HELP! Something wrong with 600w HPS Lamp :(

Hey all,

Havn't been here in a few months now, was never really a regular anyway.


Still.

I'm start growing, and I still have my 600w HPS Lamp.

I tried to fire it up today and had a problem.

When I plug it in and switch on the power, the box makes a sort of fast ticking noise, similar to a cricket and the bulb recieves very little power (i think?) as it only shimmers faint blue, almost impossible to see in the light.

I know the setup works as it has worked perfectly before, It has just been stored in my basement and only taken out today.

I have taken photos of the setup, I know very little about electrics but can any of you more fluent tell me if theres anything wrong with it? or any tips?

Btw, sorry for huge pictures, I just thought it would be better incase there was a small wire loose and this would make it easier to spot.















And this is the light bulb on, in a dark room.



Thanks in advance and blaze da 'erbz,

Mokie.

Please guys, any input appreciated

Looks good. How old is your bulb? Try getting a new one. My bulbs does that when it doesnt want to work anymore.

Well, I bought it second hand about six months ago?

So most likely very old..

Do you think thats the problem?

And wheres the cheapest place to get another bulb?

Is this the correct bulb?

600W Watt GROWLUX E40 SODIUM HPS Sylvania GROLUX Plants on eBay, also Hydroponics, Plants Seeds Bulbs, Garden Plants, Home Garden (end time 04-Dec-08 11:11:35 GMT)

Btw, I just realized, surely it must be a problem with the ballast as its obviously not normal for the ballast to be 'ticking' when powered on..

And I don't really want to spend money on a new bulb if it turns out its the ballast that needs replacing..

IF your not sure then just buy a new one. lol. Killing two birds with one stone right. Since your not sure which might be wrong. GL then bro

Thanks for the all the advice gethigh, how do I give a +rep? Since you have one coming your way

But I really want to find out which one is the problem, so I can replace the one thats not working, as I am on a realitivly tight budget.

Thanks,
Mokie.

You bought the bulb second hand six months ago, but I see 2004 as the manufacture date on the ballast. The bulbs are best used for 6 months or less and you've probably doubled that, the ballast is good for 10-20 years.

It's ticking because the bulb is SHOT. Go buy a bulb locally, there's usually some place local that carries them like grow shops or lighting stores or some of the largest home depot type places carry them. (my home depot only has up to 400w bulbs though. Use it to confirm the ballast does in fact work fine like I said, then you can take the bulb back if you like. (ask about return policy first)

600w bulbs are not that expensive if you buy them online, but locally they can be $20 more. However going several days without light isn't really worth saving the $20 to wait for a bulb to be shipped, you'll loose more than $20 worth of growth.

Is the ticking coming from the bulb or your ballast? My guess is that you have a ballast problem. If it's a magnetic ballast it's likely the starter, which is easy to repair. If it's a digital ballast it sould not be making noise...

Get a replacement bulb, you'll need it anyway at some point. If the new bulb does the same thing then you know where to look for problems. Don't think you can get a 600w at Lowes or Home Depot though. Don't put a 400w in there as it will ruin the bulb since a 400w runs at a different (lower) voltage than a 600w.

Okay, I see from your pics that you have a magnetic ballast. The starter consists of a capacitor and a resistor and ticking would indicate something is arcing. Mag ballasts use the same method to start the bulb as an A/C compressor does - the cap stores enough charge to light the lamp then the ballast transformer sustains the power. The bulb needs an inital current burst to start (provided by the starter cap), then continues to operate on less current provided by the ballast transformer. If your bulb never quite gets going then it's got a bad starter cap - assuming the bulb is good.

Bamstone you're wrong. The ballast ticking is just the ignitor trying to fire the bulb but the bulb is bad and it won't fire.

I know what I'm talking about guys, the rest of you that say the ballast is bad are all wrong I guarantee it.

OregonMeds said:

Bamstone you're wrong. The ballast ticking is just the ignitor trying to fire the bulb but the bulb is bad and it won't fire.

I know what I'm talking about guys, the rest of you that say the ballast is bad are all wrong I guarantee it.

Click to expand...

Yep, that does make sense. Trying a new bulb is the best course of action.

Okay, thanks for all the advice, i'll order a new bulb tonight, as I live in a slightly remote part of England and theres no growing stores near me lol.

I'll post an update as soon as I recieve and test the bulb.


Thanks guys

i have the same problem but i put another bulb in and it worked for 1 day then did the same thing so i got another one and the same thing??? heeelllpppp

mgray6686 try changing the capacitor in your ballast