please help!!! ballast or bulb?? mh light worked for 3 days only (With Pics)

H

heatscore94

Member
i noticed today my light did not turn on. so i did a little investigating and unplugged the ballast and pluged it back in then the bulb goes on for about 5 seconds then conks out. so i unscrewed the bulb to take a look and sure enough there is a rupture on a post inside the bulb (see pics)

The ballast is a 400 watt digital mh/hps, the bulb was a 400 watt mh that was in a cool tube with a 400cfm 6" inline fan on a dimmer switch. i had it on medium and there was a good amount of air flowing thorugh.
i have put in my 400 watt hps and some cfls for now, new bulb should be here on the 17th of sept. this is my first grow and first time using this set up.


Has this ever happened to anyone else, or have a good idea what the problem could be?? maybe a faulty bulb, or the ballast. like I say it worked for 3 days perfectly then this happened and only stays lit for a few seconds really dim. with a big rupture in bulb. Say if the new mh bulb (or the hps i have there for now) does the same thing after a few and days ruptures then its the ballast? or maybe the household wiring fault. thanks all i will check back tonight when i get home from work. it sucks thinking about went wrong when its your first time growing, hoping its just the bulb, trying to stay positive heh.
 

Attachments

bigrake

bigrake

Well-Known Member
Yeah if it happens to the hps it's the ballast or wiring. The hps is Okay for veg and flower just takes a little longer but you get a bigger yield. Hope everything works out for you Happy growing.
 
H

heatscore94

Member
thank bigrake, me too +rep. did not know it would be good for veg (will try sometime but already got a mh in the mail). i will post if anything happens to this hps bulb in the mean time fingers crossed...
 
blaze1camp

blaze1camp

Well-Known Member
its sounds like the bulb...when mine blew it would flash on then right off...took it to the store it had a 1 year warranty got the replacement free...
 
sfttailpaul

sfttailpaul

Active Member
heatscore94 said:
i noticed today my light did not turn on. so i did a little investigating and unplugged the ballast and pluged it back in then the bulb goes on for about 5 seconds then conks out. so i unscrewed the bulb to take a look and sure enough there is a rupture on a post inside the bulb (see pics)

The ballast is a 400 watt digital mh/hps, the bulb was a 400 watt mh that was in a cool tube with a 400cfm 6" inline fan on a dimmer switch. i had it on medium and there was a good amount of air flowing thorugh.
i have put in my 400 watt hps and some cfls for now, new bulb should be here on the 17th of sept. this is my first grow and first time using this set up.


Has this ever happened to anyone else, or have a good idea what the problem could be?? maybe a faulty bulb, or the ballast. like I say it worked for 3 days perfectly then this happened and only stays lit for a few seconds really dim. with a big rupture in bulb. Say if the new mh bulb (or the hps i have there for now) does the same thing after a few and days ruptures then its the ballast? or maybe the household wiring fault. thanks all i will check back tonight when i get home from work. it sucks thinking about went wrong when its your first time growing, hoping its just the bulb, trying to stay positive heh.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, bulbs are like everything else. They are made as cheaply as possible because the competition dictates this. I used to buy cheapo, generic bulbs because their specs. were almost identical to bulbs costing 2X even 3X. Well, i found out the hard way. I've had the same manufacturer's bulbs last a year and some last a week or two. You basically get what you pay for. I only buy bulbs now, that carry a warranty. Well worth the additional cost upfront, especially when one blows...
 
H

heatscore94

Member
thanks all!! this makes me feel a lot better, im not sure how much the bulb was (im sure it was a cheap one) it was given to me (new). i will only buy bubls that come with a warranty from now on, even if its 2x or 3x the price. i have had my hps bulb in there for a good 8 hours not since i discovered the other was burnt out, and is going strong...wow haha this sounds noob but the light color difference (and the hole tent for that matter) is crazy.
 
iDC5

iDC5

Active Member
i ran that same kit before never had a problem with it, But the bulbs are cheap
they were like 15$ bulbs, i recommend upgrading to a dual spectrum bulb, or atleast something a lil better
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top