HPS wont light up... MH runs fine. What's wrong HELP please

Phrasty

Phrasty

Well-Known Member
Guys I need help. I have a 400W switchable ballast and I'm in veg now and the MH bulb is working great... But I want to switch over to flowering this week and my 400W HPS bulb wont light up??? WTF is wrong? Took the bulb back to the store and tested it there... it works fine! I switched the socket (just cuz i had a spare one and i thought it might not be making the connection)... still nothing. I dont think it's the ignitor cuz the MH is working... This SUX!!! :( Please anyone have any suggestions? Help a brother out.

Thanks
 
ganjman

ganjman

New Member
This is going to be silly, and obvious - but are they the same wattage? And are you sure you have a conversion ballast? If not, the ignitor probably isnt good enough to get the HPS going [taking into account it worked at the shop]
 
Phrasty

Phrasty

Well-Known Member
ganjman said:
This is going to be silly, and obvious - but are they the same wattage? And are you sure you have a conversion ballast? If not, the ignitor probably isnt good enough to get the HPS going [taking into account it worked at the shop]
Click to expand...
Yeah they are the same wattage... and the ballast IS a conversion one. A question about the Ignitor... I dont know much about them, but would it be able to fire up the MH and not the hps. Wouldnt it be if it cant fire the HPS it wont fire the MH either?? I went and bought a new Ignitor yesterday but didnt put it in cuz the guy there said as long as the MH is lighting up its working properly... Please any other help?? need to get these girls in flower b4 they get too big.

Cheers.
 
JeepBeep

JeepBeep

Active Member
I would make sure you lamp mogul (the socket it screws into) to be rated for HPS, some sockets wont make contact with the end of the lamp and the contact, I had to change mine out the other day.
 
Phrasty

Phrasty

Well-Known Member
I thought that as well... so I changed out the socket (mogul) last night... still nothing.. very aggravating... Anyone else?
 
Phrasty

Phrasty

Well-Known Member
OK so I did a thorough check on the wiring and it turns out that the wiring to the socket that the ballast is plugged into isnt grounded... (its an old house...only 2 wires L&N) I got some 3 core cable to replace it. DO any of you think that this might have been the cause for the MH to work and the HPS not to???

Cheers
 
Lido

Lido

Member
It is possible, another thing to think about is if your ballast is pulse start or not and if your bulbs are the same... If you have a pulse start ballast, you must have pulse start bulbs.
 
S

sohel001

Member
Customize: Customize "Help with B.exe :: What's wrong with my computer? ... "Cordless Keyboard & Mouse stopped working - please help! :: What's wrong ... HP m7690y will not start up, will not boot, will not repair,will not .... I have a 2 year old HP dv9644ca laptop. Last week It was working fine. ..
 
Hairy Bob

Hairy Bob

Well-Known Member
Good post andyboy, I was about to state the same thing. A hps bulb needs an ignitor, the mh doesn't.
If the ballast was sold as a switchable one, then either there's a switch on it, or you have to open it up and route the wiring through the ignitor. Most electronic ballasts will automatically switch the ignitor depending on what type of bulb is being used. If the wiring already goes through the ignitor then you need a new ignitor.
It says a lot for the caliber of people who work in hydro shops that they didn't tell you this.
 
Phrasty

Phrasty

Well-Known Member
Hairy Bob said:
Good post andyboy, I was about to state the same thing. A hps bulb needs an ignitor, the mh doesn't.
If the ballast was sold as a switchable one, then either there's a switch on it, or you have to open it up and route the wiring through the ignitor. Most electronic ballasts will automatically switch the ignitor depending on what type of bulb is being used. If the wiring already goes through the ignitor then you need a new ignitor.
It says a lot for the caliber of people who work in hydro shops that they didn't tell you this.
Click to expand...


Couldn't agree with that last line more Hairy Bob... I will drop in the ignitor when i get home and give it a shot. OK just so i get this clear... The Ballast I have has the wiring routed through the ignitor.. BUT the MH bulb does not need the ignitor to light it up whereas the HPS DOES need the ignitor... but is it ok to have the ballast wired up this way (thru the ignitor) permanently to run both MH and HPS? Thanks so much for the help...
 
Hairy Bob

Hairy Bob

Well-Known Member
If it's a digi ballast with switching capacity then it should be fine. Even if you have a normal magnetic ballast with an ignitor, it will run mh but because it's giving a kick of over 2500v to strike the arc (which it doesn't need) the bulb life would be reduced, although I don't know exactly to what degree or how quickly it would degrade, since I have never seen a test done on the long term effects of mismatching ballasts.
 
Phrasty

Phrasty

Well-Known Member
Yes its a magnetic Ballast... Tahnks so much for the info... didnt get to switch the ignitor lastnight... will try do it tonight and report back.
 
E

eddywho

Active Member
sounds like the ignitor is shot since the MH works but not the HPS. MH does not need an ignitor therefore it is working. You can get an ignitor at any electrical supply store and they are alot cheaper than buying a whole new ballast. Good Luck
 
bewareofdogandowner

bewareofdogandowner

Active Member
sohel001 said:
Customize: Customize "Help with B.exe :: What's wrong with my computer? ... "Cordless Keyboard & Mouse stopped working - please help! :: What's wrong ... HP m7690y will not start up, will not boot, will not repair,will not .... I have a 2 year old HP dv9644ca laptop. Last week It was working fine. ..
Click to expand...
an open ground will not cause a lamp to misfire. try bending the contact tab to make sure its making contact with the lamp base.
 
bewareofdogandowner

bewareofdogandowner

Active Member
bewareofdogandowner said:
an open ground will not cause a lamp to misfire. try bending the contact tab to make sure its making contact with the lamp base.
Click to expand...

a ballast is basicly a transformer...transformers are generaly an ungrounded system because your taking your ground from the center tap of your transformer wich in turn is bonded to the system neutral at the utility connection on the primary side of you x-former...or in your case your picking up your ground through the wall socket your plugged into on the primary side ....your load side (to lamp) is getting its ground through the "common" connection on the ballast
 
Phrasty

Phrasty

Well-Known Member
EFF THIS!!! Ok so I changed the ignitor and its still not working!!! I really dont know!! ... Ok Im gonna open the ballast up and take a pic and post it on here to see if these people wired it right. I bought it from a local light store and it wasnt a pre-fab ballast. The store assembled it for me... (all they had were all in one units... light+ballast in one... got them to make a remote ballast.) Seeing as they said the total opposite to what you all are saying about the ignitor... its prob best to get your opinion on it.

Cheers... brb
 
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