1000w switchable HPS/MH ballast omitting a dim light

1000w switchable HPS/MH ballast omitting a dim light in comparison to its counterparts (other 1000w in the same room.) the setup seems very dull and orange in hue (HPS) while other are vibrant and sun-ish in color. This has led me to believe its time to replace the SoB ..... however people tend to have knowledge in the electrical areas much more vast then my own. ......


So my question..... it is 2 years old.... run a lot.... never had a problem and seems like the HM switch seems fullly powered while the HPS seems dull...... can it be repaired by a tech? (I know a person who repairs these ballasts at my hydro store) before I waste my time I would like to hear someone possibly say it is fixable rather than drive 2 hours and take down the mount. or just know for a fact I need to get a new one..... I figured its about that time soon now anyways and have saved for this rainy day... thanks in advance.

From my reading I'm getting that both the light bulb and the your style of ballast degenerate as time goes one. They begin degenerating about from the time they are new and just slowly get worse which is why your light isn't as bright as it used to be. They also get louder and hotter as time goes on.

You have a friend that does this - They rebuild them for sure. I wish I had a friend that would do that for just parts and a little medicine!

If you do go the route of shelling out for a new one - read up on the best "digital" ballasts.

Some companies state in writing that their digital ballasts last a long time degenerate at a fraction of time compared to the older ones.

Grow Forth...

your capacitor is going out on your hps side, mh uses seperate one. soon it will not want to fire up or at least take longer to fire up. Seen this many times. Rebuild kits are cheap and easy to do. Good luck!

West Coast Cultivation

boombats said:

1000w switchable HPS/MH ballast omitting a dim light in comparison to its counterparts (other 1000w in the same room.) the setup seems very dull and orange in hue (HPS) while other are vibrant and sun-ish in color. This has led me to believe its time to replace the SoB ..... however people tend to have knowledge in the electrical areas much more vast then my own. ......


So my question..... it is 2 years old.... run a lot.... never had a problem and seems like the HM switch seems fullly powered while the HPS seems dull...... can it be repaired by a tech? (I know a person who repairs these ballasts at my hydro store) before I waste my time I would like to hear someone possibly say it is fixable rather than drive 2 hours and take down the mount. or just know for a fact I need to get a new one..... I figured its about that time soon now anyways and have saved for this rainy day... thanks in advance.

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Lamp and capacitor decay very quickly, and has been used for two years, in order to have a good effect, it is best to replace it with a new capacitor and lamp.

West Coast Cultivation said:

your capacitor is going out on your hps side, mh uses seperate one. soon it will not want to fire up or at least take longer to fire up. Seen this many times. Rebuild kits are cheap and easy to do. Good luck!

West Coast Cultivation

Click to expand...

I had it pegged as a starter not the capacitor..... reason being is I was under the assumption that

MH- run on the capacitor and coil and core(transformer) a 2 part system
HPS- run on a three part system capacitor, transformer, and starter/igniter which powers the arc of a HPS... not required in MH lamps

this is also why you can run a MH bulb in a HPS lamp............ but not HPS bulb in a MH lamp


also a great way to test starters I read..... if they fire up normally with a MH bulb.... its most definitly a starter and not capacitor or coil/core...

now I tested this before I even posted this and already stated that the MH worked just fine......so unless they build ballasts that have seperate systems for MH and HPS (I was also under the impression they shared the capacitor and transformer in these units) the main functions that require a lamp to run are there.... minus the starter.



just asking again.... am I wrong? or can you safely say it is a capacitor. im no expert just need to cross reference the info handed down to me.



+ rep to the person who is right as I will most definitly take it down to the shop on tuesday.......... (closed monday holiday) thanks again for the responses

West Coast Cultivation said:

your capacitor is going out on your hps side, mh uses seperate one. soon it will not want to fire up or at least take longer to fire up. Seen this many times. Rebuild kits are cheap and easy to do. Good luck!

West Coast Cultivation

Click to expand...

you were 100% correct..... thanks for the info + rep.... hydro store fixed it for free

I'm glad I could help. That's a good hydro shop to replace a wear and tear part for free, although maybe it was under warranty but still no hassle is always nice! Thanks for the rep!

West Coast Cultivation

West Coast Cultivation said:

I'm glad I could help. That's a good hydro shop to replace a wear and tear part for free, although maybe it was under warranty but still no hassle is always nice! Thanks for the rep!

West Coast Cultivation

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hello, i'm hoping you're still around West Coast. I have a Ballast mh/hps switchable and my issue is on the mh side. When powered on the mh side brightens well but then in a matter of minutes it dims very badly. I called the manufacture and they were kind enough to send me an mh capacitor which i replaced but to no luck, my ballast still dims on the mh side and works fine on the hps side. Is there any other component besides the mh capacitor the may be affecting this? I was careful not to mix the wires when replacing the cap. thanks