WHY DOES MY 1000 Watt HPS HESITATE?

My 1000W HPS GrowFarm light/ ballast sometimes takes a while to light up once i have plugged it in. Sometimes 1-3 hours! Once it is on I can keep it on for weeks at a time. But i am starting to go into 18/6 and I can't be very precise about that it my light continues to behave this way.

Does anyone know what would cause this issue? Solution?

Thanks in advance!

Maybe a bad capacitor or ignitor??

i really don't know..

is it still under warranty? if so return it.

f

well thats kinda weird? but dont get me wrong it should take a little time for ur light to turn on "5-10" mins. cause it has to build up a huge elec. charge to get that light to fire up but and hr is way to long. im not sure man? my only idea is to matbe give that big bitch its own socket. maybe being the only thing pluged in could help out and give it more juice to fire up

yep- It is the only thing plugged into it's socket. And only a small box fan and humidifier plugged in on the entire circuit right now.

Also the ballast is humming lightly and i do see it on- in the sense that it is flickering VERY lightly. but the entire room is otherwise dark.

It is a used ballast. But... how do i know if it is the capacitor, ignitor, or something else? anyway idea on how to trouble shoot it?

you need a new ballast for sure.

HerbieSmith said:

anyway idea on how to trouble shoot it?

Click to expand...

DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT try to trouble shoot it if you don't know what you're doing.

The capacitor in a 1kw ballast stores a BIG FUCKING CHARGE.

is there a repair that can be done?

ElBarto said:

DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT try to trouble shoot it if you don't know what you're doing.

The capacitor in a 1kw ballast stores a BIG FUCKING CHARGE.

Click to expand...

Understood. I have taken some courses in DC circuits so I know the DANGER INVOLVED IS HIGH. You have to properly discharge the capacitor before you even begin to touch ANYTHING on the interior- as it can still hold a charge LONG after it has been unplugged.

I would like get a GOOD IDEA how to repair it if ONLY IN THEORY. So that if I am not able to repair it and need to take it somewhere to have it serviced I don't get ripped.

Please chime in if you have had this problem and what did you do/find out?

to test the cap/ignitor, you would need test equipment, or replace with known good components till it works. You probably need to take it to an electronics shop to have it tested, but there are only a few components in a ballast(not talking about electronic or digital), and getting it fixed would almost certainly be cheaper than buying a whole new one.

However, I don't know what your plants will do while the light is gone and it might be a while before it gets fixed. The Hydro shops near me can service these things when they start acting up.

You might just call a couple of places and ask if they could help you.

....or might be time for a new one, just don't throw the old one away until you get a diagnosis, because it could be an easy fix.

f

ps - If you take it apart, becareful messing around in there. Capacitors, depending on what there for, can hold lethal charges for years after they have been unplugged, so jsut be careful.

i had a similar problem with my 600 watt once. turned out it was just my bulb was going bad. try changing your bulb first before doing anything else.

Yes good call on the bulb- But it is just as old as my plants- 45days.

I will get a new one and see what happens- cause i do need an HPS for flowering. (current bulb is an MH Conversion Bulb)

Still trying to zero in on a what part in the ballast would cause this issue.

Thanks.

If it's not the lamp,you can get a ballast rebuild kit. They come with a ballast and capacitor. Just replace the whole guts and be done with it. They sell them as a kit,because it is best to replace them at the same time.

Venture 1000W HPS CWA Ballast Kit Quad-Tap @ Businesslights.com

gotcha- that is what i will try when i ready to repair then. I think i figured out a way to make it run through this current grow though- I can just set it to turn on an couple hours before it needs to -lol