

weird because digital ballasts are suppose to see the fluctuations in voltage and adjust accordingly. Atleast that is what they use to promote them.

 

[New_2_Chronic]

my voltage was dropping, got a new line run and havnt had a problem in months....

The ballast keeps a steady stream of current to the light but it does not do well with voltage problems between the power source and the ballast itself... If there is a voltage drop the ballast will shut off eradicly....