Burned out Hortilux

[angustotse]

So I've burned out Two 1000w Hortilux bulbs in as many months. Both looked similar after they had died -- there was a silver 'glaze' on the inside of the bulb, around the base of the lamp. These photos show the most recent casualty.

I'm using the same old magnetic ballast, same tent, same reflector and same bulb source as always. I did take down the tent and then put it back up shortly before the first bulb blew, however.

I'm hesitant to put another bulb in, not only because they're expensive, but because I don't know what's causing them to go and if the bulbs burning out (or the cause) could be a fire hazard.

I haven't seen any other bulbs that look like this, so any advice or information about what might be causing it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Storm Shadow]

Hortilux quality is taking a shit these days... Ive had a few Brand new bulbs burn out and look just like your photos... a month or 2 after one year warranty is over.. go figure

 

[angustotse]

Damn..I hate to hear that. I've got about a dozen on stash, and I like using them because I can swap out and mix/match digital and magnetic ballasts without worrying about compatibility issues.

Thanks for your response.

 

[unclefishstick]

how old is the ballast? that could be caused by a capacitor going bad as well.

 

[angustotse]

Oh yeah? Ballast is around 3yrs old..not that old for a magnetic..or at least, so I thought.

Could you expound a little on exactly what's going on? Could this be a fire danger? Is there any scenario where it makes more sense to try and diagnose/replace something like a capacitor than to just replace the ballast? Thanks for your response.

BTW, I threw a new, off-brand, bulb in. I'm going to keep a real close eye on it and try to finish this run with the same ballast. In the meantime, I'll be shopping for a new ballast.

 

[Mikell]

The scenario where replacing one cheap part is more logical than buying a whole new ballast?

Heh, sorry, I was born a smartass.

There are a few threads on the topic kicking around, and if the cap is the issue, replacement's a very easy thing to do. I managed, with no fire alarms or blown breakers.

 

[unclefishstick]

what that looks like to me is there was something like an arc flash because that looks like vaporized metal on the inside of the outer bulb jacket,when the inner bulb fails it usually looks like a fog on the outer bulb,and 9/10 when a ballast is going wonky the capacitor is generally the culprit...

first off i would ask what the ballast is plugged into and if you have anything else plugged into that same circuit,a 1000w magnetic ballast draws around 9 amps and most household circuits are 15 amps so generally speaking you should only run the ballast off that one circuit and nothing else.next i would unplug the cord from the wall and inspect it for any discoloration at the plug ends and look over the cord to make sure theres no damage,and check the lamp connectors and ensure they are fully plugged in.and check the bulb socket itself for any damage.assuming all that is ok,i would let the ballast fire up and listen to it and watch how the bulb fires up,if your ballast is humming too much your coil may be going out,if the bulb doesnt fire up smoothly without a lot of flashes then its the capacitor.

the capacitors cost about 10-15 bux,its 3 wires all color coded so its pretty easy to swap it out.depending on what brand however,opening it up may void the warranty...

 

[pezthetoker]

Where did you buy our hortilux? They generally have a one year warranty so you may be able to get them replaced free. Ofcourse,you will want to figure out why they keep burning up first.