Good evening all
the problem i have is that where the lead from the light goes into
the ballast the conection has burnt
can i conect the wire directly and take away the plugs?

dodgy,...firstly WHY has it burnt away,....suss that first then replace thwe connectors,..there only a couple quid each those type.be carefull bro.

Please tell me it's not a lumatek....have read loads of stories from US growers having them going up in smoke, but I don't think any over here.

Ballasts aren't worth fucking around with imo, unless you've got good electrical skills. They're too important to the grow, too much bad can happen when they break, and they're way too dangerous for stoners to fiddle with if they don't know what they're doing. Massive fire hazard too if not right.

If money is tight grab one of those cheap compact ones from Greens?

GN

So was it a lumatek Nice_smk or one of them dodgy Ebay Chinese rip-offs made in a sweatshop by pandas?

Really? I'm a US grower with three Lumateks, a couple almost 3 years old. No problems at all and they are run hard.

This is the first I have ever heard of such issues. Seems odd as Lumatek is very good in their replacement policy. Do you have any sources GN? And frankly I am disappointed in you that you have not reported here on such issues. We have a stuck topic on digital ballasts. Click here to be taken there.

But as far as what GN and everyone else has said concerning safety is spot on. Don't take chances. Why was the connector burnt in the first place?

My first suspicion is that the connector was loose and arcing was occurring. In which case just get new connectors and replace. If there is any other reason, or the reason is unknown, I would get a new ballast.

If you do a search for lumatek and heat, you'll find some cannagraphic posters talking about it. Appears to not be a problem with the ballasts per se, but with connector issues. Old lumatek had removable power cords. The newer ones don't.

e2a: after a very quick read, it looks like the 1K/120v lumateks are having the most issues. If you run 1K ballasts, they really should be 240V. Which might explain why it is a USA problem.

Nice edit!!

Thanks! I'm going for the most helpful of 2009 contest here.

That's a great reply. You're a good man.