Basic ballast questions

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Slane420

Active Member
I am in a bind here, due to how the economy is its not easy getting a ballast with the prices they want for them... :-( If I have to I can construct one no problem.

Thing is I have no clue at all where to start, what would I be searching for? Would they be called ballast kits? Then you put them together? Can you build one up thats say 250w to allow 2 bulbs to plug in or would you need a 500w to do this? What do I type in ebay to find these? I have no clue so many unanswered questions I have and I dont know where to look for help at all! :sad:

I found these so far am I on the right track?
http://www.1000bulbs.com/250-Watt-Metal-Halide-Ballast/32972/

http://www.lighthousesupply.com/metalhalide_1.aspx

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ADVANCE-350W-METAL-HALIDE-BALLAST-M-TAP-M131-KIT_W0QQitemZ270345230893QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270345230893&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A15|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Could use the help please. I am trying to get a setup to plug in 2 250W bulbs, I am hoping to spend less then 80$ US on a ballast if possible.
 
smoke and coke

smoke and coke

Well-Known Member
Slane420 said:
I am in a bind here, due to how the economy is its not easy getting a ballast with the prices they want for them... :-( If I have to I can construct one no problem.

Thing is I have no clue at all where to start, what would I be searching for? Would they be called ballast kits? Then you put them together? Can you build one up thats say 250w to allow 2 bulbs to plug in or would you need a 500w to do this? What do I type in ebay to find these? I have no clue so many unanswered questions I have and I dont know where to look for help at all! :sad:

I found these so far am I on the right track?
http://www.1000bulbs.com/250-Watt-Metal-Halide-Ballast/32972/

http://www.lighthousesupply.com/metalhalide_1.aspx

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ADVANCE-350W-METAL-HALIDE-BALLAST-M-TAP-M131-KIT_W0QQitemZ270345230893QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270345230893&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A15|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Could use the help please. I am trying to get a setup to plug in 2 250W bulbs, I am hoping to spend less then 80$ US on a ballast if possible.
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hey check out my thread for a light on ebay. its a 400 w hps. only 1 bulb to a ballast.

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/158466-do-you-need-400w-hps.html

and check out the link in my sig. on how to use it.
 
S

Slane420

Active Member
smoke and coke

smoke and coke

Well-Known Member
Slane420 said:
Thats funny that you mention this, because I found your post but not the auction one. Glad you replied so quickly. Would a 250 metal halide work on this thing? Say if I wanted to hook both that and a HPS 250W would that also work?
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im not sure what your asking. the light on ebay is a 400w hps and uses a 400w bulb.
just as a 250 watt requires a 250 w ballast.
one bulb to a ballast.
if you put a smaller wattage bulb in a higher wattage ballast, it will work but the life of the bulb is greatly reduced.
if you put a larger bulb in then the ballast, it may or not work and it will put excessive wear on your ballast.
always match the bulb with the ballast.

the 400 w hps fixture on ebay is for an hps lamp only unless you get a conversion bulb
 
S

Slane420

Active Member
Oh okay, oh I just was talking about how I saw someone convert his ballast to allow duel action to plug in two bulbs not sure how that worked. I am planning on sticking with most likely 175-250W bulbs I cant go any higher due to heating problems. I guess I could find something like that but lower watt I dunno im so confused right now.
 
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Slane420

Active Member
Crap would I need an electrician to come out to allow 240 volt or are there 120 volt ballasts out there to plug in the wall for example?
 
doniawon

doniawon

Well-Known Member
Slane420 said:
Crap would I need an electrician to come out to allow 240 volt or are there 120 volt ballasts out there to plug in the wall for example?
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most ballast these days are "multi-tap" which i think means they are good for both 240v and 120v.. if you unplug your ballast and let it cool, you can take the cover off and look for a wire that says 120-240.. if you have it that means its multitap .. if it only says 120 only its probably wired only for 120...
 
S

Slane420

Active Member
doniawon said:
most ballast these days are "multi-tap" which i think means they are good for both 240v and 120v.. if you unplug your ballast and let it cool, you can take the cover off and look for a wire that says 120-240.. if you have it that means its multitap .. if it only says 120 only its probably wired only for 120...
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Yeah I read up on this but the part that I am totally stumped on is how to you get it to run or power up? Do they come with a 3prong plug? Like you would plug anything else or would I need to start opening the walls and getting to wires to get it all wired up?
 
smoke and coke

smoke and coke

Well-Known Member
Slane420 said:
Yeah I read up on this but the part that I am totally stumped on is how to you get it to run or power up? Do they come with a 3prong plug? Like you would plug anything else or would I need to start opening the walls and getting to wires to get it all wired up?
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ballast come in diifferent input voltages and are called multi tap. then you choose the correct voltage that you want to use.
some come with a cord and plug and some dont.
you can get ballast kits that are just the seperate components, but these are usually used to repair a damaged fixture. the ballast kits can be put together and used if your going to build a light and usually start at about 50 bucks and up. but all the kits come wit is the transformer, capacitor and or ignitor and sometimes the bulb. ther is no cord or socket with the kits.
they do make duell ballasts so you can power 2 lights at the same time. these types have 2 ballasts in the same housing. they are vey nice i imagine as long as you can get repair parts in case 1 ballast craps out on you. and as long as the 1 ballast that craps out doesnt take out the other ballast in the process.
if your not sure you can build your own and you cant get help, then i would reccommend purchaseing a ready built one from a hydro shop, if you can afford it.i personnally would love to get a couple of 600 watters, but i already have quite a few 400's both in MH and HPS so i will just have to settle with running 2- 400's.
if the circuit you plan on using doesnt have much plugged into it, then you shouldnt have to open your walls up to install a light. if your not sure what is on the circuit you plan on using,you can take an amp reading at the breaker panel to see what the amp draw is. if you dont know how to do that, then determine what breaker is powering the outlets you want to use and turn it off. now go through out the house and see what doesnt work. is there any other appliances on the circuit, lights etc. outlets dont use any electricity unless something is plugged into it. once you figure up how much power you have at the grow room, you can determine what you can get for lights and ventilation etc.
 
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