Lumatek sucks

  • Thread starter purpleberry
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purpleberry

purpleberry

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I have 2 600w lumateks, one works great. The other one has burned up 3 bulbs and 3 fuses now. This time it melted the inside where the fuse goes like other pics i have seen posted. This was on a bulb i just bought 3 days ago, and now the guy at the grow shop takes today off when he is usally open today........:sign0065:
Only good thing is i run my lights flip flop so i get to plug and unplug lights every 12 hours til monday. I also had a back up bulb.....

Second digi ballast of theres I've seen do that but the other was due to faulty wiring with the Neutral, or was it?
 
B

boxmunch9

Guest
i just had a dual 600w lumatek flip my breaker, not very happy about this
 
purpleberry

purpleberry

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Maybe they should recall before someones house burns down.........
 
Lumatek 004
purpleberry

purpleberry

633
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I always checked all the plugs to make sure they were tight. Yes i know why the shop was closed, I really was saying WTF about the ballast
 
J

johnnyballbag

Premium Member
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Damn purple, sorry to hear about your luck. Looks like you got lucky man, could've been worse. Lumatek DEF needs to be notified about this. Looks like yet another company i'll never ever deal with. Sorry about your ordeal, but thanks for sharing with the farm.
 
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acubus

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Seems the Lumatek 600's are lamp specific....they work fine with older generation Horti 600 lamps, because this is what they were designed to do. Newer lamps cause premature lamp and ballast failure. I had a Lumatek 600 running a new Horti 600 and got maybe 250 hours and my ballast looked like purpleberry's when I returned it. The guys at the garden store said they had a shit load of Lumatek 600's to return and Lumatek's rep have been giving them a run around. They dropped Lumatek and are going with another line of ballasts.....from what I've heard and seen the Lumatek 400's are working great.
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I did find this on the internet awhile ago concerning the Lumatek 600's........


"My name is Jason and I am the founder of Lumatek Electronic ballasts. We try to stay away from these forums but I think this is important. Some customers are currently experiencing problems when using some 600 watt lamps. I do want to point out that the Hortilux Solarmax Grolux issue applies to ALL brand of electronic ballasts.

The lumatek ballast is a true Eballast. It has a micro processor cpu. This cpu allows the ballast to make adjustments according to the lamp that is being used. A eballast can compensate for degrading bulbs and slight power fluctuations. It can also sense the exact specifications of the lamps it is using. the Lumatek ballast is up to 27% brighter than a core and coil ballast. We do have one problem with this technology the cpu can not detect the lamp until AFTER the initial ignition. Once the bulb is lit the ballast can then take over and drive the bulb to its exact specifications. Industry specifications for a 600 watt hps lamp call for a 4000volt ignition pulse. This is what Lumatek and all other digital ballast use for a starting voltage. Hortilux ignition used to be 2000-3000 volts even though this is less then the ignition pulse of the Lumatek we did not experience any problems with the Hortilux I have lots of customers with Hortilux lamps that are over a year old However about 6 months ago we started to notice an increase in Hortilux failures. We also noticed that the font of the text printed at the base of the bulb had changed. When we tested this lamp we found that the ignition range was lowered to 1500 volts. These new Hortilux lamps are different then the ones we originally designed the ballast with and have a higher frailer rate. The problems that customers are having are NOT a ballast problem they are a bulb problem the Hortilux 600 watt is not designed to industry specifications regarding ignition pulse. Furthermore it is also manufactured with a special gas in the arc tube that no other lamp maker in the world uses. The Hortilux lamp design is unique. We are currently adapting our ballast for this bulb it may require a switch to lower the ignition pulse for Hortilux.
Solarmax and Growlux lamps are the opposite problem these lamps require a 5000-6000 volt ignition pulse Again the standard ignition for a 600 is 4000 volts. The Lumtek ballast can light these bulbs with the 4K pulse for a while however over time the lamps degrade and they require more and more voltage to start after a few months the bulbs will not ignite in any digital ballast. "




"With the introduction of the electronic ballast, we have to consider lamp technology again. Electronic ballasts need a lamp that is rated for use on electronic ballasts, and the old core and coil lamps won’t work on them. You cannot use a 60Hz lamp on a 22,000 or 45,000 Hz electronic ballast; doing so causes premature lamp failure, lamp blackening and component decay. It won’t make a difference if your 60 Hz lamp is a MH or an HPS if you destroy the lamp with your electronic ballast."
 
F

Fear

Guest
Hey guys i would like to mention something the guys at my hydro store Pure Foods Hydorponics in mountain view Ca. said. Don't buy the lumatek to much problems have been doing really well with the Galaxies. When I ditch my 2 6oow hydrofarms Very good made by advance and go to a single xxxl hood and 1 1000w to help with ventalation,imm getting the galaxy digital 1000w. Less problems and a good warranty. And trust the bay area Ca is moving product for these guys and I haven't had a problem with what they have told me. Plus they give a good discount to big buyers to anyone in the area. later on.
 
logic

logic

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I must be lucky then because my lumatek has been fine so far..

