rocklee420
Member
Has anyone heard of or had problems with their digital ballast blowing up hortilux bulbs? I recently upgraded to a quantum digital 1000w ballast and I've blown 2 HPS Super bulbs in 3 months. Stuffs getting expensive. >,>
Digital Ballasts blowing up Hortilux bulbs???
- Thread starter rocklee420
- Start date
I'm not sure how prevalent that issue really is especially with newer models, but everyone seems to agree that the issue is nonexistent with 400w bulbs/ballast and lower (at least with the newer digital ballast)
I have a 400w hortilux super hps that has been running fine for months with my 400w lumatek digital ballast
that is probably the problem you are facing with such a high w ballast and hortilux bulb, unfortunately there is no way I have heard of to make them work together
either you're gonna have to do some good research on what electronic ballasts work with hortilux bulbs over 400w, get a traditional ballast, or a different bulb
sorry I couldn't be of much help
I have a 400w hortilux super hps that has been running fine for months with my 400w lumatek digital ballast
that is probably the problem you are facing with such a high w ballast and hortilux bulb, unfortunately there is no way I have heard of to make them work together
either you're gonna have to do some good research on what electronic ballasts work with hortilux bulbs over 400w, get a traditional ballast, or a different bulb
sorry I couldn't be of much help
rocklee420
Member
Hey no problem, any reply is appreciated. I've been lucky in getting them replaced, my local grow shop helped me out on the second one so atleast I'm not totally out another 100 bucks.
ArcticCircle
Member
I'm running three 600W Lumatek HPS setups and I've blown 2 bulbs during this grow so far. One was a Hortilux and the other was a basic version that came with my light kit. Hard to say whether they blow upon ignition or while burning as I'm never there when they go out. These new Lumatek ballasts have an adjustable power setting which give you options to go 600+W. It may be this "turbo" mode that is blowing bulbs. Luckily I have a years warranty on the hortilux bulbs from the local supplier. Good Luck to you
rocklee420
Member
Yeah it recently came to my attention that hortilux gives a year warranty on em.
donkey.420
Well-Known Member
are they burning out or exploding? are they cooled? are you cleaning off the oily fingerprints and what not?
Hobbes
Well-Known Member
.
"Sun Pulse makes an HPS lamp, but it can never be used in high frequency electronic ballasts. Millions of dollars were spent by Sun Pulse Labs, and research clearly proves the HPS lamp cannot be used for electronic HID ballasts, ever."
http://www.sunpulselamps.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=13
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"Sun Pulse makes an HPS lamp, but it can never be used in high frequency electronic ballasts. Millions of dollars were spent by Sun Pulse Labs, and research clearly proves the HPS lamp cannot be used for electronic HID ballasts, ever."
http://www.sunpulselamps.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=13
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CLOSETGROWTH
Well-Known Member
Wow, thanks for the thread..
I almost went out and bought one of them for my eye hortilux 1000..
I think ill wait it out til' the bugs get worked out.
I almost went out and bought one of them for my eye hortilux 1000..
I think ill wait it out til' the bugs get worked out.
RedHairs
Active Member
Hmmm... I just purchased two Eye Hortilux 1000W Super HPS myself for my quantums. Haven't used em yet. I wonder if I should take them back?
I thought I read on the EYE Hortilux website that their bulbs were for "traditional ballast".
Heres what I found after looking real quick:
Hortilux Blue(MH): Use with ballast rated for ANSI M47 lamp.
Hortilux Super Blue(HPS): Use with ballast rated for ANSI S52 lamp.
Hortilux Super HPS(HPS): Use with ballast rated for S52 lamps.
I'm no ANSI expert, so I don't know if those ANSI codes relate to ballast wattage, or coil, or digital, or what. But that's what I found for those three in the 1000W bulb class.
I thought I read on the EYE Hortilux website that their bulbs were for "traditional ballast".
Heres what I found after looking real quick:
Hortilux Blue(MH): Use with ballast rated for ANSI M47 lamp.
Hortilux Super Blue(HPS): Use with ballast rated for ANSI S52 lamp.
Hortilux Super HPS(HPS): Use with ballast rated for S52 lamps.
I'm no ANSI expert, so I don't know if those ANSI codes relate to ballast wattage, or coil, or digital, or what. But that's what I found for those three in the 1000W bulb class.
I fail.TheTruthSeeeker
Member
Depending on which version ballast you have it can happen as really there is only one company that make a bulb specifically designed for digital ballasts. I had some 600 watters blow up before on older bulbs. Is your quantum the dimmable kind or straight one wattage model? If you use the dual arc 1000 watt hortilux that has the mh and hps filaments you might have this happen as they arent really fully digital capable and some ballast have issues with them. The cap dimmable multi watt digis are pretty good with all bulbs and I know the hortilux standard hps bulbs seem to work well with single wattage digital ballast so far.
TheTruthSeeeker
Member
The dimmable might do it as they are not exact yet and the up and down stresses the bulbs since they are made for stationary constant wattage so if you dim while tyhe bulb is on even just once your hurting the bulbs dont tell hortilux its dimmable or they wont replace the bulbs for free usually
What wattage are you running? I did a lot of reading on this issue back before I bought mine in February and from what I remember this is never an issue with 400w and maybe even 600w (could be wrong I can't remember well).
Officially I don't think hortilux will tell anyone they can run their bulbs in a digital ballast. I cannot recall where I read and who was saying it about how you only have this issue over a certain wattage...
Like I said I have a 400w digital lumatek that has been running the same hortilux super hps since February 5th and I haven't had any issues. I even messed up a handful of times and accidentally turned the ballast on/off or off/on when messing with my timer and it didn't have any noticeable consequences.
Its the Hz people. Sunpulse did a lot of research and tried to get an HPS lamp to run in a high frequency digital balast. If they dont blow them they will degrade them much faster than their rated life. Pulse start metal halide is the future untill LED and/or sulfur plasma or plasma lighting becomes realistic. Go to Sunpulses website and read through the FAQ and posters and other literature, very interesting stuff
rocklee420
Member
I have the dimmable kind, running at 100% power. The bulbs are blown (coil on the inside came loose)
rocklee420
Member
Yup. I've read a couple articles that say the higher frequency ballasts create accoustic resonance inside the bulb, which in turn, lowers life of the bulb/causes em to blow.
What company?
