Ballast issue?

I'm running a 1.5 yr old nanolux 1000w dimmable ballast, I run my 12/12 cycles overnight. It's run off a 4 light controller, 240v, triggered by a mechanical timer Bulbs only 6 weeks old. The last 2 mornings my light hasn't been on. If I unplug it, even just for a few seconds, and plug it back in, it fires up. Now, I'm not 100% sure it kicked on the night before and I'm not going to be around till tomorrow night to check. I've been reading where older mechanical timers can cause a "double start", where it triggers, the timing mechanism has slop that allows it to go backwards shutting it off, then moving forward triggering it again. I don't think that should affect this ballast because its got a delayed start/ restart feature.

I'm also running a digital greenhouse ballast off the same controller setup without issue.

Any recommendations? I'm going to grab a digital timer and see if that helps. I'm also trying to see what the shop I bought it from can do. It's still under warranty but they don't carry this brand anymore.

As far as I can tell the nanolux 1000w you're using is also a digital ballast? Not sure why you'd necessarily want a dimmable one personally (pardon my ignorance) it just looks like its more stuff to go wrong.

It's a 50/50 for me - it could well be the timer since the light is still working. If there as a problem with the ballast itself I wouldn't have expected the light to operate at all. I think you're going down the right avenue of trying the timers first.

I can't imagine an 18 month old digital ballast packing up so quickly, but I use one of old magnetic dreadnoughts for my sins (cant wait to go digital)

Silvio Dante said:

As far as I can tell the nanolux 1000w you're using is also a digital ballast? Not sure why you'd necessarily want a dimmable one personally (pardon my ignorance) it just looks like its more stuff to go wrong.

It's a 50/50 for me - it could well be the timer since the light is still working. If there as a problem with the ballast itself I wouldn't have expected the light to operate at all. I think you're going down the right avenue of trying the timers first.

I can't imagine an 18 month old digital ballast packing up so quickly, but I use one of old magnetic dreadnoughts for my sins (cant wait to go digital)

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I didn't want a dimmable, but that's all anyone local carries in digital and I don't like buying online. I never use the dimmer, I just raise and lower the light.

I plugged/ unplugged it a few times and it kept lighting. I tried turning the timer by hand and it kicked on. I didn't want to play with it any more cause it was well past time for lights out. I'm going to watch the timer and see what naturally happens, with me turning it manually thers no back and forth slop. Both fans on the ballast are running, the air vents are all clear and the insides look clean, so I doubt its overheating.

Supposed to be going away this weekend but if my lights aren't working right

WeedFreak78 said:

Supposed to be going away this weekend but if my lights aren't working right

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Yeah I feel for you man, praying for your kushy ladies - let me know if you figure out what is going on, I am very curious.

Is anything else on that timer?
Try moving the time it kicks on also. Like if it normally kicks on at 6 to 6 change it to 6:30 to 6:30.

Rakin said:

Is anything else on that timer?
Try moving the time it kicks on also. Like if it normally kicks on at 6 to 6 change it to 6:30 to 6:30.

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Yes I'd second that, it might be that one of the pips or whatever you want to call them is busted...

ARRRGH! I'm not in the mood for this today!

It's an old, super cheap, 120v timer that was triggering my 4 light, 240v light controller. The controller is getting triggered, so I don't think it's the timer. I have 2 lights running off the controller, no issues with the other light. I replaced the cheap timer with a heavy duty outdoor rated one anyway. I messed around with it when I got home last night and I think its a bulb issue. It wasn't on and I couldn't get it to fire at all this time. I unplugged/ plugged it in a half dozen times without luck. I put my spare bulb in and it fired right up The bulb I took out is a less then 2 month old hortilux , I'm not happy. It looks fine, no burning, no silvery residue, looks like a perfect new bulb. After I get some grub and a smoke, I'm going to dig out my spare hood and wire set and try firing the old bulb again. Maybe i can better see if its arcing and trying to light.

Before my dimmable 1kw nanolux crapped out, i was getting the same/simular symptoms as you.

