Light flickering problems

[jimbojones5678]

I have woken twice now to find my 600W HPS turned off - or rather - trying to ignite itself, the bulb flickering.

The first time I found the cord going into the ballast was loose but this morning it was in tight and the light had died sometime in the last 3 hrs.

 

any ideas?

 

Jimbo

[MongyMan]

Do you get any power brown outs? ie when a fridge or hot water heater or somthing with an initial start up draw kicks in, do the lights in the house dim or go off for 1/4 to 1/2 a second?

 

It can be a problem somtimes with shared or home generatored power supplies.

[jimbojones5678]

Yeah I have to be VERY careful what I plug in now! I share the power on the property with 6 other residences and I've blacked the lot of them out twice!!!

 

There isn't much I can do about that except be really careful not to overload it.

 

The light wouldn't start tonight again...just kept flickering trying to ignite. When I pushed the plug into the ballast there was sparks inside it and the light came on. Doesn't sound very good huh?

 

I will take it in to the hydro shop later in the week - don't want my house burnt down or the plants dying...

 

Jimbo

[MongyMan]

Sparks dont sound right at all jimbo Might be a good idea to get it looked at. Let us know how you go with it. If its ok and it is a power prob get back to us and we will try and help more.

[SukonmiSkunk]

it will shoot sparks.. and power cord will if you unplug it while its still on.. and working...

 

sounds like the ballast is having trouble igniting... im gonna take a guess and say ya using a HPS ballast and the igniter might be fucked...

 

have you got another globe to try?

[B0ss^]

yea that doesnt sound to good ...sounds like the ballest has blown ...as the light wouldnt be lighting at all if the glob went

[Stoney]

nah i have had some old globes that if you put them in they will just flick and try to ignite but no go

 

put a new one in there and bobs ya uncle the new globes work fine

 

so i would test the globe while ya down at the hydro shop as well if ya draggin the ballast down there ya may as well test the lot

 

cheerz :Dj:

[godonacid]

quite often seems to be the igniter, not strong enough to ignite the bulb, quite often a new globe will fix this as the igniter can ignite the new globe with out a problem but as the globe gets a bit older it will have trouble igniting again and your globes wont seem to last as long as they should, down at the local they charge $25 for a new igniter installed so its not to expensive at all. the other thing that can happen is that if the globe has been stationary for a long time unscrew it and give it a bit of a shake then put it back in, and also make sure that the contact in the end of the light socket has not been pushed in to much or that it dont have any build up on it, failing all this then it is more than likely the globe, although my guess would be on the igniter.

[MongyMan]

How did you go jimbo, did you work out what the problem was?

 

Peace MongyMan

[jimbojones5678]

I forgot to get back about this....

it was the ignitor - shop fixed it for free.

 

Jimbo