600W HPS Ballast problem

[bleupitbudz]

I was wondering if any one has opened/ worked on an HPS ballast before? A couple weeks ago I fired up my indoor grow again and found one of my HPS lights not working! So I let it sit "ON" for an hour, thinking it may need to warm up, nothing. Next, I hopped up in the attic, where the ballast is, and checked plugs, everything was good. Then I took my bulb to my hydroponics store, they plugged it in, bulb is good. So now I've troubleshot it down to the ballast. I know from research there are 3 main items in a ballast, there is the ballast, ignitor and capacitor. I have a multi meter and know how to use it! :cool: I know that resistance on both sides of the ballast should be around 5-15 ohms, and I know that when capacitors are bad they usually smell or are bulging. I don't know what the resistance on the capacitor or the ignitor should be at? Any help would be appreciated. I'm fairly sure these internal parts are fairly inexpensive and can be purchased at a local electrical supply center.

[bleupitbudz]

OK , got up the attic....! Found the ballast. Opened up. Shits heavy! Nothing looks burned. Every thing was super clean inside. I've located the internal parts(pics tmrw!) ballast, ignitor and capacitor. wiring all looks good, insulation is pliable, multiple wires run in and out of ballast. Those wire have a slight tan/yellow shade to them. still soft and the component wiring is still legible. Tomorrow my brother is bringing my multi meter.

I fixed a bunch of wiring while I was up there. Nothing to major, just a neutral wire came undone in a junction box. The last person must not have got all the wires in the wire nut.....hmmmm! Perfect example of want IT done right, do IT yourself!

Going to call for ballast internals specs later tmrw morning.....today!? I need some sleep!

[Dutch Pimp]

after you get done monkeying around with the electronics...you should test it in a safe area, for several days...(not the attic)

[bleupitbudz]

Thanks D.P.! Good advice!

So, today I took my ballast to my local hydroponics store. They have a sweet lighting system tester setup. Right away the knowledgeable employee told me it was the ignitor. He came to that conclusion because the bulb didn't attempt to fire. Like I stated above the transformer hums but no sparky, lighty. I figured this was the part that was bad but wanted the advise of a professional. He mentioned if it was a capacitor the bulb would light but then fluctuate.

During my troubleshooting search I found a great website...

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/commercial/pdfs/hid_lamps/advance_2003a.pdf

It's got a great troubleshoot guide to help track down the broken part in your HID system. This PDF has alot of information...big words...and can be a bit confusing if you're not use to electrical. I would suggest if you have any questions on any part/parts in your lighting system, get the help of a licensed electrican! No one wants to make a wiring mistake which could end in a fire, or worse, death.

I found that there is no real easy way to tell if the ignitor is bad. The website says to replace the ignitor with one from a working light. I dont have another working 600w hps so I'm going to cross my fingers and hope I'm right!?

I've located a new ignitor online, a direct replacement for my 600w Hydro-Farm ballast. $36-$45, much cheaper then scrapping the old ballast and buying a new one, IMO! I'm going to order one, and do a repair post on this thread! I hope this may help anyone else with a similar problem.

[bleupitbudz]

Picked up the new ignitor from my local hydroponic shop. They had to order it and of course it was back ordered so it took longer than expected. I added pictures for reference to this repair.

First I got all the tools and materials ready:
3/16" wrench
phillips screwdriver
wire cutters/crimpers
heat gun

new ignitor
wire nuts
non-insulated wire terminals
heat shrink
nylon zip ties

Opened ballast by removing 7 screws (remember removing these screws voids the manufacturer's warrenty FYI)

Located items, inspected wiring and checked wire nuts for possible loose wires.
Released tension on wiring by opening and seperating. Located the "LAMP or X1", "COM or X2" and "X3" wires on the old ignitor and on the new ignitor. To be safe I removed 1 wire nut at a time so I didn't miswire. I removed the wire nuts and trimmed the old wires so the wire nuts had new wire to hold on to. The "LAMP" and "COM" wires had wire nuts the "X3" wire had the non-insulated terminal. After correctly hooking up the "LAMP" and "COM" wires I removed the old ignitor by clipping the wire on the transformer side of the old terminal connection. Before stripping that wire I first slid a section of heat shrink then I stripped the wire and got it ready for the terminal. After completing the crimping I slid the wire heat shrink over the union and heated it to seal/complete the job. After double checking all of the wires and connections I then resecured the components with the nylon zip ties. Tomorrow I will take the repaired ballast to my hydro shop to check it out! :thumbsup:

I hope this may help others, but please understand, I've done this type of repair before many times. If you feel any bit nervous around electrical, best to have a professional repair it for you!!

[bleupitbudz]

Went to the hydro shop yesterday, checked my ballast. Bulb fired up and got bright quick. Left it on for 1/2 hour and the ballast was cool and really quiet. The guys in the shop were stoked! I'll be putting it back and monitoring regularly.

[TANKJR]

All good advice there Bleu! I routinely work on my own electronics and you did a good job with the pics and text...+reps to ya!

[CakeCakeCake]

Thanks for posting. I have two mom working ballasts. I've already removed the igniter from one .