External Ballast? No? How much heat?

[deni]

Well I went to see the light man again, after leaving him for 3 weeks to build my light he came back with absolutely nothing that was discussed. Basically all I really wanted him to do was to make sure the ballast was external and not beside the light.... No go!

No choice there, the ballast will have to stay. Also there are exactly zero hydro stores in this country, and finding this light shop was mission enough. Still he is managing to put in a cool hood which will vent the bulb but not ballast.

Does anyone know how much extra heat is created by the ballast. My space is just over 1 cubic meter.

Thanks

 

[communistcannabis]

the one enclosed ballaset i have does get quite warm to the touch. I can hold the ballast but its very warm (400w mh) depends on the light size as welll

 

[deni]

yeah sorry, its a 400W hps

 

[Krayven Sumhead]

The old magnetic ballasts run lots cooler than an electronic one. There is a thread with pix explaining how to convert an existing 'low bay light' to an external ballast. He was buying them off e-Bay for $20us and then doing the conversion.
I can't seem to find the thread tho...........
This isn't the tread I was looking for, but seems to be the same thang:
https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/8499-convert-common-home-security-light.html

 

[polishfalcon420]

I thought the older ballast ran hotter than the newer electronic/digital ones. I was also told over time they get hotter and put out less lumens.

 

[mustang519]

deni

converting to a remote balast is super easy. I just did two econ 150's in about 10 minutes. search for the conversion thread in the diy section.

good luck
mustang

 

[atrumblood]

Well, I have a remote ballast, and the ballast it self gets hot enough I can't touch it. Mine is a 400w MH

 

[robtoker]

a shit load i got one they junk u gonna have to buy online

 

[atrumblood]

I would recomend htgsupply.

$160.00 for a 400w hps remote ballast, hps bulb. and a MH conversion bulb.

 

[Little Tommy]

I have a 400 watt hps. It is an old magnetic ballast and by getting it outside the room I have lowered the temps by 2 degrees F.

 

[deni]

Thanks all for the replies.... I'm prob just gonna put it in, do some temp tests before the ladies go in, if need be I'll look at converting the one I've got. Thanks for the thread Krayven

 

[Krayven Sumhead]

Prob-no-blem my friend and good luck with your grow. The original poster of that conversion deserves all the credit !!!!

 

[Old Frog]

I thought the older ballast ran hotter than the newer electronic/digital ones. I was also told over time they get hotter and put out less lumens.

The old magnetic ballasts run lots cooler than an electronic one.

For the record, the digital ballasts put out by both Lumatek and Quantum are a lot cooler than the magnetic ballasts of old.

 

[Krayven Sumhead]

The chart from Maximum Yeild Magazine sez that's not so. When comparing a magnetic to three electronics, only one of the three electronics ran cooler than the magnetic. One was 10*F higher, the other 18* higher. Also, the energy cost savings comparing the mag to the dig was like $1.40us per month in favor of the digital. The magnetic put out 100% of the required lumens with only two of the digitals doing so. Lamp flicker did not occur with the mag, but was detected on all three digitals which leads to shorter lamp life. The biggest difference was in the weight, the digitals being lots lighter. No electronic ballast comply to ANSI standards yet, so no testing has been done for RF washover (which I have REALLY BAD) or fire hazards.
The outer casing of my 600w digital ballast get up to 120*F. Not too hot to hold, but uncomfortable.

 

[Old Frog]

Krayven, we're talking about it over here too.

I agree not all magnetic or digital ballasts are created equal. That said, I think there are some decent brands of both out there that perform as stated rather than far under expectations...

 

[deni]

Thanks again all. As my intake is coming from an air conditioned room, I'm hoping this'll keep the temp low enough to leave the ballast in there. Its my only hope really as the ballast is welded onto the light box. The light guy said the ballast doesn't get hot... but then again he also said the light wont get hot so I wouldn't need the hood... pfffft!