1000w light shuts off after warming up when plugged into timer

[Cannabean]

I have an odd problem which I can't seem to figure out...

I use a 1000w nextgen ballast on 120v hooked up by itself to a outlet on a 15a breaker in a garage. The rest of the gear is on a seperate breaker.

When I plug the light into a intermatic timer and into the outlet, it will fire and warm up but after 3-5 minutes the light will shut off and I get flashing red light on the ballast which reads;
"Fault. Reset Ballast: Check input voltage. Change your bulb. Unplug for 5 minutes then reconnect power(tried this). If problem continues contact technician".

This happens when using either timer (one rated for 1750w which Ive used on this ballast before and worked fine, the other 1500w rated), but the light WORKS FINE when I have it plugged in straight to the wall, no timer.

w/timer = dies after a few minutes
w/o timer = light/ballast performs fine

Im not tripping breakers when this happens and have tried the ballast on different breakers throughout the house.
again it ONLY happens when plugged in to the timer.

I called CAP and they don't know what the problem is. He said it happens when there is a short or fluctuation in the voltage coming to the ballast. I've had this happen before when the ballast wouldnt fire the bulb at all becuase the wiring in the reflector was disconnected. that is not the case this time.

I also thought that maybe there was fluctuation in the voltage coming into the ballast and so bought a surge protector thinking that might fix it. no dice.


Has anyone else had this happen? Anyone know a fix?

 

[toohighmf]

check your timer and make sure it's set properly. is it a mechanical timer with a Pin to strike to turn on or off? sometimes 1 gets bumped and turns it off.

 

[B. Friendly]

is the ballast a 240 and the timer a 120v?? I am not an electrician.

 

[Cannabean]

it is a mechanical intermatic timer with the knobs or switches to set on/off times but those are not what is flipping the ballast off. when the timer is set to ON or turns on by itself via the time, the ballast fires correctly, warms up and then dies after a few min. Im pretty sure its the ballast dectecting a loss/fluctuation in voltage that triggers it to shut itself off, the timers work fine themselves...its just something about the ballast being plugged into the timer that makes it turn off after warming up.

ballast is 90-260v but I am using it at 120v, the timer is also 120v.

 

[Zen Master]

have you tried another timer?

clearly if the ballast/lamp works just perfectly fine when plugged into the same outlet, however adding the timer makes it faulty, its the timer.

A lot of timers are rated for 1500-1750 watts (the intermatic push pin types) however may not be able to continuously carry that load safely.

double check you've got a 'heavy duty' timer.

 

[Cannabean]

I have two timers, one rated for 1750w and one for 1500w. I have used the 1500w timer with this ballast for over a year at a previous location. Both the new 1750w timer and the 1500w timer I've used before cause the same thing to happen. Both say 'heavy duty' on them too.
though I do think that is the problem, for some reason at this new location the timers seem unable to carry the load safely/consistantly which triggers the ballast to shut off....

buy new timers doesn't seem like it will work though...happens to any timer I try to use

 

[guest121295]

^^^I'm with him, check a new timer, I've seen plenty of faulty intermetic timers do the same thing. I like the timers but it doesn't hurt to have one on hand. Check all the wires on the ballast etc too could be something dumb. Good luck!! Wall could have 14 wire instead of 12 or worse..

 

[B. Friendly]

will it do this if just plugged into the wall no timer?

 

[Zen Master]

check out a completely different style of timer, not the standard white ones with a 'time' dial and the pins. EVEN IF they say 1500 or 1750 watts.

the ones in a box with yellow wheels, very mechanical looking, come to mind.

if you have used one of the timers before successfully with this particular unit, then possibly something shorted out in the timer? it happens. I've seen timers melt.

 

[Zen Master]

will it do this if just plugged into the wall no timer?

nope, he stated it ONLY happens when its plugged into a timer...

perplexing.

 

[Cannabean]

^^^I'm with him, check a new timer, I've seen plenty of faulty intermetic timers do the same thing. I like the timers but it doesn't hurt to have one on hand. Check all the wires on the ballast etc too could be something dumb. Good luck!! Wall could have 14 wire instead of 12 or worse..

but would that specifically cause the ballast+timer to fault when ballst WITHOUT timer works fine?

b, ballast plugged straight into wall fires and runs all night just fine. Its only when plugged into a timer...and I have tried multiple heavy duty timers of different brands, they all do the same thing.

