I was sitting at my desk about to turn in when I heard popping sounds coming from my grow. I went down to check and the lights in both tents were out. I checked for smoke and saw nothing. I did not smell anything burning. I checked the light controller and my electrical panel. Everything looked normal. I don’t know why the light shifted off.
My question is the sound a light controller (Titan Helios 8) makes when it powers up or down. Mine makes a loud knock when it powers on the light. It does the same when it powers down. Are light controllers controllers supposed to make loud noises?
I had an electrician install the unit. But, I want to learn to be comfortable with electricity because having to call someone out means one more person knowing about my grow. But, as scared as I was last night, I would have called an electrician this morning.
However, when I got up, I found that we had a wind storm in this area. It is possible that the wind caused fluctuations in service which caused the snapping and popping in the basement.
Also, I reread my instructions – the troubleshooting part. It said that “clicking” was normal when the trigger was activated. Hearing so many “clicks” in rapid order caused panic. The newest of the grow and of the equipment got the best of me.
I have an UPS battery back up with surge protection and we regularly get thunderstorms and power surges, they click really loud when they stop the peak up and down, so i think it might be just that. If they unit is under warranty, then do what @LED_Seedz said, and contact Titan Manufacturer. It happens all the time in my grow, i hear it going click, click and snap! But it’s the unit stopping and regulating the power flow. Hope that is the case.
The clicking when coming on and off is normal. They use magnetic relays that physically turn on and off the power. If power is intermittent, they may well click on and off several times. Have them checked out. Are your lights HID or LED? If HID, then they will take a while to come back on once power is restored.
You will hear a single thud, click, or pop then nothing when the controller engages or turns off. If you here more than that then get help. Every six months to a year your controller needs to be looked at maybe a few things tightened and dusted for safety. You need to learn to do it yourself or find someone who can. Otherwise you are just hoping everything is alright.
My lights are ceramic metal halide. You (ReikoX) are right – they take a few seconds before they are up to full power. Also, I am certain the wind storm caused intermittent power surges that caused the controller to click on and off several times. When I went to check, I killed the breaker in the electrical panel. After waiting for fifteen minutes, it was turned back on and there has not been another problem. The lights are working fine.
About checking the controller (Ryasco), I am going to open the screws and make sure everything is in order. Mine has only been working for ~two months – so it should not need it. But, to be on the safe side and for peace of mind, I will check.
We get a lot of storms and temp power outage in my part of Michigan. A surge protector generator sounds costly, but is worth the money. Finally, I have called Titan Tech Support a couple of times, and was dissatisfied. No one answers the phone or return emails. You can leave a message, and someone will get back to you a day or so later.