Oh shit...

Xrangex

Xrangex

Well-Known Member
IF YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE AT ALL WITH DIGITAL BALLAST, PLEASE AT LEAST READ THIS. :leaf:

Well got my 400w hps in the mail yesterday, digital MH/HPS cooltube.. Set it up last night and had the girls under it for about 6 hours before lights out. Went to turn it back on this morning and it wouldnt turn on. Switched the HPS bulb with my MH bulb, still nothing. With everything plugged in (I tried multiple sockets) the light doesnt flicker, the ballast doesnt make a noise or get hot, nothing...
I'm sending the ballast in to get it replaced but I have afew questions in the mean time.

1. Should the ballast itself be making a noise or getting hot when it's plugged in? Even if it's not connected to the reflector? I ask because that would tell me if my ballast is working or not.

2. It was running perfect lastnight, what could have happened to fuck it up?

3. I had the ballast on a 2x4 piece of wood on the ground near my setup, what are some safe ways to put the ballast?


Any answers are truely appriciated
 
Papa Toke

Papa Toke

Active Member
They do get warm yes, thats a good indication it is on, if its cold then yea, not running. You probably just got the lemon of the bunch. What company made it? (Just curious) I would suggest mounting it on plywood or something to the wall. Leaving electronic stuff on the floor of a grow room is a huge fire hazard and a big nono.

Again, if you didnt touch it or mess with it in any way while it was off (obv you prob didnt) then its probably just a lemon. Now if you get new one and it happens again, I would suggest asking for a refund lol. Hope this helps.
 
rabbogart

rabbogart

Well-Known Member
1) should be quiet, ballast temperature when running will be approximately 131F.
2) bad unit, it's not uncommon...
3) I place mine on a ceramic plate next to my grow tent.
 
D

diggindirt

Well-Known Member
My digi ballasts make no noise unless turned on even when plugged in. When turned on, is just a slight noise, but still very quiet.

I wouldn't recomend putting it anywhere near the floor whether off by 3" or not. You're just asking for water damage while watering/moving plants. I have mine screwed to the ceiling of my room to avoid any mishaps. This also helps keep the cords out of the way which are usually pretty long. If heat is an issue, try to mount yout ballast outside the room and just run the wire through to the cooltube.

Not sure what brand you were running, but sometimes things that heat up and/or use a lot of electricity have a reset switch as well to keep them from overheating or shorting out. Could have been something like this? Also could have been something as simple as the cooling fan on it malfunctioning.

Sorry if this doesn't directly answer your issue, but that's my limited experience. Good luck with the new one mate!
 
Rizzo00

Rizzo00

Active Member
Hey its better than returning the thing and waiting for a new one only to find that one doesnt work either!!! Just trying to help.
 
Bigby

Bigby

Well-Known Member
Fuse circuit breaker for your home. There is probably a breaker for all your plug sockets - it was mentioned in case the ballast had it's own circuit breaker, which had tripped and was therefore stopping it working.
 
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