# Ballast Freaking out....HELP



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 4, 2008)

My electronic lumeteck ballast wont relight when the timer cuts it off... I have to unplug it for a while and fiddle with it then it will relight.... Has this happened to anyone...Ive already missed scheduled on's twice by about a few hours.

I need to be bale to keep this on a timer and I have been unsucessful...


----------



## clanchattan (Aug 4, 2008)

what is the fiddling?


----------



## PUFF MONKEY (Aug 4, 2008)

not the timer is it??? i know thats a dumb question but sometime it's the little things we overlook


----------



## BuddyLuv (Aug 4, 2008)

It needs to cool down before it will fire back up. I have two 1000w digital ballasts. Everytime I unplug one I just leave it unplugged for 15-20 minutes before even bothering to plug it back in. Also with digital ballasts I have noticed it takes longer to fire an HPS vs. MH.


----------



## Pothead420 (Aug 4, 2008)

BuddyLuv said:
			
		

> It needs to cool down before it will fire back up. I have two 1000w digital ballasts. Everytime I unplug one I just leave it unplugged for 15-20 minutes before even bothering to plug it back in. Also with digital ballasts I have noticed it takes longer to fire an HPS vs. MH.


what he saidsame deal hear they need to cool for 5-10 min


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 4, 2008)

New_2_Chronic said:
			
		

> My electronic lumeteck ballast wont relight when the timer cuts it off... I have to unplug it for a while and fiddle with it then it will relight.... Has this happened to anyone...Ive already missed scheduled on's twice by about a few hours.
> 
> I need to be bale to keep this on a timer and I have been unsucessful...



You need to explain what is going on a little better.  Are you saying that the light does not come on at its scheduled time after a dark period?  Are you sure that it is not your timer that is bad?

Or are you saying that it does not come back on immediately after being shut off?  As already mentioned, it takes a while for them to come back on, but not several hours.

When you say that you "fiddle with it", what exactly do you do?

If you are flowering, it is better to miss an "on", than it is an "off".


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 4, 2008)

Okay the light does not come on after a dark period. My dark period is during the wee morning hours. goes off a 1:00am and back on at 7:00am. At 7 am it does not come back on. It plugged in but off...

When i fiddle with it I basicly break it down to the pieses that came in the box, and remove the light and put it back in. after doing this a few times it comes back on, then i have to remount it back on the room. 

This is kind of a mute point as I think I am finding out what the problam is...Not enough power.... I think its a 15 amp circut...

I have a window A/c and the light on the same circut... I guess its just not enough and I will have to run a 30 amp circut...

Hopefully thats whats going on...Im in Veg not flower....


----------



## bigbudsbruddah (Aug 4, 2008)

If you were using to many amps your breakers would be poping.


----------



## KGB30 (Aug 4, 2008)

Try another outlet!!!


----------



## someguy (Aug 4, 2008)

had a similar problem not long ago, i guess. i asked a buddy, he said to unscrew the bulb and pull out the prong a little in the fixture. when you take the light out look straight down the inside of the fixture, not the treaded connection but one at end might need to be pulled out a little to make a stronger connection to the tip of the bulb.


----------



## Aurora_Indicas_Dad (Aug 5, 2008)

if its a new light/ballast.id call whoever you bought it from and see about a replacement.i had to send back one of my ballasts. id just be very careful messing with the wires and what not if you arent familior with electrical units.you dont want a fire.anyways..good luck


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 5, 2008)

So I now I feel like a total dud.... I did what you guys suggested here and all with no help. So yesterday I bought a Heavy Duty Timer and guess what? No problems...lol.It was a Puff Monkey suggested,,,.. it was the freakin timer... I just bought it so I didnt think it was.

looks like shes workin now... Now i just have to figure out how to use this space age timer i bought. The timer i had was 10amps, i got a 15 amp timer now.


----------



## KGB30 (Aug 5, 2008)

New_2_Chronic said:
			
		

> So I now I feel like a total dud.... I did what you guys suggested here and all with no help. So yesterday I bought a Heavy Duty Timer and guess what? No problems...lol.It was a Puff Monkey suggested,,,.. it was the freakin timer... I just bought it so I didnt think it was.
> 
> looks like shes workin now... Now i just have to figure out how to use this space age timer i bought. The timer i had was 10amps, i got a 15 amp timer now.


 

Glad to hear it's working now. Good luck


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 7, 2008)

okay so with a new timer it worked for two day... then this morning I went out and sure enough... it was off... I dot know what going on but it worked for about 2 days now its not working again.

think this ballast is just killin timers? Could it be a bad ballast?


