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

DaveBruce Reviewed by DaveBruce on 01-09-2012. Lights cut out again... 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 Rating: 5

[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.