light problem

ive got a 600 watt light that keeps turning off.. i realized i had a 600 watt bulb on a 400watt ballast so i thought that was the issue... So i switched to the correct ballast for the 600 watt bulb and it does the same thing,, just kicks off after about 4 minutes,,, so i thought it could be the bulb so i stuck a different one in and it still does the same thing.... any clues on what it could be? do the moguls go bad?.... thanks

edit: come to think of it i replaced it with a old bulb.... do bulbs do this when there going out "like work for a couple minutes" or do they just go out all at once like a house light bulb...

try a new bulb. if it does the same thing you prob. have a problem with your ballast.
Run your old bulb. feel your ballast with your hand. If you can't touch your ballast because it's to hot. it's the ballast.

Make sure to use the proper bulb wattage for the ballast.
It can be an expensive lesson to learn.

well i switched ballasts cause i had the wrong ballast on the bulb but the second ballast does the same thing with it,,,, but the replacement bulb i tried was a old one,, im wondering if the bulbs do that when there going out, or if they just go out all at once when there no good.. thanks

What bulb n ballast is it? Try a outlet on a different circuit? Iv got a virtual sun 600 that does the same thing, pos

do you happen to have it connected to a timer? if so that may be the problem. mine had the same issue just had to replace the timer

No bulb comes with the ability to switch off for any reason by itself. If both times you plugged it into the same socket, then it's the socket or the amp box/breaker that's turning it off. Try a socket somewhere else in the house..or you have two ballasts that have auto-shutoff problems, but that's high odds.

Stick a blow dryer in the socket to see if that trips the breaker...you need to check your outlet because there is no way 600w should be tripping a breaker. When I did TIG welding there seemed to be no end to the weird things electricity can do. Make sure the polarity is right..not that I know that much about such stuff. e.g. I was drawing 220V into the TIG but forgot to connect the grounding clamp (providing the negative, black wired juice) but the thing was that the welder was working. Turns out it was grounding thru the rotary table ground wire which was a 110V....the rotary cable was 180 F. Don't burn a house down because some electrician had his head up his ass.