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 7, 2008)

A 15 amp timer should be fine.  Is the new timer bad?  Other than maybe some kind of wiring problem, I cannot think of anything that could be causing the intermittent problem you are having.  Irregular light periods during vegging are not the concern they are when in flowering.  Why not just leave the light on 24/7 until you figure this out?


----------



## Growdude (Aug 7, 2008)

New_2_Chronic said:
			
		

> okay so with a new timer it worked for two day... then this morning I went out and sure enough... it was off... I dot know what going on but it worked for about 2 days now its not working again.
> 
> think this ballast is just killin timers? Could it be a bad ballast?


 
How many total watts are you running threw the timer? count all lights fans ect.


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 7, 2008)

about 1400 watts total....

It goit me thinking... is that just too much on one timer?


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 7, 2008)

Hemp,

I am waiting to switch until this is figured out... I will say though that I have 8 26 watt 6500K cfl bulbs mounted in the back of the space, so they are not in total darkness as these lights come on just fine...

During flower i will not have these in there. Onece the scedule is workin on 18/6 and I dont have any missed On's I will switch to flower/....


----------



## Growdude (Aug 7, 2008)

New_2_Chronic said:
			
		

> about 1400 watts total....
> 
> It goit me thinking... is that just too much on one timer?


 
Yea, 1400 watts is 12.7 amps and even though it rated that high it really should be at 80% max rating.

If you can build somthing like this it will end your timer problems. 
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9571&highlight=no+more+bad+timers

There are 30 amp+ timers you can buy from Intermatic. ect.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 7, 2008)

I run my light and my fans on different timers.  I just don't like everything kicking on at once.


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 7, 2008)

Thanks Hemp, that sounds like a good idea anyway....

Ill get another timer and see if I still have this problem, sounds like i got my timer overloaded anyway....


----------



## someguy (Aug 9, 2008)

buy 2 timers and even out the load best you can maybe?


----------



## Puffin Afatty (Aug 9, 2008)

*I agree with the HG :aok: I use several timers to start lights, pumps, etc at different times. :farm:*


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 9, 2008)

Im keeping the lights on 24 hrs....They look good but now require more frequent waterings... I will get the same 15 watt timer, and only put the light on it. I will put everything else on the other timer, exaust, fans, a/c. they seemed to work fine. I will schedule all the exAUST stuff to go off 30 minutes after the lights and come on 30 minutes prior....sound good?


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 13, 2008)

Now its dead....im in trouble... 12 plants under 8 26watt cfl's is going to be bad,,, going to be like that for about a week...hope they dont die...

Im ordering a new light and wehn it gtets here going to send the other one back.


----------



## GeNYC 07 (Aug 13, 2008)

with all this plugging unplugging maybe its the male part of ballast that the wire comes from the wall plugs into.  fuse could be loose in there or the wires that hook up to that piece inside the ballast.  when did you buy it.  lumitek has a 2yr warranty i think.  if anyone can tell me how to post a pic i will show what im talking about


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 13, 2008)

You are having quite a bit of electrical trouble.  Could you be getting power surges or something like that that is causing you problems?


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 13, 2008)

I dont know....It wouldnt suprise me after all the other problems I had...

Everything else on that circut is fine...

Could that fact that this light is going through a 100FT extension cord... I 15 amp one...But I bring it in the house and plug in it directly and it still does not work so i dont think its that,...


----------



## GeNYC 07 (Aug 13, 2008)

Digital ballast are notoriously a pain.  I bet the ballast and i would bet it where the power cord plugs in.  but it could be a loose fuse.  bottom line i have 7 future brite door stops and 2 lumutek.  Nobody like to repair these things.  I do small repairs on them like i mentioned if neither of those things work then you have to send it in the store will probably give you a new ballast on the spot.  Lumitek will send them the replacement.


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 13, 2008)

Its a electric ballast...

Im thinking its the bulb... took the bulb out ant there is a small piece of debris bouncing around inside the glass..


----------



## GeNYC 07 (Aug 13, 2008)

all ballasts are electric. you dont mean electronic or digital do you????  If its a magnetic ballast then yeah prob just that bub remember not to touch it with your hands.


----------



## 420FREEDOM (Aug 13, 2008)

I've got a lumatek,  the instructions with it say to wait thirty means before turning it off or on.  Just set it up once, hook it up to the timer and don't touch it. I had a plant grow balls from me f-ing with the lumatek and it not coming back on.


----------



## New_2_Chronic (Aug 14, 2008)

It was the bulb...new bulb got here and was replaced and its working... I want to see if now I can put it oin the timer....


----------

