Wanted HPS lights

[canagrower83]

I have two gavits hpa 1000 lights i bought used and the wattage selecter switch does not work on either of them and I am new to HPS lights need some help

 

[OldSchoolest]

Well the good news is that I hiiighly doubt that TWO Gavita products are both defective or came broken unless you got them from some guy.

 

[canagrower83]

Yes I got them from some guy they look brand new and they work as they should besides the switches

 

[OldMedUser]

I have two gavits hpa 1000 lights i bought used and the wattage selecter switch does not work on either of them and I am new to HPS lights need some help

A little more info would help.

Do the lights work but you can't change wattage? Knobs won't move or nothing happens when light is on and you turn the knobs?

Does neither light work but were in use when this happened?

Have you checked the fuses and all connections?

Has it been like this since you first bought them?

Way past my bedtime but will check in when I get up sometime after noon mountain time.

 

[canagrower83]

A little more info would help.

Do the lights work but you can't change wattage? Knobs won't move or nothing happens when light is on and you turn the knobs?

Does neither light work but were in use when this happened?

Have you checked the fuses and all connections?

Has it been like this since you first bought them?

Way past my bedtime but will check in when I get up sometime after noon mountain time.

Thanks for posting
So I bought the lights brought them home plugged them up and they both came on and warmed up as the should, but when I turn the knob to change the wattage nothing happends. The knobs turn like they are supposed to. I took both of them apart all wires and connections are in perfect condition, and no visible burn spots on the boards.

 

[OldMedUser]

Thanks for posting
So I bought the lights brought them home plugged them up and they both came on and warmed up as the should, but when I turn the knob to change the wattage nothing happends. The knobs turn like they are supposed to. I took both of them apart all wires and connections are in perfect condition, and no visible burn spots on the boards.

I'm no electrician but lots of practise fixing my own shit and pretty good at it.

I'm not even sure if those are rheostats or something else but it's very odd that both are fubar at the same time. Makes me think it's something fixable.

Give me the make, model and any id #s like Serial #s etc and I'll see what I can find out.

I'll be looking when I get up tho. Tooth is all brushed and the eyelids getting droopy. One more hit of Pink Kush and I'm gonzo!

 

[Bilber]

Hey cana..... the adjustment you are referring to needs to be on whatever wattage light you have installed.....make any sense?

If you have a 1000w HPS lightbulb installed, that knob, the wattage selector, needs to be at 1000w.....

Whatever watt bulb is installed, the knob needs to be the same.......

Hope that makes sense....

 

[canagrower83]

Hey cana..... the adjustment you are referring to needs to be on whatever wattage light you have installed.....make any sense?

If you have a 1000w HPS lightbulb installed, that knob, the wattage selector, needs to be at 1000w.....

Whatever watt bulb is installed, the knob needs to be the same.......

Hope that makes sense....

So a 1000w bulb won't dim if I turn it down to 600w if I want to run at 600 I need to get a 600w bulb and set the knob to 600 correct

 

[Bilber]

So a 1000w bulb won't dim if I turn it down to 600w if I want to run at 600 I need to get a 600w bulb and set the knob to 600 correct

Correct!

I had a 400w HPS and MH set-up. After reading up on um, I bought the 600w for it.....kinda deceiving that you can swap between watts, but it makes sense....

 

[OldMedUser]

Hey cana..... the adjustment you are referring to needs to be on whatever wattage light you have installed.....make any sense?

If you have a 1000w HPS lightbulb installed, that knob, the wattage selector, needs to be at 1000w.....

Whatever watt bulb is installed, the knob needs to be the same.......

Hope that makes sense....

I have 3 600W digitals that dim when I turn the power down. You get better light output if you use the matching bulb but that knob is to dim bigger bulbs and I'd bet money the 1000W ones should dim too. The only 1000W one I have is a magnetic ballast MH/HPS.

 

[OODAloop]

Dont trust random folks online about electricity that could kill you. Seriously shouldnt be under the impression that you arent stepping into a "click" of toxicity where they follow one another around from thread to thread liking each others posts ...lmaop its a game of grab ass you see........maybe ask an electrician who is licensed that has exp with the models you have.

 

[Coconutz]

I've 1000w De/se they dim to 400/600/1000w.

I'd suggest setting the power then turning it on, two Gavita ballasts failing at same point and continuing to work sounds so unlikely to happen.

 

[canagrower83]

I've 1000w De/se they dim to 400/600/1000w.

I'd suggest setting the power then turning it on, two Gavita ballasts failing at same point and continuing to work sounds so unlikely to happen.

Both of mine are the gavita 1000 de ans they go from 600w to 1150w on the switch i have tried turning them off switching the knob and turning back on and no change I will post pictures when I get home

 

[Bilber]

 

[OldSchoolest]

View attachment 2377380

I tried this once way back in the day, and it totally sucked compared to just using a 400w bulb even

 

[canagrower83]

They are both identical except the knobs are different colors

 

[Justlovetogrow]

How do you know the dimmers aren’t working if your going off eyesight 600-1000 looks very similar I have the Gavita 750 pro and from the naked eye not much different from the bottom to the top do you have a light meter?

 

[OldMedUser]

How do you know the dimmers aren’t working if your going off eyesight 600-1000 looks very similar I have the Gavita 750 pro and from the naked eye not much different from the bottom to the top do you have a light meter?

I use one of those 3-way gardening probes that test light, pH and moisture. The pH function is basically useless, the moisture probe is kinda meh but it works. Tho the light meter part doesn't tell you how many lumens it's receiving it's good for checking overall light levels. Placed below a light the reading will change as you switch power levels.

I know from using it for years that I want a reading around 500 for seedlings/clones. 1000 for younger vegging plants and up to 1500 on bigger rapidly growing veg plants or ones in flower. The scale goes up to 2000 and gets pegged if you take it out in the sun. Great for checking light levels around the canopy to make sure there aren't darker areas and keeping the plants in the best light. Cheap sol'n for the budget restrained growers or can get a cheap light meter any place that sells cameras.

PAR meters can give you more exact numbers but light in the PAR range has many frequencies that the plant doesn't use. A cheap light rich in those will still give you good readings but crap performance in the yield department. Not worth the extra money for the hobby grower IMO.

Using a quality light whether HID or LED is your best path to happy plants and happy growers. Maintaining a good environment for your plants is another important aspect. For that I use a temp/rh and speed controller on my 6" inline exhaust fan and a heater wired up to a baseboard heater thermostat to keep temps from straying from optimal when the lights are out. My grow room is underground and always stays cool even in summer so I've never needed A/C even when running a 1000W HID. During our cold winters when using a smaller light my exhaust fan might not ever come on so I burn methyl hydrate in a DIY alcohol lamp to keep CO2 levels up. Half a dozen plants in there can use up the CO2 pretty quick unless fresh air is being drawn in or CO2 is added. I aim for a max temp of 80F with lights on and no lower than 70 during their night.