Purchased a new timer and picked up a new bulb. Keeping my fingers crossed timer shuts down fan and light just fine it just won't fire the light in the am hours I tested the ballast with a identical one at the shop not the ballast. It is dual timer should I plug the fan into a different outlet ??
Timer will not fire 400watt hps
- Thread starter jeff1
- Start date
ibitegirls
Well-Known Member
doesn't make sense, usually timers don't cause these issues and 400 watts is NOTHING, so your timer should be able to handle it no problem. i'm assuming you've tested your timer with other household electric products.
Yep woke up 34 min late checked my tent fan fired up just fine timer didn't fire up light omg iam out ideas here 
I have the timer plugged into a surge protector would this matter at all. Yes I had a buddy of mine at the hydro shop test it he cycled the timer around 4 or five times he got it to fire manually
I have the timer plugged into a surge protector would this matter at all. Yes I had a buddy of mine at the hydro shop test it he cycled the timer around 4 or five times he got it to fire manuallyindicatoker420
Active Member
Have you tried plugging in your light without the timer. I've never heard of a timer refusing to power up a light even if it's a big light on cheap timer. Just usually it burns out the timer after a while.
topfuel29
Well-Known Member
Timer works- you tested it, it fires up the fan.
you said you tried a different ballast.
you bought a new light.
----try and plug your light into a receptucle. If that doesn't work than I would say there's a problem with something after the ballast.
if it fires up just fine. Than it has to be the timer.
You said its a dual outlet timer. You said the fan fires up fine. Try and switch the fan with the ballast. If the light fires and the fan doesn't that side of your timer is fried.
i really don't know what else to deduce. Maybe it is the surge protector, but I run my lights through a GFCI with no problems. But try it with out the surge protector just a test to narrow things out.
other things--
it is a HPS bulb? The bulb is a universal position bulb or position specific to your reflector. Ie horizontal, vertical, universal.
you said you tried a different ballast.
you bought a new light.
----try and plug your light into a receptucle. If that doesn't work than I would say there's a problem with something after the ballast.
if it fires up just fine. Than it has to be the timer.
You said its a dual outlet timer. You said the fan fires up fine. Try and switch the fan with the ballast. If the light fires and the fan doesn't that side of your timer is fried.
i really don't know what else to deduce. Maybe it is the surge protector, but I run my lights through a GFCI with no problems. But try it with out the surge protector just a test to narrow things out.
other things--
it is a HPS bulb? The bulb is a universal position bulb or position specific to your reflector. Ie horizontal, vertical, universal.
indicatoker420
Active Member
Topfuel is right do what he said. I'd try and source the problem first before buying new stuff.
Same thing happened to me the other day, brand new mechanical timer that fired up the bulb fine for two weeks just didn't anymore...unplugged and tried the MH conversion bulb and it worked fine...then un-plugged from timer and manually plugged it in to receptacle and the HPS came on as it should. I re-read the timer directions and it said to un-plug the timer from receptacle...then plug in device to timer, then plug timer into receptacle. This worked fine. Try it out and just keep an eye on it.
Sand4x105
Well-Known Member
What is your max load for your plug strip ? At start up, ballast could be exceeding...
Your ballast "takes" more wattage to fire up, then to run.
If it's a Mini Lamp/Appliance timer, it might not be rated for "Fire up" of Balast...
1)-Plug ballast into plug strip without timer, does it fire
If it does Timer is problem
I am holding mini TC in my hand, on back it says:
15A (1875W) resistive load etc... I have seen ballast spikes in load only at start up [My EC background], where the 15 amp breaker will blow
Assume the easiest fix, not the hardest....
Good luck...
Your ballast "takes" more wattage to fire up, then to run.
If it's a Mini Lamp/Appliance timer, it might not be rated for "Fire up" of Balast...
1)-Plug ballast into plug strip without timer, does it fire
If it does Timer is problem
I am holding mini TC in my hand, on back it says:
15A (1875W) resistive load etc... I have seen ballast spikes in load only at start up [My EC background], where the 15 amp breaker will blow
Assume the easiest fix, not the hardest....
Good luck...
indicatoker420
Active Member
It could be a timer that won't fire up something that has such an inductive load for health and safety. Ballasts shoot the full wattage straight away which is why contactors are recommended. I'm in uk like above. I use a 250w in a household timer.
I haven't had any more issues since I re-did mine into the surge, but my surge is industrial wired for 20 AMP and well over the 1800 watts15A carries...no cheap surges are worth it...many are 13A or less...keep an eye on that and it may help...I have a transformer plug on my surge and use that as the timer, then I have a small fan on floor, a 6" inline fan and an air pump with the light. on one dedicated 20AMP GFcI circuit. Power is not tricky if you understand it.
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