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View Full Version : Dead HPS ballast, 1000 watt-HELP!



growinforthefuture
02-23-2007, 03:58 AM
i just switched my 14 plants from an extensive flouro gig to a 1000 watt HPS about 4 days ago. Everything was fine until today when i discovered that the circuit i was running off of was also running some other things which we thought were on their own circuit. I had alot of other things running on the circuit, I just didn't know it was the same circuit. One of the things is a computer with a UPS ( a battery) for power outages. If there is a drop in current the UPS makes a beeping sound. ( i actually had noticed that morning that the UPS had beeped when i had fired up the HPS, but didn't do anything about it. yeah i'm retarded.) anyways i came in here and turned on the monitor to the computer which is also hooked up to the UPS and it beeped twice and the computer restarted, which is supposed to be prevented by the UPS. any how the thing had never beeped twice before even during a power outage or something. I knew something was up because i had just realized that the light was running on that circuit. i ran to the grow room and sure enough, pitch blackness. i unplugged the ballast and let the light cool and attempted to restart the cool light about 20 minutes later. no dice. i tried again about 20 times through out the day, no deals. so i got a big ass 1000 watt halogen (for heating purposes primarily)and about 160 watts of fluorescent light, which is a sad sad sight compared to the brilliance i had before. although it has only been 4 days since i put them in this space under the 1000 they have exploded as they were cramped and root bound before they were re-potted and moved to a larger area, so they cannot go back. i think there was a power surge or something... what is wrong with the ballast?!?! please help i am losing my babies, and it is cold and dark!:(

growinforthefuture
02-23-2007, 04:08 AM
oh yeah the ballast is toally dead no humming no nothing, it gets slightly warm if left plugged in for a few minutes, but not as warm as when it is running. it is the correct ballast, both the ballast and fixture cam together from a hydroponic supply store and were used successfully for about 5 months last winter in a different location.

bejay
02-23-2007, 09:32 AM
have you plugged the light into a different circuit to make sure its nothing related to the circuit?

growinforthefuture
02-23-2007, 05:44 PM
yeah

trynagethigh
02-23-2007, 06:06 PM
check your bulb too

growinforthefuture
02-23-2007, 06:32 PM
you think it could be the bulb? the ballast is making no noise.

bejay
02-23-2007, 10:12 PM
if a new bulb doesnt help you obviously have a problem with one of the components in the ballast wether it be an ignitor, capacitor, or ballast there really isnt a good way to test them without knowing the specs from manufacturer and having a meter to do the tests and even then its often easier just to change one component out at a time with a known good one and try it out.

Shovelhandle
02-24-2007, 03:13 PM
Here is a very good resource for troubleshooting these light fixtures (HIDs).
It is written for skilled electrical workers, so don't fuck with electricity if your not trained in electricity and electrical safety.

http://www.hydroponics.net/productdocs/HID_Pocket_Guide.pdf

Shovelhandle