i got a 400 watt MH that seems to be cycling, that is it powers up, shines well for like 10 minutes, then it goes out, and cools, while the starter continuously tries to start it. once it has cooled for about 2-5 minutes, the light relights for anywhere from 1-5 minutes, then it goes off. I think this is the general pattern, but it seems like sometimes it stays on for 20 minutes or more. So i got several questions.

1. is the bulb the culprit?
2. is leaving the system on so that the plants can use the light that is produced when the bulb is on going to damage the ballast?
3. could it be other problems since the "cycling" of the bulb is not consistent?

luckily this MH is only supplementing a 1000 watt HPS
growinforthefuture Reviewed by growinforthefuture on . Cycling MH? i got a 400 watt MH that seems to be cycling, that is it powers up, shines well for like 10 minutes, then it goes out, and cools, while the starter continuously tries to start it. once it has cooled for about 2-5 minutes, the light relights for anywhere from 1-5 minutes, then it goes off. I think this is the general pattern, but it seems like sometimes it stays on for 20 minutes or more. So i got several questions. 1. is the bulb the culprit? 2. is leaving the system on so that the Rating: 5