Im running the old version with no boost button, how about you purpleberry ?
 
F

Fear

Guest
:weed-sign:These digi balasts are sensitive. In light fixtures in commercial buildings I have replaced magnetic ballast that have worked for over 50 years no exageration, and some digi ones I replaced aren't even a year old. All I would do is compare and share info so I can pick out the best when it's time. Thanks guys. LOL
 
J

johnnyballbag

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Either way you look at it, a bulb should in no way blow the ballast. I can see the reverse being true. If they've found a way to design the circuitry in such a way as to allow a bulb to blow the circuitry, then they obviously did SOMETHING wrong. I know a lot of ppl have had luck with them, but at the same time a lot of ppl have had bad luck. I don't wanna take the risk. I've used magnetics for a decade and have NEVER seen anything on my ballasts looking like that. They can make all the statements they want, but in the end, it's really quite simple: if the ignition pulse of the ballast is HIGHER than the bulbs rating, it'll blow the bulb. If the ignition pulse of the ballast is LOWER than the bulbs rating, it simply won't ignite. So where does the part about the bulb blowing the ballast come in? It doesn't...
 
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acubus

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I agree with johnnyballbag Lumatek can say all they want, but their design is flawed. These 600's are burning the ac input....when the input cord socket is melting that's a serious concern, especially when it's fused. The problem from a safety issue, I think is an isolation problem between the primary and secondary in the votage step up circuitry and a fucked up MOV(a varistor). It seems to me most the melt downs occur after the fuse is replaced once or more. The fuse could have blown, because the MOV did it's job and shunted and blown the fuse. But it maybe that the MOV is failing open sometimes(put another fuse in and hey, it didn't blow).....then all the really bad shit happens.
 
M

Mr.Wakenbake

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I run two 600 lumatkes and never had this problem, EVERY manufacturer has problems every now and again with their products. IT should of came with a warranty, if it is passed the warranty date, then go get a new one. However, lumatek, galaxy and future brite is going to be your only real options though .
 
Z

Zoolander

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My buddy was blowing bulbs with a 1000 Lumetek
 
J

johnnyballbag

Premium Member
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I run two 600 lumatkes and never had this problem, EVERY manufacturer has problems every now and again with their products. IT should of came with a warranty, if it is passed the warranty date, then go get a new one. However, lumatek, galaxy and future brite is going to be your only real options though .

I'm sorry but in this industry, there ARE no room for errors. Period. We're not talking about cute little battery operated every-day-consumer items here. We're talking high powered electrical equipment. Don't mean to sound harsh, but people have died because of products that were rushed into production. I know this...nothing of mine has ever blown up since i started doing it for a living. NOTHING. Again i don't mean to sound harsh, but i can't drive this home enough. There is NO room for errors in electrical equipment, EVER.
 
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Mr.Wakenbake

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I know the 1kers have problems blowing bulbs, and some are finnicky about exactly what brand of bulb they will run. Google good and bad bulbs for 1k digital ballasts and you gonna get all the info you need on that.

Personally, i run lumatek 600 with eye hortilux and a 400 with a sylvania growlux.

After 1 year with the same bulbs with the lumateks, i haven't had the problem. For it to burn the fuse holder like that tells me there is a short somewhere. Just take the ballast down, call or e mail lumatek with pictures if you can, and i am sure they will help you . If they dont' , then dont' purchase anything else from them. From what i understand lumatek has stood behind their products in the past, and i am sure they will help you out.

They will never know there is a problem or that there could potentially be a problem unless you show them proof. By you sending in a picture and complaining, they may find a problem not currently known to them, and you could be saving someone's house from burning down.

Don't just throw it out and get pissed. Be a consumer, and ask lumatek to make it right.
 
F

Fear

Guest
I'm a magnetic ballast type like Johnny but I need to go digital for noise and heat. I have 2 ballast on the outside of the closet and It's not very quiet. I just want it all in the same room. Sounds expensive to be blowing 1000's! all the time.
 
purpleberry

purpleberry

633
43
Mine doesnt have the boost button. I thought I had no problems til the other day when the bulb didnt fire, i buy a new bulb and it didnt work so i figured out it was the fuse. Well the extra fuse was already used. So now i know i have problems and have even worried about it after hearing the bulb problems, Guess I can only run cheap bulbs.
I dont plan on calling lumatek, I bought this from a grow shop and he will hand me a new one are he wont see my $ again.
 
F

Fear

Guest
Exactly! Purpleberry, give them there shit back. Kinda like those crappy xbox360. Glad I never got neither. PS3 all the way.
 

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