digital ballast RF is screwing up my cable and internet.

Zdeezy · Jul 21, 2012

I got 3 1000w digital greenhouse ballast and 2 600w digital greenhouse ballast in my basement and whenever they turn on my cable and internet go out. Is there any way to block the RF?

brettsog · Jul 21, 2012

im sure you can buy rf sleeves for the wires but not sure which wires you would need to cover.

here, found this on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140635483111

Hugo Phurst · Jul 21, 2012

Move the ballasts away from your cable box/modem, and from each other (cross interfeerence).

I suggest you read up on DYI RF shielding.

Whybotherwithyou2 · Jul 21, 2012

Rather than trying to shield the cables, build a faraday cage for your ballast.

Zdeezy · Jul 22, 2012

Do those RF sleves really work? And do the faraday boxes really work? Thanks for your replys!

Nullis · Jul 22, 2012

My 600 w Greenhouse ballast also causes interference with speakers, kind of makes me miss my 400 w RF-Shielded Lumatek.

Hugo Phurst · Jul 23, 2012

Zdeezy said:
Do those RF sleves really work? And do the faraday boxes really work? Thanks for your replys!

Yes they work (30 years electronics tech), that's why the military uses them.

brettsog · Jul 23, 2012

heres an article which isnt too technical so even the simpletons like me can understand how they work

http://www.endtimesreport.com/faraday_cages.html

Zdeezy · Jul 23, 2012

Hugo Phurst said:
Yes they work (30 years electronics tech), that's why the military uses them.

The faraday box or the RF sleves?

brettsog · Jul 24, 2012

faraday boxes lol. military dont use rf sleeves. you can make a faraday cage from a foil insulated cardboard box and a distant enough grounding rod.

Hugo Phurst · Jul 24, 2012

Zdeezy said:
The faraday box or the RF sleves?

The shielding is built into the cabinets and racks (and grounded), so I'd have to say the set up is more like a cage.

Zdeezy · Jul 24, 2012

I just thought of something! I have some old steel cabnets in the other side of my basement. Think if i moved these into my room and mounted my ballast in side them it would work? Its about 1/8th inch steel

brettsog · Jul 25, 2012

the steel would need to be grounded still.

Hugo Phurst · Jul 25, 2012

brettsog said:
the steel would need to be grounded still.

- Yep.
Can you find the ground for the house? I'd use that.
Lolz, I know electrically speaking the ground spike and a grounded plug are the same, but for some reason I wouldn't want to ground my shield on the house side of the power panel. Weird eh?

matt1420 · Jul 25, 2012

Same thing happened to me! Only when my ballasts turned on, it would shit off my entire streets cable and phone lines. I just had the cable company come out to my place and install a bullet on the cable lines. Problem solved for me.

hydgrow · Jul 25, 2012

Shitty ballast send em back now and save yourself the headache. I have lumateks and a nexgen and no problems here.

Zdeezy · Jul 25, 2012

So how do i go about grounding it? Its hung up, the inside is lined with aluminum foil and the ballast are in. Now what?

Zdeezy · Jul 25, 2012

matt1420 said:
Same thing happened to me! Only when my ballasts turned on, it would shit off my entire streets cable and phone lines. I just had the cable company come out to my place and install a bullet on the cable lines. Problem solved for me.

Can any cable company do that? Im all legal but i still dont want my business out there

oceangreen · Jul 26, 2012

use a different breaker for your lights

Zdeezy · Jul 26, 2012

oceangreen said:
use a different breaker for your lights

What does that have anything to do with RF from the ballast? They are hooked up on their own 40amp breaker.

digital ballast RF is screwing up my cable and internet.

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