Hello everybody... I have a 1000 watt setup and occasionally when I turn it on the ballast seems to turn on at 600 watts instead of 1000. If I turn the switch for 1000 to 600 or 400 then back up and I hear no difference in the sound of the ballast and the bulb stays dim. Anyone have this problem before? It's a nebula 4.0 dimmable ballast. Thank you. Rock on....
Lighting 1000 watt dimmable ballst only turning on at 600.
- Thread starter jwd5150
- Start date
HashMaster
In Dog Beers I've Only Had One
Did it work right before or did you just buy it new ?
How long are you leaving it on before switching settings ?
How long do you leave the power off before you tried it again ?
How long are you leaving it on before switching settings ?
How long do you leave the power off before you tried it again ?
HashMaster
In Dog Beers I've Only Had One
Also, besides the previous questions.....
If you've been using it for a while, what settings have you powered it up on from cold ?
Thanks for your reply. I turn it on at a thousand and always leave it at that setting. But now it turns on at 600. And stays there unless I lower to 400. But No difference if I go up to 1000 though. I've contacted the company and they are willing to replace it if I send it back to them. Which is laughable considering what I'm using it for. I'm 5 weeks into flowering, they were looking fantastic. this is not the time to put them under cfls while I send back a ballast and wait for a return ballast. They are already starting ti droop one day later. I was also given the option to pay them 80 dollars to get a new one and get refunded after they inspect the original one. I've owned this set up 2 months and its also under a 2 year warranty. Not sure I'm willing to send them more money to fix a problem that is theirs, not mine. As a side note, I was told by their representative that they usually tell their customers to have back up equipment in case theirs has a problem like mine. I pointed out that I was never given that option. And I've never heard of any business making a statement like that. Although it makes sense in hindsight. It sure seems odd that a company would say such a thing about their products. Hence my reluctance to send more money. My next purchase will be from a more reputable source. "Long live Jon lord"
HashMaster
In Dog Beers I've Only Had One
A 600W will finish you off just fine, but depending on the height or fulness you might want to throw some cheap florescents in for side lighting.
The problem is if it's already failing now it could fail completely.
So.... with that in mind I myself would get the $80 unit sent just to be covered then return that one.
You will then either get your cash back eventually and then you can buy a better one and keep the cheapie for a backup (I always have full HID backups) or if they BS you and repair it and return it you still end up with a backup.
Either way your crop will be saved, and I'm assuming you have more than $80 worth of bud at stake.
On a side note, with that one and other cheaper units it is best to run a high speed fan on them anytime they are powered up.
I have that exact same unit as one of my backups. It has a nice loud powerful built in cooling fan but still gets hotter than hell without a fan blowing right on it.
Oh... until you get a replacement I'd leave it on the 1000W setting and not try to switch it.
I forgot the most important question.... is it safe to run it this way until the new ballast arrives? Especially while I'm at work and no one us home. I live in an apartment and I certainly don't want to put my neighbors at risk. Thank you
HashMaster
In Dog Beers I've Only Had One
Only you can decide that one.
If your not comfortable as is just shut it off during work. That's not going to hurt yield much for a few days .... since you have another on the way.
If it was me I would run it. It's a digital ballast so there is less chance of major problems than magnetic. But like I said, only you can decide that one.
Thanks. It's my first grow after buying for 40 years. so there's plenty I need to learn. I have just been doing alot of reading to get thru it. And I seem to be doing well at it so far. But this was something I didn't think ahead on. And I just didn't want a technical failure to harm them too much. Hence the reason I finally decided to ask for help. Everything you have told me has been sound advice. And logical. Exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks.