I am hesitant to buy another new timer becuase they all keep doing this, new or not, used before with this exact same ballast at another location or not. Im dumbfounded.

 

[B. Friendly]

have you tried a different outlet. ie different braker, I am out of ideas
sounds like a grounding problem, but i am no electrician

 

[Cannabean]

I initially thought the timer i've been using for a year has shorted out, that or the 2 to 3 prong ground adapter (which i'd also used for a year with this ballast at another location just fine) shorted out so i got a new timer, the 1500w one.

I guess my options are 1. buy the same brand/style timer I have used before to check if my original timer has a short in it and the newer 1500w timer of different brand/model is crap
2. buy a heavier duty timer like CAP sells...but am very hesistant to do that becuase $$$ and its tripping all timers, old and new

 

[Cannabean]

b. friendly, I want to say its something wrong with the current coming in that causes the ballast+timer to malfunction and shut off, but I've tried other breakers...maybe its jut bad wiring on many of these breakers...Ill try to find another breaker with higher amperage to test.

 

[Cannabean]

we're all out of ideas...Ill post again after testing some things....

thanks for all the help!!!

 

[B. Friendly]

if that does not work just phoned an electrician buddy, he's like hmmmm. and thinks the timers just burn out after awhile.

 

[Zen Master]

if the only thing hindering it working is the timer, and it works just fine otherwise without a timer, then the timer is the only logical source of the problem.

if there was the wrong gauge wiring, it wouldn't run properly if just plugged into the wall like it does.

if the wiring of the ballast was messed up, it wouldn't fire up with or without a timer, well it wouldn't run properly at least. (which so far it seems it works just fine, so long as there isnt a timer in the chain of plugs)

so the wiring is good,

edit: like you said, perhaps the timer is interfering with a constant voltage level... only option I think of for that is a surge/volt meter protector thingy.. My buddy has one for his home theater setup (not exactly cheap, but < than a couple hundred) and it regulates the voltage being passed through it to anything on the other side, i.e. your lamp-> timer -> into the regulator-> into the wall.

double check everything is 120v, no indication it wouldn't be but I'm stumped here too.

 

[Cannabean]

so perhaps my timer burnt out and the new 1500w rated one i bought it not up to par to run this thing. I know this brand intermatic timer works with this ballast, ill grab another one to test it.

 

[Cannabean]

I agree zen, everything else tests out fine or it wouldn't run on its own without the timer at all. Its gotta be the timer. But what stumps me is why both timers both fire the bulb exactly the same and warm up and then shut off.
its a long shot but im hoping my 1750w timer is burnt out and the 1500w can't run this ballast and I just need a new 1750w to get it to work again...

how much do "the ones in a box with yellow wheels, very mechanical looking, come to mind." cost?

 

[Sojourner]

I had something like this happen about a year and a half ago with an intermatic mechanical timer. I was running a 600 watt digital greenhouse ballast and a 400 watt magnetic ballast. It always worked fine for months on end with no issues, but one day seemingly randomly the digital ballast would strike the bulb and then turn off atter a minute or so. This ballast didn't have a warning light on it, but it did make a rapid CLICK CLICK CLICK sound and then go silent for 15 minutes, all to start over again. Bulb would strike and then about a minute later would repeat. The magnetic ballast never had issues at all.

I was worried the digital ballast had gone bad or the bulb. On a whim I plugged it right into the outlet and it fired right up and stayed on with no problems. plugged back into the timer and it did the same thing, even when I had the 400w magnetic unplugged. It seemed to only be finnicky with the digital ballast. I bought a digital intermatic timer to replace it and that runs the digital ballast now. I still have the mechanical timer and it has never given me any issue running both the 400w and the fans.

I'd be interested if anyone has any explanation for why a timer would not function with a digital ballast. My digital green house accepts both 110 and 220 inputs, my only thought was maybe the timer eats up a couple volts and drops it too low for the ballast to function.

Attached is a picture of my mechanical timer that refuses to run a digital ballast