SirTitanium
Well-Known Member
I had considered placing an augmented 430W Philips Son Agro bulb in a 400W ballast.
Is this a poor idea? Do I risk a short circuit and/or fire?
Is this a poor idea? Do I risk a short circuit and/or fire?
430W HPS in a 400W ballast
- Thread starter SirTitanium
- Start date
SirTitanium
Well-Known Member
dyzel, thanks for taking the time.
I'm guessing you meant to say, "They don't work in the 400 W ballasts". Correct or not?
Again, thanks.
I'm guessing you meant to say, "They don't work in the 400 W ballasts". Correct or not?
Again, thanks.
dyzel
Well-Known Member
BINGO! I mince no words!no, he meant to say, noope, there is nor risk of fire and/or short circuit
Go ahead and use it.
SirTitanium
Well-Known Member
Well, I've been told I have a good profile from the left. After my bone-headedness, a man has to have something. O.K., I am clear. It is safe to place a 430W HPS bulb into a fixture controlled by a 400W ballast.
As described in the sentence above, it is not an electrical hazard.
Thanks people.
As described in the sentence above, it is not an electrical hazard.
Thanks people.
smokendude420
Active Member
i have been runnig 430 bulb in 400w ballast fro a while now, no fire yet, or damage to anything. gl
TreeOfLiberty
Well-Known Member
I have a logical idea as to WHY they work in 400 watt ballasts, for example, my Sunlight Supply 400 watt ballast's pamphlet says my 400 watt ballast's pull on juice is 460 watts per hour, so I guess the extra 30 watts from a 430 bulb pulls off of that.
A 400 watt ballast will supply 400 watts to the bulb. a 430 watt bulb is simply capable of handling another 30 watts above that. It simply will not recieve the extra 30 watts it is capable of putting out. It actually means that the 430 watt bulb is overengineered for your ballast and is in fact, a safer bulb.
The statement about a ballast pulling 460 watts is only indicative of the ballast having a slight energy waste which is to be expected, and not that it will supply the extra 30 watts to your bulb. Hope this helps you.
The statement about a ballast pulling 460 watts is only indicative of the ballast having a slight energy waste which is to be expected, and not that it will supply the extra 30 watts to your bulb. Hope this helps you.
IAm5toned
Well-Known Member
the extra wattage, a ballast uses, is from hysteresis....
in other words, power in, shall = power out. always.
if the lamp is drawing 400w, and the ballast/lamp combo draws 460w, the extra 60w is expressed as heat loss, by the ballast.
60w, averages about 205 btu's of heat, generated by the ballast.
keep your ballast cool, and that number goes down, if only slightly. but if your running lots of ballasts, every little bit helps.
its the same reason a 240v ballast is more efficient than 120v... less hysteresis.
in other words, power in, shall = power out. always.
if the lamp is drawing 400w, and the ballast/lamp combo draws 460w, the extra 60w is expressed as heat loss, by the ballast.
60w, averages about 205 btu's of heat, generated by the ballast.
keep your ballast cool, and that number goes down, if only slightly. but if your running lots of ballasts, every little bit helps.
its the same reason a 240v ballast is more efficient than 120v... less hysteresis.
IAm5toned
Well-Known Member
shouldnt???
and why not?
since heat, speeds up the oxidation process (that is the process that ultimatley renders a ballast inoperable... either the heat sink(laminated plates of steel surrounding the mag ballast) rusts away, or the insulation corrodes on the actual conductors, causing a short within the ballast core itself.
heat is the enemy of any electrical device, period.
and why not?
since heat, speeds up the oxidation process (that is the process that ultimatley renders a ballast inoperable... either the heat sink(laminated plates of steel surrounding the mag ballast) rusts away, or the insulation corrodes on the actual conductors, causing a short within the ballast core itself.
heat is the enemy of any electrical device, period.
SirTitanium
Well-Known Member
myxedup, I'm the mixed-up one here. IAm5stoned, is a 430W bulb in the 400W ballast still augmenting the blue area of the spectrum as it was designed to do? Alternatively, is anything above 400W from the ballast a reflection of its inefficiency i.e. heat, inaccessible to the 430W bulb? Would its spectral map look like a run-of-the-mill 400W HPS bulb?
Sorry to beat a dead horse but I'm genuinely confused. Thank you for the replies. Oh, Medi 1, please mini jack to your heart's content. I'd appreciate a clear answer to your question as well.
Medi 1
Well-Known Member
well if its not meant to be in a 400 ballast...what one then..its the only one there is. there is no 430 ballast and any other it wont work.,you can run a 1k ballast and use a 400 and a 6090 bulb in 2 rooms or 2 moguls and be ok, watts need to add up for this. and add a relay to use it on 2 diff timers.
i see the blue and red in my 430 here with my digi cam. i need to take many pics to get one with the right colour i matched my white ballance setting with or the colour is off. it flashes back n forth..or pulses red/blue
a 430 is the way to go using a 400 ballast. i dont even use mh bulbs. waste of money to me. i have non of this so called stretch some claim, and my branching is just fine
i see the blue and red in my 430 here with my digi cam. i need to take many pics to get one with the right colour i matched my white ballance setting with or the colour is off. it flashes back n forth..or pulses red/blue
a 430 is the way to go using a 400 ballast. i dont even use mh bulbs. waste of money to me. i have non of this so called stretch some claim, and my branching is just fine
SirTitanium
Well-Known Member
Actually, Hydrofarm makes a 430W ballast:
http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=3499
Medi 1, you are right. A better question is whether it matters. I haven't seen a well controlled side by side study to see if vegetative growth is enhanced and internodal distance is decreased - more important with some strains than others.
http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=3499
Medi 1, you are right. A better question is whether it matters. I haven't seen a well controlled side by side study to see if vegetative growth is enhanced and internodal distance is decreased - more important with some strains than others.