lumitek ballast problems...?

[jarff]

AF runs a small hydro shop and sells a lot of Lumateks...He has been selling,Ushio,Solarmax,Plantastar...bulbs/lamps ..... and has had only a couple returned.Tried Hortilux at first but had problems..IMHO I think Plantastar is prob best for the Lumatek ballasts..I run about ten Lum./600 240v with Plantastar and never a problem.
btw the guy at the hydro store has sold 500+ Lumateks in past year and had a couple of returns ...mostly 110 volt ballasts..pretty good reliabilty factor imho

jarff[

 

[Batboy]

I found the light would strike and go full bright and remain that way for 1/2 to 1 hour, then go dim. Occasionally flicker bright but always go back to dim. After eliminating any other possible cause, (circuit, timer and power strip, light bulbs, connections) I know its the ballast.
I'm talking with someone from Lumatek tech support and hopefully figure out a fix. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

I went through this EXACT situation with a 400w digital lumatek on its first run. It appeared dimmer than usual. Warm, not hot ballast. Occassional flicker. This was one of the purple units, but it did not have the dial on the end like they have now.

After its only run, I took the ballast to the hydro shop, they plugged it in, watched it start up, run fine for a few minutes and then flicker. As soon as he saw the flicker, shop guy handed me a brand new one (newer model with the dial) and said that the broken one would go back to the company. When I got it home, the difference was immediately obvious - I kick myself for not bringing the other one back sooner, but I was convinced (hoping) that it was a wiring or bulb problem Sound familiar?.

 

[schwagg]

schwagg,

I've had similar experience once where a mechanical timer was causing the unit to trip the panel breaker. I guess it had a weak trigger piece on the mechanical timer which must have not been flipping the light on in one quick smooth motion - thus creating some resistance and causing the breaker to flip. Digital timer fixed the issue.

I guess if you've tried multiple timers you can rule that out however. What bulb are you trying to fire? I've personally never have had bulb compatibility issues with lumatek but I know a friend who did and was experiencing the same thing. Timer was not firing the light up consistently. He was using 400w Lumatek (new unit) with a 400w Hortilux BLUE lamp. Determined that it was just uncompatible and the ballast could NOT consistently fire the BLUE lamp using a timer. (unit would fire every time however plugging in manually)..and have no problems firing other lamps.

sucks to hear people having issues with their gear. I love my lumateks.

it was a ge lucalox. if that is a crappy bulb, i'd like to know. i did like running the digi.

 

[ericcalif]

I went through this EXACT situation with a 400w digital lumatek on its first run. It appeared dimmer than usual. Warm, not hot ballast. Occassional flicker. This was one of the purple units, but it did not have the dial on the end like they have now.

After its only run, I took the ballast to the hydro shop, they plugged it in, watched it start up, run fine for a few minutes and then flicker. As soon as he saw the flicker, shop guy handed me a brand new one (newer model with the dial) and said that the broken one would go back to the company. When I got it home, the difference was immediately obvious - I kick myself for not bringing the other one back sooner, but I was convinced (hoping) that it was a wiring or bulb problem Sound familiar?.

Ya, it does. Sounds just like mine. I'm working direct with Lumatek right now, my old one is one the way and they're sending a replacement. We'll see how it goes.

 

[ericcalif]

Well a quick update...
I sent my 400 watter to Lumatek a few days ago. I've had a few calls back and forth with them and I have to say their tech support has been good. They received it on the 26th, bench tested it and duplicated my problem and are sending out a new one today. I'm paying for shipping but that only seems fair.
I've read about peoples problems with them some dont like them, some love em. I don't have enough experience to say how good they are in the bigger picture, but so far I'm impressed with their responsiveness. Even the best product can have a bad unit here and there, I think how a company responds to them says alot.

Too bad this happened in the middle of a flower cycle, I know my result won't be as good as it would have with 400 watts of hps, but the floros are getting the job done so it wont be a waste, just a smaller , maybe less potent harvest.

 

[AOD2012]

i have two 600 lumatek digis, and i use sylvania gro lux(locally available) and i havent had any problems. this is my first run with them, but i have only used them for like 4 months, so i guess i will have to see if they shit out in a couple months.

 

[ericcalif]

I'm going to have to throw in some props for Lumatek.

It seems people love em or hate em, probably depending on individual experiences. You can put me in the love em camp after this.
I bought a used 400 watt ballast through a small hydro shop. It was a older one, purple, no reset breaker, etc.
It started having a problem where it would go dim after running a 1/2 hr as I posted above. I contacted their tech support line and explained what the problem was. He agreed it was most likely the ballast. Sent it up to them (I paid shipping) and they confirmed it was doing exactly what I described. They sent me a brand new one, (reset breaker and variable output switch) for the cost of shipping ($10)
I'd encourage anyone that's had problems with theirs to talk to them and see what they can do for you. Any electronic device can have problems but I think a true measure of a company is how they stand behind their products. In my case, I have to give Lumatek high marks.

 

[ToughGirl]

I just bought a Lumatek 600w dimmable ballast the other day to replace a blown Digital greenhouse ballast. I have to admit that I'm impressed so far. Seems to run every brand of bulb that I've thrown at it (my DG was smoked by a cheap Chinese bulb).

I don't know how everyone purchased theirs, but mine has a 5 year factory warranty with it, so I have no worries.