Light Cycle Question

I am a few weeks into my first hydro grow. I have seven plants on an 18/6 light cycle. The thing is My light setup will not come on with a timer. I bought
alot of cheap fluorescent fixtures, they work fine, but the problem is you have to giggle the bulbs to get them to come on. It hasn't been a problem so far because I have been here but my work is sending me out of state for a week soon and I will not be able to keep the lights on a timer. They will be about 4 weeks old from seeds. They are still veging so can I just leave the lights on 24 hours a day while Im gone or will that hurt them?

Changing to 24/0 will not hurt your plants, they will just grow faster.

Why not just buy a proper timer? A heavy-duty grounded timer is not expensive, and you need it.

HTH

Its not the timer that is the problem, it is the cheap light fixtures. I will have to replace them before I start flowering.