Eye Hortilux Ceramic HPS ballast question

So nowhere in Canada can I find a Silver Series ballast, the recommended ballast to run a Horilux Ceramic HPS bulb. Also no luck in finding a US retailer who will ship one north, so I am wondering if anyone has successfully run these bulbs on a normal electronic ballast? The only thing available in Canada in addition to the bulbs is the SE600 system, but I need to use an air cooled hood so that route is out of the question.

The SE 600 has a removable ballast. Could you get the SE 600 and use the ballast with your hood?

Thanks for the tip - I didn't realize that the ballast was removable from the fixture. An unfortunately expensive way to get a ballast but it may be my only option if I want to use those bulbs. Thanks!

jackson233 said:

Thanks for the tip - I didn't realize that the ballast was removable from the fixture. An unfortunately expensive way to get a ballast but it may be my only option if I want to use those bulbs. Thanks!

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Yea that sucks having to pay more for stuff you can't use. No worries! I've been thinking about getting the SE600 myself. It can use the ceramic HPS bulbs as well as the Blue MH bulbs, which both have awesome spectrums. Or just getting the Blue bulb and supplementing with red/far red LED

I got my ballast with the lamp, from Ebay. This it was around $320 plus shipping.

I got a 'brand new' one via eBay as well, but after 8 months it quit working and the company (Tolla) folded so help is nowhere to be found. Mine even has what appears to be labelling stuck over top other labels. Never been hosed on eBay but definitely was on that and out $400 cdn.

Tolla is who i got mine from too.

Weird how they just stopped trading. I did email them to find out if they would ship any more to me - they replied that they were no longer shipping overseas. I got the impression they had stopped shipping, period.

Have you tried speaking to Hortilux directly?

Yes, I was communicating with a rep but he offered me no help in finding a reasonable way to obtain a new ballast in Canada and has been radio silent. I sent him photos of the obviously relabeled ballast I got but he had no comment.

I have 2 new ceramic HPS bulbs collecting dust now and am just using a standard super HPS in the meanwhile. Pretty much given up hope of just buying a ballast for them, and my room is too cold for LED so 600 HPS it is. Nothing wrong with that, but annoyed to have wasted so much money.

Their Super 600 HPS is the bulb to go for, I think - you've still got the same issue with not contacting them though. I have the same issue here with nobody stocking them. I may need another 3, but I cant see how to get it shipped to me in the UK. Shame that Tolla isn't still around - their service was good from my perspective,