Would fire up 2 out of 3 times on cold start and when it didn't fire, it kept telling me under/over voltage but thats not what my fluke said.

Long story short, it was the ballast.

It had a lose capacitor, and it put alot of strain on the power supply which caused it to clip then one day it started smoking bad and that was it, thank god i was home.


Are You getting any error codes?

Okay so it sounds like Nanolux are shit? Having second thoughts on a digital ballast now!

Looks like its a bulb issue. My spare bulb fired fine, put in the old bulb and it won't fire anymore. I put the old timer on a desk lamp and it's been working fine, so i don't think it was the timer. Never got any codes on the ballast, the green light is steady. I ran it through all the dimmer settings and they work fine. The old bulb was lighting in a spare hood i set up yesterday morning to test it, so I want to try that again. If I could find my damn multi meter i could check the bulb for continuity and resistance. The tip of the vacuum tube in the bulb is pretty black, my other bulbs are all white, so I'm guessing it's burnt. 2 month old bulb. .WTF?

WeedFreak78 said:

I'm guessing it's burnt. 2 month old bulb. .WTF?

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Bulbs like anything else have failures, but Hortilux is the best bulb on the market and they come dated with a guarantee, so for a 2 month old bulb you should be able to return it and try a new one.
I have an old magnetic that I've been using for 7 years with no issues, meanwhile I have gone through around 3 electronics in the same time period.
If you don't dim use a magnetic, they will last for years and cause no RFI interference
Sorry for your troubles..

Is your bulb a horizontal or vertical bulb? I've used a vertical in a horizontal mount and had a similar problem.

https://eyehortilux.com/grower-education/hid-lights/lamp-operating-positions/

Even if it works in the wrong position it will shorten a bulbs life big time.

Jimdamick said:

Bulbs like anything else have failures, but Hortilux is the best bulb on the market and they come dated with a guarantee, so for a 2 month old bulb you should be able to return it and try a new one.
I have an old magnetic that I've been using for 7 years with no issues, meanwhile I have gone through around 3 electronics in the same time period.
If you don't dim use a magnetic, they will last for years and cause no RFI interference
Sorry for your troubles..

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I set up a different hood with the same ballast and the bulb lit, so IDK WTF is going on. I'm going to throw the questionable bulb back in the tent, again, tonight and see what happens.

I ran mag ballasts when I first started growing, they run hot and the buzzing drives me absolutely insane. I've had cheap digis for around 6 years now without issue so I'm sold on em.

WeedFreak78 said:

I set up a different hood with the same ballast and the bulb lit, so IDK WTF is going on. I'm going to throw the questionable bulb back in the tent, again, tonight and see what happens.

I ran mag ballasts when I first started growing, they run hot and the buzzing drives me absolutely insane. I've had cheap digis for around 6 years now without issue so I'm sold on em.

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This must be doing your head in at this point - I'm sure you have but have you double checked the actual hard electrics that you're using, the plug sockets and the like? I did have an issue once where a slightly loose connection in a plug socket causes all my electrics to flicker and knock out every time I'd try to use the vacuum cleaner in that one particular socket.

I double checked all the wiring yesterday thinking it might have been a bad cord set/connection. Everything worked fine last night. Ballast, new timer and old bulb in the tent and the old timer still on the desk lamp. IDK, I'm gonna keep an eye on it.

Glad to hear it. Sometimes the most obvious electrical problems are the hardest to figure out.

“Electricity is really just organized lightning”
-George Carlin

PigKiller said:

Glad to hear it. Sometimes the most obvious electrical problems are the hardest to figure out.

“Electricity is really just organized lightning”
-George Carlin

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It's effing extortion in the UK...

So the bulb didn't light tonight. Threw in an old bulb, it lit, threw in my spare bulb, it lit. Spare bulb is staying in for a few nights. I want to test the bulb in the spare hood tomorrow, again, but I'm going to see if i can get it replaced.

I'm running them horizontal, but these bulbs are universal.

Sounds like ignitgr failure or capacitor crapping out. Is the spare bulb the same kind.

how long is your cord between the ballast and the light socket?