Bizzare lighting problem with ballasts

I have always used a 600 lumatek and I wanted to add a 1000 hps to the room as well. So I got a old heavy white hydro farm 1000 hps magnetic ballast from a friend for free. I buy a new ( light speed) 1000 w hps bulb for it. Just to set it up and it visually looked dimmer then the 600. So I thought this isn't right. So I get out my digital lux meter and test them. 12 inches from the bulb in the dead center. The 600 was showing me around 93,000 lux. But yet the 1000 was showing only 40,000 lux. I know it's not right but I took the thousand w bulb out and put it in the lumatek 600 and it lit up to around 98,000 lux very quickly so now that I know the bulb isn't bad I turned it off and figured it was the ballast. So I went a bought a new hydro farm 1000 magnetic ballast thinking it would solve the problem and after all that I have the same issue. Still only 40,000 lux from the 1000. I tried different light sockets, hoods, plugs. I have a brand new 20amp line to run it. Everything else runs fine. I even plugged the 600w bulb into the 1000 ballast and instead of saying 93,000 like it did with the lumatek is went down to 26,000 lux. Again the only thing in common are the magnetic ballasts running these bulbs much much lower then they should be. Plug it back into the lumatek back up to 93,000. I allow the magnetic ballast 30 mins of warm up time before testing. The guys at the hydro store think I'm either crazy or stupid. I'll watch you tube vids of guys getting good lux readings on magnetic ballasts though. But I just spent the past 3 days spending money and testing and these magnetics are just not doing it for me. Can anyone offer a logical reason why this is happening???

Hi Bosco -

I have a couple questions if you don't mind;
What is the voltage requirement(s) for the magnetic ballast? Does it support both 110/120v and 220/240v?
What is the voltage are you using for the 600 Lumatek? 110/120v or 220/240v?
What is the voltage of the new 20amp line?
I hate to ask but - Do you have a multi-meter/volt meter? And do you know how to use it? (the settings on the dial)

I think the answers to these questions coupled with the information you have provided would be a great start for an electrician to troubleshoot this with you.

orbo

Also. what is the size and length of the cord running between the magnetic ballast and the hood?

orbo

Hey Orbo, everything is 110. Ballasts and the electrical line. The magnetic does support both but I do not have a 220 line so I can't use it. But I plugged a kill o watt meter in and it 59-60hz and and it said 116-117 volts. I plugged a outlet tester in as well and the 2 lights lit up indicating that the line in correct. Both cords are about 6 foot in length.

I have a old school tube driven Heath kit multimeter from the 70s. All I ever really did with it was test battery voltage and find shorted wires in my old VW bug.

Hmm. When you plug the magnetic ballast in at the hydro store and test it with this lamp does it work as expected?

BTW - if you are running both 600 and 1000 on the same circuit that's roughly 16A worth of load. That will certainly work on a 20A circuit but it nears the recommended capacity.

Assuming the light works at the store, I would get one of these and check receptacles.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Receptacle-Tester-RT100/203195018

I did check them. I have that exact tester. The 2 yellow lights lit up indicating the line is correct.
Honestly I never tested the bulb at the store because when I plugged it into the lumatek I had around 96,000 lux so I determined the bulb was good. If it said 96,000 in a 600 ballast shouldn't the same bulb read around 130,000 or so in a 1000 watt?? I got a 1000w xtrasun after work. I returned the magnetic one. I literally just set it up now and I just read 127,000!!! This has been a wild adventure. I still don't understand it but at least I got my lux reading I want now. I suppose after all my tests and looking at it from a scientific standpoint I guess hydro farm magnetic ballasts are no good. The only time things wouldn't run right is when hydro farm magnetic ballasts were involved. One old one and one new one. Both sucked in my experience
I wonder how many people out there are using a 1000w magnetic hydro farm just assuming everything is fine not realizing they are only getting the output of a 400 at best. It boggles my mind

I'm glad you were able to sort it out. Its a bitch when you set something like this up for the first time and it does something like this, twice. It F-s with your head.

PS. Don't forget about that capacity issue I mentioned with both lights on that same 20A circuit. If you add much else to it you'll likely be tripping that breaker.

Good luck!!

Yeah man it F'ed with my head big time. My 1000 uses 9.2 amps and my 600 uses 5.6 amps and a out take fan. I have about 16 amps on my 20 line. I think I'll just leave it at that.