Problem: My LightRail light mover is brand new but doesn’t move.
Try this: You have a 0-60 second adjustable time delay knob on the side of your LightRail Motor. Depending on where you have your setting, you might have to wait up to 60 seconds for your LightRail Motor as part of your grow light system to move, or you can simply turn your time delay off by turning the knob all the way counter-clockwise. Also, make sure your outlet is a working outlet and that the cord is plugged in all the way.
Problem: I just set up my LightRail light mover but it does not reverse direction when it gets to the end of the Rail.
Try this: First, make sure you wait longer than your adjustable time delay setting, and after that 0-60 second pause, your LightRail Motor, moving your grow light kits, should reverse direction. Another thing to check is to make sure you have placed your Switch Stops on the correct side of the Rail. You want your Switch Stops to make contact with the black slide bar on your Motor’s Switch Box (see diagram in instructions). The Switch Stop Thumb Screw will slightly move the black slide bar at the end of each run, and that signals the Motor that it’s time to pause and then reverse direction for your grow light systems. You want to make sure your Switch Stops are on the correct side of the Rail so that contact can occur.
Problem: My LightRail light mover gets bogged down on the Rail.
Try this: First, make sure your Rail is completely straight and level. For a suspended Rail, as is the case in a grow tent or for greenhouse lighting, make sure you are using a one-piece Rail or a splinted two-piece rail. For any grow light setup, make sure your Rail is clean and there are no protrusions that might interfere with the movement of your LightRail Motor. You will also want to take a look at your Drive Wheel and Trolley Wheels. Look for any sign of wear. It might be time to replace them and that is an easy DIY light mover solution. Trolly Wheel Replacement Kit and Drive Wheel Replacement Kit or upgrade to Extreme Duty Trolley Wheels with a lifetime warranty.
Problem: My LightRail 4.0 AdjustaDrive Motor is a little noisy and vibrates up through the ceiling of the basement to the next level of the house.
Try this: First, LightRail 4.0 AdjustaDrive has adjustable speed and if you dial it up just a little from the lowest speed, you will see it is much quieter. Also, sound tends to amplify through a ceiling, so try putting a strip of insulation between the rail and the ceiling of your grow area. That should solve it.
Problem: My new LightRail light mover ran just a little bit but now it is not moving at all.
Try this: First, test your electrical outlet to make sure it is a working outlet. The next thing to try is to look at your plugged in LightRail Motor for any wheel movement. If you have no Motor response, it is likely that you had an electrical event in your grow room area, specifically for your grow light systems. You may have blown your LightRail’s circuit board. LightRail Motors will never blow their own circuit boards as they use very little electricity (5 to 9 watts, equivalent to a night light) but external electrical events or surges can happen with grow light kits. In that instance, you would want to send in your Motor for service (see Service Instructions below) and then have an electrician take a look at your indoor grow setup. Any grow room with indoor grow lights should have an electrician involved in the indoor grow setup for grow equipment. In addition, surge protectors should always be used, and both planning your grow room equipment recommendations are in LightRail instructions.
Problem: My LightRail 3.5 is not working and I wonder if it is because I am using 220 volts.
Try this: LightRail 4.0 is the only LightRail Motor that is compatible with 220 volts while it is also compatible with 110 volts. It has an adaptable transformer which allows for that compatibility. So, it works in the US and in Europe. LightRail 3.5, on the other hand, only works with 110-volt compatibility. If you have accidentally plugged a LightRail 3.5 Motor into 220 volts, then we will need to see that Motor to make the necessary repairs.
Problem: I have greased my wheels but maybe I shouldn’t have.
Try this: No, do not grease anything. You want your Drive Wheel to be grippy or tacky, and grease has the opposite effect. You can easily undo this, however, by cleaning all your light mover wheels along with your Rail with an acetone based cleaner like fingernail polish remover, carburetor cleaner or just straight acetone or lacquer thinner from the hardware store. Note: Do not use mineral spirits or petroleum-based products. As a second choice, a simple household cleaner should work fine for a DIY light mover cleaning.
Problem: My LightRail 5.0 Motor seems to run in a jerking way with little starts and pauses
Try this: It’s likely that you have some sort of debris in the square channel of your Rail, so you will want to clean that out. The best way to clean out the square channel of the LightRail 5.0 Rail is to use a thin cloth on the end of a screwdriver, and swipe that through. You may want to repeat a few times until your Rail is clean.
Problem: My LightRail 4.0 Motor is fairly new but no longer seems to get power.
Try this: If you have another LightRail 4.0 Motor, try swapping out the transformer power cords. If you don’t have another to swap, then gently wiggle the power cord at both ends to see if you get intermittent power. Make sure to have your time delay turned down to zero as you try this so you are not waiting up to 60 seconds to see results. Those transformer power cords do not like to get overly stretched or crimped because that can break the internal wires, so always make sure to have enough slack in the line for both directions of travel. If it is the transformer power cord that is the issue, you can buy a replacement.
Problem: My LightRail light mover no longer reverses direction after working fine for a long time.
Try this: It might be a bad Motor Winding. This is something we would need to service in our service center. (See Service Instructions below)
Problem: My LightRail light mover is older and now is having some issues. I know it’s not the wheels because I replace them periodically.
Try this: Your LightRail might need a gearbox replacement or just a minor service. Whatever the case, our tech guys would need to take a look at your LightRail Motor and advise you as to what is needed in our service center.
Service Instructions:
Our technical department will service your LightRail light mover and we have a very quick turn-around time on that work, usually within a week. We will need you to email us details at sales@lightrail3.com including which LightRail Motor you have (3.0, 3.5, 4.0 or 5.0), what is wrong with the Motor, your name and address and a telephone number. You can also call in these details to 970-761-2596. We will then give you a repair authorization number (RA#) along with instructions of where to send your LightRail Motor.