HPS wont light up... MH runs fine. What's wrong HELP please
- Thread starter Phrasty
- Start date
BooRadley
Well-Known Member
Hey there. I got a 400 watt metal halide lamp with an hps conversion bulb. Or maybe it was an hps with a metal halide conversion bulb. Can't remember now.
Anyways, I found that if I turn the light off, then turn it back on within 5 minutes, the hps bulb won't light up most of the time. Sometimes it will, but only after 10+ minutes of being turned on. Seriously, I will look directly at the bulb, and there is a tiny spot inside it that is glowing, but it takes at least 10 minutes to even start lighting up the rest of the way, when it lights up at all.
Works flawlessly when left uninterrupted on the timer.
May sound dumb, but maybe make sure that the ballast hasn't been turned on and off in the last 20 minutes or so. Then try the bulb. I doubt that that's the problem, but if you haven't checked, maybe you ought to.
I can't speak much on flowering with mh, but I've read of others flowering their plants with them, reporting looser, flufflier buds. I don't remember anything being said about a loss of potency, though.
Good luck.
cowboylogic
Well-Known Member
Thats called a hot re-strike. Very bad for the bulb. You should always wait at least 15 minutes between refires to allow the bulb too cool. Also when you fire the bulb you should always allow it too reach full temp before shutting it off. Not following these rules will shorten the life of your bulbs.
cowboylogic
Well-Known Member
You can start flowering with MH. You can even finish with MH, buds will just be fluffy. If you have your HPS going for at least the last month of flower that will fatten your buds up nicely.
need my HPS to work.. Im gonna start the 12/12 cycle just so that i cant get the males out and transfer to bigger pots asap...
BooRadley
Well-Known Member
Thanks, man. I just learned something pretty valuable.
cowboylogic is 100% correct, through hot restrike your diminishing your lamps lumen output and life span. In my opinion is 15 min not enough i would give my lamps minimum 30 min. Thats the info ive become researching hps lamps, could only imagine that the same appleis for MH bulbs. IMO, greetz syze
cowboylogic
Well-Known Member
It is hard to tell from the pictures but I am not seeing a ground? But you say the MH works, so it should be grounded. Have you compared he socket ends of both bulbs? Maybe for some reason the HPS is not making contact in the mogal socket.
cowboylogic
Well-Known Member
And +rep by clicking the little blue/silver sign just to the right of the post number. At the right side of the screen.
i had a 400 halide that only had the choke no ignitor was given to me by an electriction. seemed to work fine.
same ignitor as mine, european technologies is the brand, ES-PI 1001 should be the number. mine just fucked up and wont ignite my hps bulb either. those ignitors are for HPS/MH 35-1000w chokes, well mine is. about $65 aus s cheapest i found. its not the bulb or bulb holder i tried all that 2.
madazz
madazz
my cusin is a electriction he said 3 and a half mins is fine, u can touch the bulb by then. i only wait 3 - 5 mins and i've NEVER had any problems! been doing it 10 yrs +
go the rs500
ganjman
New Member
it needs to be the EXCACT same ignitor or it wont work, i've tried swapping them from other ballast and noting no striking no noises, hey 1 question when a hps bulb is in there and u try turning it on does he choke make any noises after a few seconds like cicking or ticking or humming ?
Phrasty
Well-Known Member
... As far as I know its the exact same ignitor... and yes... well kinda. I wouldnt say a few seconds after... that might be kinda long but right as the bulb is being struck i think I do hear some sort of clicking noises. But anyway... again EFF dis shit!! Im taking the ballast back to the store and have them figure it out themselves and fix it... I need to start flowering.
Cheers