HPS Problems!

Hello everyone! No replies to my posts but I'll hang in there! I've got two HIDs

one 430w Hps sunlight supply
one 400w mh/hps hydrofarm ballast

My 400w keeps popping mh bulbs and after a week or so of Hps use the bulb dims and gets low orange color unlike the brightness of my 430. Any one else have this problem??



Idk how to post pics yet so I'll make my profile pic, the lights side by side

could be the ballast mate .... i had same problem with a maxibright 600w kept blowing bulbs

return/replace ballast and or hood. prob should be solved if faulty equipment

if more then 1 bulb pops. its the ballasts. if they are putting two much juice into starting the bulb it will pop it in a heart beat. you can under power hps bulbs. and usually wont have an issue. but over powering. it will fuck the bulb. they can explode and gets all the dust into your hoods and cool tubes. its a bitch . and wear a mask during clean up that stuff inside the bulb is very bad for you .

I will probably end up replacing the ballast, are hoods and sockets interchangeable between ballast? Like if I was to take a 600w hps/mh ballast/bulb and put it in my 400's socket and hood? Not trying to be cheap, I just keep having to changing up my system ductwork

Thanks for quick replies!!!

Kinddiesel- See the over power under power is what's strange and confusing! Lemme ask your opinion Lol I've got a 430 with a 400 bulb with no issue and a 400 that has the correct bulb in but had twice as many issues with the mh bust and a super dim hps, I work in the service industry and sometimes compressors will malfunction if they have a weak capacitor, could it be that I have a weak run cap?

It's weird I had 3 5 foot monster sativas (tied down of courser) under that light at one point in time but would never produce fruit just grew till touched the light talk about all climatic with so many tight bud zones and nothing happened but a few pistils with 2 months of 12/12 :/

i was using a 600w one time and iaccidentally splashed water on it and had no bulb to replace so i used a 400w light in the 600w and it worked fine until i got another 600w bulb but to me mate its definetly the ballast i would change it fast before you end up causing a fire and ruining a good crop hope these help you

Fast thinking bro! Thanks for the advice : )

I definitely want to replace my ballast but I wonder if my hood socket could handle a 600w ballast and bulb?

Replaced both Hoods with Cool Tubes and upgraded to a 600w mh/hps so now I have a total 1030w utilizing my 430w as well I'm super stoked! Nice and easy major airflow, I really believe that even with my filter I'm still pulling 400 out of 440 cfms according to my barometer all the way through, added incoming 240cm fan with attached to carbon filter inside room housing tent close to ac vent, so all airflow goes through 2 carbon filters entering and exiting creating a pretty sterile environment. Temps with house ac 72-75, with out a nice 76-77. Does anyone know the best placeto add Ocisillating fans to flowering room as I've heard direct airflow on flowering clones can cause "hermie" or multiple sex plants?