Has anybody had this happen to them before I was in the room today and I heard one ballast blow and then smoke started coming from it. I unplugged it. Then about 5 minutes later 2 more lights go out and I can hear the humming right before the blow I unplug them quickly before they went up in smoke. My only digital ballast was out also but instead of unplugging that one I went to hit the reset button and it blew the second I hit the button. huge amount of air came out the vent hole and scared the shot out of me. Nothing has changed in the room in the past two weeks. Two weeks ago we added a new timer because we lost the pins for the old timer and they didn't sell replacement pins. Today when the lights came on at 5 they were all on and at 5:45 is when they started to blow one at a time. At about 6 o'clock I plugged three back in and they work and have been working now for a few hours. But the first three are blown. What could have caused this , I'm stumped.
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Multiple ballast blown in one day
- Thread starter hobojoe00
- Start date
Donkeybrains
Member
That sucks man! Sorry to hear that? What kind were they? Is the breaker on it a 220? So you have a surge protector?
Donkeybrains
Member
How many amps is the new timer?
I was just thinking I know when I put new coils in my e-cig after about a week of electricity going through them it loses a connection and I have to go and then retighten the connection it's as if having so much electricity go through it for so long the wire changes shape kind of and has to be retighten. If this happened inside my timer could a loose ground or something cause this? Im now remembering in the panic when I was unplugging them , my last one didn't have a plug so I could not unplug it and it came back on once the humming ones got unplugged. I don't know if that helps but I figured I'd mention it. Also I'm running 6 1,000 watt lights on this 240v timer.
This is my timer , wh40
Features
Easy to use
Convenient external override switch
10,000 watts, 40 amps, 250 volts, 60Hz capacity
Steel case for durability
Trippers can be set in the morning and evening when you need and use hot water
Product Information 208-277V 10,000 Watts
Features
Easy to use
Convenient external override switch
10,000 watts, 40 amps, 250 volts, 60Hz capacity
Steel case for durability
Trippers can be set in the morning and evening when you need and use hot water
Product Information 208-277V 10,000 Watts
Donkeybrains
Member
Hmm I'm not sure. You got a lot of power! I stay under 1000 watt cause it's on a 110 breaker. Maybe there was a limited amount of juice up for grabs and the lights were fighting for it and burned up? Have you been running that much wattage for a while? I would install another breaker and run new wire to the room and split some of the wattage that's a lot of power lol. And get a few surge protectors.
Yeah it's been running like this for about 6 months four of those months for 24 hours. I got a 50 amp breaker going to that timer for those six thousand watt lights. Then I have another 50 amp breaker and another wire running directly to the air conditioning unit. So for the past 2 months it's been on 18 6 and for the past week I've had one of the lights un plugged. I'm stumped . I knew this would probably stump others because I searched good and no one has ever reported multiple blowing , especially one at a time. If nothing else happens with the other three I'll go buy 3 more tomorrow to replace the three that blew and if they all work for months. I'll have to assume it was one hell of a coincidence. But the digital one blowing also is what blows my mind. The two magnetic ballast or about the same age old but the digital is newer and also those are known to last way longer.
Donkeybrains
Member
Yea that's weird I hope someone on here can help you out. Unless it's just some freak thing that happend. I'm gonna keep checking back in to see how it all works out for ya. I got a friend who might have some ideas. Best of luck my friend.
O
OG Tree Grower
If they are the same ballasts I would start changing out parts and see if it's your capacitor , igniter or ballast, see what blew and if it was the same part on all three and that will make trouble shooting easier.
Your breaker is a bit oversized but it wouldnt cause that to happen.
Look closely at your wireing job on the timer. No offence but chances are it was the last thing you touched. Usually works that way for me anyways
Your breaker is a bit oversized but it wouldnt cause that to happen.
Look closely at your wireing job on the timer. No offence but chances are it was the last thing you touched. Usually works that way for me anyways
thcrefugee
Member
its entirely possible its just a shitty batch of capacitors, or shitty potting epoxy or what ever components.
all at the same time? yea thats not very likely, but very possible. say for example your ballasts all have shitty bulging capacitors.
then say you get a small burst of over voltage to your service connection thats not extreeme per se... but enough to cause them all to fail at around the same time? (caps tend to fail and even explode when over volted. ask me how i know).
yea its not super likely, but its entirely possible.
start with a voltmeter... check the power coming out of the mcb, check it at the sub panel and at the ballast whip or however its connected.
beyond that there is not much else you can do.
if its an intermittant power quality issue you could try and rent a power quality analyzer... but i seriously doubt they would rent you one without at least a journeyman license. they are multi thousands of dollars are are basically crude ocilloscopes with some data logging abilities.
i doubt it, but its possible you have some shitty power... its not THAT uncommon, especially with shitty small rural distribution systems.
i was just reading a blog wherein some guy data logged his power at the service connection for several years in preparation for a lawsuit of some sort.
id like to hear rives's take on this one too.
all at the same time? yea thats not very likely, but very possible. say for example your ballasts all have shitty bulging capacitors.
then say you get a small burst of over voltage to your service connection thats not extreeme per se... but enough to cause them all to fail at around the same time? (caps tend to fail and even explode when over volted. ask me how i know).
yea its not super likely, but its entirely possible.
start with a voltmeter... check the power coming out of the mcb, check it at the sub panel and at the ballast whip or however its connected.
beyond that there is not much else you can do.
if its an intermittant power quality issue you could try and rent a power quality analyzer... but i seriously doubt they would rent you one without at least a journeyman license. they are multi thousands of dollars are are basically crude ocilloscopes with some data logging abilities.
i doubt it, but its possible you have some shitty power... its not THAT uncommon, especially with shitty small rural distribution systems.
i was just reading a blog wherein some guy data logged his power at the service connection for several years in preparation for a lawsuit of some sort.
id like to hear rives's take on this one too.
ive had it happen i use surge protectors now. on everything.. it was expensive to setup like that but fuck alot safer.
