MH usage...

[loonz]

Hi...am new to owning MH....recently got a used one(2x150w)...and after only about a week...oen of the bulbs wouldn't light up....changed a bulb to a relatively newer one ...and it was working well on one side...when i switched it to the other...it stopped working again...

the "buzzing" sound is there...and i could see the current in the bulb when the switch is on....there were momentary flashes of brightness...but that's about it....is there a problem with the ballast??

I'm really lost...anyone encountered anything similar?? any feedback is good, thanks.

[acidjazz]

bro, buzzing sound is common if u are using a magnetic ballast. As for why the bulb didnt light, could it be bcuz its burn out due to long usage?

[loonz]

Was told the 2 bulbs that came with the set were used about 6 mths previously...perhaps the owner used them for long hours each day im not sure...but i changed it to a relatively new bulb that i borrowed from a friend...tested it 2 days ago and it lit up straightaway...and it was working on one side of the fixture just now...until i moved it to the other side....then it didnt light up...the buzzing sound went one for more than 30seconds...should it be that long??just a day ago it lit up instantly....

[acidjazz]

bro, the best is check with the previous owner to see if he experience such a prob. MH with magnetic ballast will produce a buzzing sound.

[boowy]

Hi...am new to owning MH....recently got a used one(2x150w)...and after only about a week...oen of the bulbs wouldn't light up....changed a bulb to a relatively newer one ...and it was working well on one side...when i switched it to the other...it stopped working again...

the "buzzing" sound is there...and i could see the current in the bulb when the switch is on....there were momentary flashes of brightness...but that's about it....is there a problem with the ballast??

I'm really lost...anyone encountered anything similar?? any feedback is good, thanks.

I had encountered this when the bulb was not properly connect to the end holder???(not sure wat its call)

juz make sure u push the bulb completly in the holder

wat bulb u using?

[tineng]

Was told the 2 bulbs that came with the set were used about 6 mths previously...perhaps the owner used them for long hours each day im not sure...but i changed it to a relatively new bulb that i borrowed from a friend...tested it 2 days ago and it lit up straightaway...and it was working on one side of the fixture just now...until i moved it to the other side....then it didnt light up...the buzzing sound went one for more than 30seconds...should it be that long??just a day ago it lit up instantly....

errrr...bro did you wait for 10-15 min before lighting up again???? MH bulb has a built in mechaisum that will not fire up immediately until it has cooled down.....

[clowntrigger]

You might like to look at your ignitor... it is a rectangular block, see if it is burn or not...

[loonz]

Thanks for the feedback...

the bulb is from Osram...daylight

Boowy, you mean to say you could still see the current running in the bulb when it wasnt properly pushed into the holders?

Had waited a long time before turning on the lamp....in fact just now I tried..which has been almost 24hrs....the sound is still there and the lamp still did not light up...albeit a few flashes of brightness....i turned it off after like 30s...

Should i bring it to an electrician?Where to locate them?Any neighbourhood shops selling electricity cables & hardware will do?

[loonz]

Clowntrigger...that's a familiar nick...

Ignitor...how big is it?Is it located by the ballast?

[clowntrigger]

Once you open up the casing of the MH, there should be 3 components, the ballast, ignitor and the Capacitor(May not be present most of the time). If you ballast is the electronic kind, then there is no ignitor. The size of the ignitor is about the size of a matchbox(rough estimate) and it is light in weight. The capacitor will be cyclindrical in shape.

Yeah, used to ask from you the macroalgae back in 2003 when the forum just started...