why cant i power up a ballast an timer

[denske]

umm, im wondering why this is happening, any some advice would be mucho appreciated, im having trouble running a timer with my ballast, i hooked it up ,an set a few cycles to see if it would work, an it turned off ok, but when it went to turn back on, the globe just flickered and didnt turn on, this also happened when i tried running the ballast off a double adapter ,and also when i tried running the ballast off an extension lead, i tried putting the timer straight in to the wall and plugging the balast in , but it would only flicked when it turned back on?, it seems like it will only work when the ballast is plugged straight in to the wall, have i got a bodgy timer? or a bodgy ballast? or a bodgy power supply?, any tips on plugging all this shit in and powering it up? cuz, its gonna be bitch if i gotta keep flicking the switch on the wall off an on?, over to u guys,

[Tom]

I would say you bought a cheap timer, you need to get a heavy duty type.

 

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[denske]

it was only $10 bucks,, how much should i spend, or what kinda timer u reckon, do i need to look at amp rating? or just look for the one marked" im hardcore ill do any job u want me for", i dont think itl say that but u know what i mean,, this one i bought is a kambrook, max total load 10amp,2400wat,but its must be from the softc$%@k range cuz it dont power up much , i cant be turning the switch off an on,, cheers

[Guest Urbanhog]

I use these heavy duty timers for swimming pool pumps and air conditioners, they cost about 40-50 bucks for good ones. Worth the investment. Check out your local hardware store, or your local swimming pool suppliers stores if you live in warmer climates.

 

Cheers,

 

Urbanhog

[sols]

g'day; sounds like common mistake to me......you had light on for about 5 minutes then off, then when you tried to restart a minute later, the light flickered but did not fire huh?

you must allow globe and ballast to cool for atleast 10 minutes before restarting.

timer is not problem.ballast has a quick-blow fuse also, check it with power disconnected.

 

let ballast cool, i reckon that is only problem.

[denske]

cheers sols,, the light still fires up, so i might try the timer again, but waits a while, am i stuffing the globe or balast while it just flickers?

[Mr Putard]

Absolutely, if it doesn't work - fix it!!

[pipeman]

yeah agree with sols. A couple of times I knocked one of my timers loose turning the light off, plugged it straight back in and the light wouldn't come on for a while then would flicker.

 

In terms of timers take urban's advice and get a heavy duty timer. HPM seems to be a good brand that a few have recommended.

 

Tom also had an idea in another thread to use heavy duty relay switches controlled by a timer so that you haven't got big inducted currents pumping through your timer. Probably the best solution, but I would have no idea how to do it.