ballast shut down and start up by itself, htg magnetic, wtf

k so i left today for a few hours, some time while i was gone my light turned off and then back on by itself somehow. it must have only been off for a little bit because it was still trying to fire when i got home. its hot but the area its in is perty open. its conected to a timer and a heavy duty dead switch cord. the switch wasnt switched. why would my light be doing this?

k it just happened again with me sitting here, the ballast is still on, it gets louder and the filament in the bulb just glowed orange, is my bulb fried or what? could the fact that its fucking freezing outside and theres ice on everything? the light in the bathroom just flicked off and on at the same time too...

i really need to figure this out, my babys are important to me!

ok people, now come on!

i woke up this morning and it wont turn on at all, not even ignite. i changed it over to my hps bulb and that wont work either not even a flicker. my ballast still humms when i turn it on tho.


i guess nobody on this site knows anything about lights...

did youi try another bulb?

morrisgreenberg said:

did youi try another bulb?

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Yes, this has happened to me and changing the bulb fixed it, and the culprit bulbs weren't very old either.

i think your ballast is broken and may blow any light you plug in it. Is it under warranty??

hahahaha! im jking im so lit. Thinking of htg supply, i got my ballastthere and want to get another. there awesome

could be your trying to draw too much power from the outlet/circuit you have the light plugged into ?
i have had the same thing happen ..... but only if someone turned on the vacummn...then my light would turn off and try to go back on

The bathroom's tripping me out. Maybe you're at your service panel's max? Check breakers/fuses? I have some power strips that occasionally trip from heat (cheap). They reset and I switch them on. Only happens when I plug the vacuum into the fan receptacle. Anyway. Moisture in electronics?

Shut it off and let it cool down for a good 30 mins to an hour and try it again. If its still acting up, call tony at htg

Dude, we posted simultaneous, same-idea messages... OOOOOOOOhhhh WOOOO!

^^^^ lol i thought that was funny too.

i tried it in an empty socket, still hummed, no light. idk, the people that live here leave everything on all the time... so theres alot of energy being used all together... and its fuckin freezing! that could do something... but idk, i think my ballast may just be blown, i sent htg an email asking what i should do, i will give them a call tomorrow. i have to go to work now.

how many watts is the light any way ?

HTG seems to sell alot of crap from what I've seen. Their Hydro Bubbler setups are cheap and the magnetic coil ballast is like WAAAAY outdated. IF they sent you bulbs they are probably no good. My HPS Bulb that came with the crappy magnetic coil light i bought from them which I no longer own, broke at the base in my hand while trying to turn it into the socket! if you're in PA there are 2 good hydro shops you can visit. Allentown has Harvest Moon and if you're by philly or Nj then there is the place in Prospect park called Hydroponic Garden Supply. Hope you get it fixed though..if you just bought it try returning it and getting a digital ballast...i never looked back

i got the 400 digi from htg .... 6 months now .. 0 probs

Try a new bulb man. If your bulb is toast it can cause the light to cycle turning on and off and the ballast will stay running.

Mr.J420 said:

Try a new bulb man. If your bulb is toast it can cause the light to cycle turning on and off and the ballast will stay running.

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Nevermind, I didnt read your 4th post about trying another bulb.
Sorry my bad,
Does sound like the ballast.

its a 400w hps. i have been using an mh convertion bulb since i got it, i havnt used the hps bulb yet and it wont work iether.


i really didnt know anything about digital ballasts when i bought this, now that i know about them i really wish i invested in one of those, would have been alot quieter and wouldnt have magnetic problems like this could be... i wonder if they would give me credit so i could just buy a digital ballast instead...

i just found a grow supply shop around my area, they were very helpful and hooked me up with a 4 bulb t5 system to hold me over till i get the 400w fixed.

I would totally try and get credit for the magnetic and trade up for a digital. Lumatek digitals with dual bulb setups are great, quiet and work fast. Wish I would have bought a 400 watt digital before my 250 magnetic and 250 digital I have now. C'est la vie. Good luck w yours dude