Problem with Lumatek 600w ballast

[bluntthirty]

I have a Lumatek 600w ballast (Purple one) that has been great and reliable as can be for 2 or 3 years. The other day I went to my growroom and it was off for some reason. I unplugged it from the timed outlet (surge protector it shares with another ballast) and unscrewed the bulb to check it out; bulb appeared fine so it got screwed back in. I then plugged it into a different outlet, on a different surge protector and it fired right up. I figured I must have a bad outlet. Well I went out to check on it later and it was off again! I unplugged it and plugged it back into it's original outlet, the timed one that I figured was bad, and it fired right up. After a few minutes though it shut off; but without my doing anything it fired back up after a minute. Then it shut off again. So now I have a ballast that won't stay lit for any length of time... I also ought to mention that I am NOT using a hortilux bulb; that seemed to be the most common issue when I searched. I believe my bulb is a Plantmax, and it is about a month old.

So my questions are: Has anyone encountered this problem before? Was there a simple answer to what was going on? If I must replace this ballast, what brand of 600w has everyone had positive experiences with?

I'm alright with replacing the ballast if it's a goner (though it'll be a bummer to spend that kind of money right now), but since it still fires up I feel that there is a chance it can be fixed somehow.
Thanks in advance for any information about, or insight into, this problem!

☮
B30

 

[Mr Blah]

Ive got a few of the 600's and it has never happen to me yet.
Try checking the hood/reflector sometimes wires come loose.
Just a thought.

 

[maryjane481]

I have a 600 watt Lumatek ballast that would shut down occasionally.
I discovered that the power cord plug to the ballast was loose, and after some time it would lose contact. I replaced the internal power receptacle and that solved the problem.

 

[bluntthirty]

The socket and cord seem to be in good shape, which makes sense since they are new. I will definitely have a close look at the power connector when I get back this afternoon. It has been suggested to me that it could possibly be a blown fuse within the ballast, though I would think that it wouldn't fire at all if that were the case. It was also suggested that the bulb could be the problem, so I'm going to pick up a new bulb today of a different brand and see if that helps; if not then I'll have an extra bulb as a backup. If the bulb thing doesn't work out then I am just going to bite the bullet and get a new ballast because I have clones coming tomorrow and I need my system operational when they get here.
Thanks for the input!
B30

 

[growshopfrank]

have you tried a different lamp
what you describe defiantly could be caused by a bad lamp

 

[oldbootz]

im using a next gen 600 ballast with a plantastar bulb and it did that exact same thing going off and on the first time i plugged it in. after that it has been working fine now for about 3 months. strange problem. still dont know what caused it. is your bulb in a cooltube or aircon room? i have a gut instinct that it might be heat causing it.

 

[gmanwho]

ive been running lumateks for 5+ years. all the way back to the silver, then blue an now purple ballasts. i am usually running 6 600's at a time. From my experience I would say your problem is your bulb. do you have any other known working bulb you can try??
if it was a blown fuse it would not work period, in most of my experiences the ballast will work , or not. no it works for 4mins then goes down, that usually was a bad bulb.
go thru an make sure all conections are good. unscrew bulb an screw back in. thinking its a bulb. after checkign connections it would be your cheapest option. if u can exchange it., dont care if its a month old, could be bad. could be bad right out of the box!!

b-safe

 

[bluntthirty]

Alright guys, I am back and my problem has been solved.
Oldbootz, as for my bulb it is not in a cooltube or an airconditioned room, though my room doesn't have heat issues. Here is what I found:
As gmanwho and growshop frank predicted, the problem was the bulb. So for future reference let it be known that a Lumkatek 600 watt ballast will not play nice with a Plantmax (cheapo) 600 watt bulb. I picked up a Hortilux bulb, since they have apparently been redesigned or whatnot so that they work with digital ballasts. It works wonderfully, not to mention puts off a ton of light.
I didn't think it could have been the bulb based on a few things; first, it had worked well for about a month, maybe 3 weeks, before it started acting up. Second, it would turn on for varying lengths of time before shutting off. And third, because I figured a 600 watt bulb should work with a 600 watt ballast, based on the compatible basic specifications. I was wrong, and I have now learned some new stuff from this situation that will help me be more successful in diagnosing future problems I may encounter. There is something positive to take away from any situation.
When I was at my local store picking up the bulb I discussed the problem with their guy who handles the indoor grow supplies and he asked that I let him know what I found out regarding the bulb and ballast compatibility so that he can make changes in what they stock, so tomorrow I am going to stop back there and let him know what I found. I am glad that he is receptive to these sort of problems, especially since they stock Lumatek ballasts and the apparently incompatible bulb side by side. Hopefully this problem can be avoided in the future for others.
Of course, it may have just been a bad bulb so if anyone uses a Plantmax 600 watter with a Lumatek ballast and hasn't encountered this problem please let me know so that I can accurately communicate this to the indoor garden fella.

Thanks for the help with this situation!

☮
B30

 

[Granger2]

A few years ago I had the same problem, researched it and found that HPS bulbs will often work intermittently when going out. Glad you found the solution without having to cough up for a ballast. -granger

 

[ortsa1]

i cant believe how expensive digital ballasts still sell for, wholesale on 600s is 38.50 usd each

 

[Hillside Grower]

I use 600 Plantmaxs with Lumateks, green and purple, for years. I had the occasional intermittent problem and my shop replaced the ballast. I run them on a flip so they run 24 hours all day, all the time, this happened maybe twice in the last few years. I do like the Solisteks or Quantums way better though.

 

[Hammerhead]

try a diff bulb if it still happens that ballest is bad. If its still under warranty take it to your hydro store for a replacement.. I try to support my local owner as much as possible but sometimes I find real good deal online. If I have equipment problems I can take it to them for repair or replacement some places do repair on digitals ballasts/.

 

[bluntthirty]

Okay so it sounds like I just had a bad bulb rather than an incompatible bulb. Thank you everyone who chimed in on this!

B30

 

[growshopfrank]

Okay so it sounds like I just had a bad bulb rather than an incompatible bulb. Thank you everyone who chimed in on this!

B30

I'm glad you got it solved without having to buy another ballast