Lights cut out again...

[DaveBruce]

i go to do my regular 10am feed, so lost5 hours light, great! 5am-5pm flowering (5 weeks in), and boom the switch has cut itself off over night from the night before. 3rd time it's happened. I'm not entirely sure what to do? is there a way to avoid it flicking of on the switchboard...

ty
dave

[GaGrown]

Is it an HID Ballast? HPS or Metal Halide? If it's an HID.... Then sometimes the ballast will get too hot and shut itself down and restrike when cool..

[DaveBruce]

It's the actual switch in the cupboard with my switch board, I use digi ballast 600w's.

[GaGrown]

Are you talking about the breaker?

[DaveBruce]

I think so dude! It just keeps flicking off, like it's being over powered and then turning the 'sockest' section off on the switchboard. Any idea on getting to not over power and do that? like maybe an extension lead, into the socket, for the lights? might reduce it slightly? i really don't know.

[GaGrown]

What amp is the breaker you have the ballast on?

[DaveBruce]

I have it on sunbright which is maximum... there's %... 25%, 50%, 70%,100% and sunbright

[GaGrown]

Not the ballast switches... The breaker in the electric panel.. Is it a mobilehome or a house? Reason I ask.. They are different breakers and panels. Some are 100 amp panels..Most common are 200 amp panels. I was trying to figure out whether or not the breaker suppying your ballast,had enough amps.. Digital ballasts take a lamp/bulb to a new level,versus a magnetic ballast.

[DaveBruce]

Let me check and get back to you on that :)

[JeffersonStateGrower]

Hey, each 600 watt ballast will require 5 amps each for a total of 10 amps, and I have never seen a home circuit less than 15 amps. If it is the breaker tripping, than either the breaker is faulty, there is more of a load on that circuit than just the ballasts, or one or both of the ballasts are faulty. Another possibility could be that it is a GFI breaker, and they can be very touchy (like if you are holding a glass of water and look at the breaker it will flip). One quick way to find out would be to run a heavy guage extention cord (12ga recommended) from another circuit and see if that circuit's breaker trips, if it does than you have a ballast issue...if not than replace the breaker. Hope this helps :thumbsup:

JSG.

[GaGrown]

Hey, each 600 watt ballast will require 5 amps each for a total of 10 amps, and I have never seen a home circuit less than 15 amps. If it is the breaker tripping, than either the breaker is faulty, there is more of a load on that circuit than just the ballasts, or one or both of the ballasts are faulty. Another possibility could be that it is a GFI breaker, and they can be very touchy (like if you are holding a glass of water and look at the breaker it will flip). One quick way to find out would be to run a heavy guage extention cord (12ga recommended) from another circuit and see if that circuit's breaker trips, if it does than you have a ballast issue...if not than replace the breaker. Hope this helps :thumbsup:

JSG.


I was gonna mention the GFI plug.. That's probably where it is.. If the breaker ain't trippin' like I am! 12 gauge for sure! You pretty much got the senario down for him! Nice goin'JSG.. See... Ain't it nice when ebb n flow works to everyones advantage?

Peace to ya,Brother!

[JeffersonStateGrower]

Thanks GA, people like you and PR help to make forums informative and drama free again.:cool:

Best of everything to you.
JSG.

[GanjaRobPDX]

yup. stop overloading the circuit. you are probably using a 15a-20a breaker. 1000w light? other stuff on the same circuit?

try putting your light on its own breaker, and your fans and other gear on another breaker. Try not to run anything else on the same circuit your lights are on.

DO NOT go into your panel and just switch to a larger breaker. Result=fire.

In a perfect world you could have a sub-panel installed for your grow gear. try the first suggestion and PM me if you run out of options.

[disrupt86]

50 bucks sez your using a old timer that u have used over and over again,the teeth wear out slightly and wont trip its correct times. ihad the same problems u did and went through all my electrical etc.i finally swaped out the timer to use on my co2 tanks and bam,drained 2 tanks in 48 hours.