ballast about got me busted

Smoking Loon

Smoking Loon

Well-Known Member
So last fall/winter I had a small setup going in my garage, with a 600w quantum ballast. Harvested, dried, and set up again for this past summer. Due to some heat issues I moved the entire setup into my upstairs office in the central air. My lights come on at 7pm and go off at 7am during bloom. Couple weeks after moving it upstairs, my dogs woke me up barking at 7am. I looked out the window to see cable trucks with a cherry picker messing with lines out side. No big deal, they are always doing something in my neighborhood. Got up and ready for work, when I got a knock on my door. It was one of the cable guys. Very nice fellow, but im sure he seen me loose all color in my face when he asked me if I got something coming on at 7pm everynight. I declared that I did not, and he began to tell me how at 7pm everynight something from my house was knocking all the neighbors internet out on my cauldisac. He said he knew it was coming from my house becaue they had filtered out the other homes to make sure before approaching me. I thought for a minute and then told him that I do have aquariums and lizards who are under high intensity lights. Told him I would adjust some things tonight, and if it kept happening to call me and they could come in and have a look about. He was good with that and left peacfully, and I tore down my whole setup. Luckly I was in my 8th week already.

I remember when it was in the basement in the early part of the summer, I was having problems with the pilot light on my water heater, which was in an adjacent room. After I moved it upstairs the pilot light worked fine.

Now mind you I have another house in which I run my big crops, but my worry is these quantum ballast causing interference with radio frequencys. I have a 1000w quantum at the other spot along with a couple lumateks which actually have a RF guard on them.

Anyone here have this issue with quantums? Now I have two ballast which I am to scared to use, and are sitting around useless...Any input?
 
stumpjumper

stumpjumper

Well-Known Member
Man you'd expect that from a cheap Chinese ballast but nt from one of those expensive name brands.. I think it might be a problem with your reflector cord. If the shielding isn't good it can leak rf.
 
choop

choop

Well-Known Member
did you never have any problems with your own internet when lights would come on? i would assume so if it were knocking out every other houses' internet but then again im assuming it didnt mess with your cable because if it did i hardly believe youd have had waited for this to happen before addressing it.
 
Smoking Loon

Smoking Loon

Well-Known Member
You know thats a good point...My internet did go out like twice a couple days before the incident, I even called the cable company and they fixed it...but nothing to abnormal.
 
The Count

The Count

Well-Known Member
Thats strange I ran 4 1000w quantums for almost a yr and never had an internet issue... How the hell would it impact your internet?
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
what's he mean they've filtered out everyone else's house but yours?? this makes no sense to me at all.. what did he do, ask the other nieghbors and they said no, so it must be you??
just doesn't make sense to me..
 
chrishydro

chrishydro

Well-Known Member
Go buy a computer backup batery system for the balast, cost about 200 for a ten or fifteen minute. Now the lights will be running off the battery backup not the main power so you will not have this issue anymore.
 
Smoking Loon

Smoking Loon

Well-Known Member
What I am thinking is that since I moved the setup into my office, and this is where my PC is, the ballast somehow interfered through my computer...being how they were so close. And when the cable guys shut my internet off for a night the neighbors were fine, but when they left mine on it screwed with everyone elses (best I can figure what he ment by filtering). I got the 600 bout a year ago...Ill have to check if its under warranty, but I do plan on calling the manufacturer...Not that they will likely do anything bout it.
 
Krayven Sumhead

Krayven Sumhead

Well-Known Member
If you know your neighbors you should ask them if what you were told is true.

That their internet was being screwed with.

I wouldn't be setting up another grow for a while, myself.
 
choop

choop

Well-Known Member
Smoking Loon said:
What I am thinking is that since I moved the setup into my office, and this is where my PC is, the ballast somehow interfered through my computer...being how they were so close. And when the cable guys shut my internet off for a night the neighbors were fine, but when they left mine on it screwed with everyone elses (best I can figure what he ment by filtering). I got the 600 bout a year ago...Ill have to check if its under warranty, but I do plan on calling the manufacturer...Not that they will likely do anything bout it.
Click to expand...
this sounds like an adequate explanation. i'd still call the manufacturer
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
Smoking Loon said:
What I am thinking is that since I moved the setup into my office, and this is where my PC is, the ballast somehow interfered through my computer...being how they were so close. And when the cable guys shut my internet off for a night the neighbors were fine, but when they left mine on it screwed with everyone elses (best I can figure what he ment by filtering). I got the 600 bout a year ago...Ill have to check if its under warranty, but I do plan on calling the manufacturer...Not that they will likely do anything bout it.
Click to expand...
why don't you just get an old skool magnetic ballast op instead of shutting the grow down completely.. the older styles aren't known to cause rf interference the way the digitals do..
this way you'd still be able to grow and not have to worry about the cable or anything else for that matter getting interference from your ballast..

it does still sound like there is an issue with the ballast though imo.. i've heard of the cheap brand digi's having issues like this, but not so much with better brand digitals... you could also make a cage for the ballast to cut out interference.. i forget what it's called, something like a zared cage, but i know that's not right.. they're pretty simple and cheap to make from what i've seen..
 
D

duderugs

Member
chrishydro said:
Go buy a computer backup batery system for the balast, cost about 200 for a ten or fifteen minute. Now the lights will be running off the battery backup not the main power so you will not have this issue anymore.
Click to expand...

Excuse my ignorance, but how would using a battery backup for the ballast eliminate RF issues?
 
racerboy71

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
duderugs said:
Excuse my ignorance, but how would using a battery backup for the ballast eliminate RF issues?
Click to expand...
that's what i was thinking too, but i'm not familiar with battery backups.. but i'm pretty sure it's the ballast itself and not how it's being powered that causes interference..
 
olylifter420

olylifter420

Well-Known Member
I think he might have a smart meter?

I know they have been goin all out here to switch everyone to a smart meter.

My apartment has one



racerboy71 said:
what's he mean they've filtered out everyone else's house but yours?? this makes no sense to me at all.. what did he do, ask the other nieghbors and they said no, so it must be you??
just doesn't make sense to me..
Click to expand...
 
olylifter420

olylifter420

Well-Known Member
Im sticking to 125w cfl's when i become legal. I like how they veg and flower plus its a cfl, so they gotta be cheaper then hid's
 
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