400w mh bulbs wont work in ballast?

420newbieg

Well-Known Member
I have a thunder 1000w grow kit has a dimmable digital ballast 400-600-1000-1100. came with plantmax bulbs both mh and hps.

I don't know what is going on or why I cant seem to get a 400w mh to fire in it. I picked up a bulb called premium I would guess a china bulb I got it for 24$.

Anyways when I tried it I switched the ballast down to 400w I plugged it in and it fired for about 3-5 seconds then went out tried wiggling cords unplugged the ballast plugged it back in ect nothing sanded the contact nothing so I figured the bulb is old and defective so I bring it back I see a few more I pick one up and try that one and it does the same 3-5 after firing it goes out.

So at this point I'm like fuck it ill go and track down a brand new mh something I know is fairly new so I goto the depot and I pick up this 400w phillps mh bulb I go home and put that in will not even fire never even lit so now I'm like wtf I cant figure it out so I go and I grab the 1000w mh and I have the ballast still on 400w and bingo fires right up I don't get it.

So anyways I don't know why the light don't like 400w bulbs but I am running the 1000w mh at 400w my question is this dangerous will it hurt anything doing that or will I be fine I cant afford to run a full 1000w right now plus I don't like the heat so much so hopefully what I am doing will work I mean I am somewhat new to fancy lighting and digital ballasts
 

ArcticOrange

Well-Known Member
You don't want to run a bulb lower than 50% power. Especially MH. HUGE shifts in light quality. You're getting 20% out of it right now and you'll get 60-70% bulb life that way. On top of that it's actually using more than 400w anyways. I'd probably push no lower than 600 but that's me.
 

Sire Killem All

Well-Known Member
I have a thunder 1000w grow kit has a dimmable digital ballast 400-600-1000-1100. came with plantmax bulbs both mh and hps.

I don't know what is going on or why I cant seem to get a 400w mh to fire in it. I picked up a bulb called premium I would guess a china bulb I got it for 24$.

Anyways when I tried it I switched the ballast down to 400w I plugged it in and it fired for about 3-5 seconds then went out tried wiggling cords unplugged the ballast plugged it back in ect nothing sanded the contact nothing so I figured the bulb is old and defective so I bring it back I see a few more I pick one up and try that one and it does the same 3-5 after firing it goes out.

So at this point I'm like fuck it ill go and track down a brand new mh something I know is fairly new so I goto the depot and I pick up this 400w phillps mh bulb I go home and put that in will not even fire never even lit so now I'm like wtf I cant figure it out so I go and I grab the 1000w mh and I have the ballast still on 400w and bingo fires right up I don't get it.

So anyways I don't know why the light don't like 400w bulbs but I am running the 1000w mh at 400w my question is this dangerous will it hurt anything doing that or will I be fine I cant afford to run a full 1000w right now plus I don't like the heat so much so hopefully what I am doing will work I mean I am somewhat new to fancy lighting and digital ballasts
the 400-600-1000 setting are not for bulb wattage but the wattage going into your "1000watt" lamp. dont waste your money buing more 400 or 600w bulbs. just dim your 1000.
it will cause degrade faster and a spectrum shift but in the end it is safe to dim.... just no more bulbs that are not a 1000w.
 

420newbieg

Well-Known Member
right it is a dimmable digital ballast the other ahole who bought it thad told me it did each wattage 4-6-1k-1100 I should have known better so yea we are dimming
 
Top