Magnetic ballast heat

thumper60

thumper60

Well-Known Member
Renfro said:
A digital ballast won't get as hot because the semiconductors involved won't handle the heat, thus the aluminum heat sink.
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I run a few 1k mags can keep my hand on it for as long as needed no where near burning. Whats he running open ballast?
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
thumper60 said:
I run a few 1k mags can keep my hand on it for as long as needed no where near burning. Whats he running open ballast?
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I know as much as you do, he didn't provide a pic. Without an IR temp reading we are just going by his description.
 
FastFreddi

FastFreddi

Well-Known Member
Renfro said:
I know as much as you do, he didn't provide a pic. Without an IR temp reading we are just going by his description.
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I wonder how old the wiring may be that it is plugged into? Perhaps causing heatup due poor conductivity?
I am no electrical engineer..just a thought, or extension cord?
FF
 
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soap1964

Member
i have an ETI 250w compact ballast. I made a little research and maybe i screwed the wires too tight on the connectors or maybe its due to an old wire. the wire used to connect this ballast to the socket is 3-4 years old maybe.
 
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soap1964

Member
FastFreddi said:
I wonder how old the wiring may be that it is plugged into? Perhaps causing heatup due poor conductivity?
I am no electrical engineer..just a thought, or extension cord?
FF
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u mean its better to run straight from the socket and without the extension cord?
 
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soap1964

Member
FastFreddi said:
Hopefully you have a 12 g wire sized extension cord.. or heavy duty.
Peace.
FF
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i dunno what this is mate... i just have a cable that can carry max 16A and 250V.. im in europe so maybe this is a heavy duty cable.. my ballast is <=1.4A so i think i have no problem. now i checked every component (breakers, extension cords, ballast, etc) so i can make it right. so the conclusion is that the ballast produces normal heat and my hands are soft or the ballast is old and produces more heat as a result..

lets hope for the best!
 
FastFreddi

FastFreddi

Well-Known Member
soap1964 said:
i dunno what this is mate... i just have a cable that can carry max 16A and 250V.. im in europe so maybe this is a heavy duty cable.. my ballast is <=1.4A so i think i have no problem. now i checked every component (breakers, extension cords, ballast, etc) so i can make it right. so the conclusion is that the ballast produces normal heat and my hands are soft or the ballast is old and produces more heat as a result..

lets hope for the best!
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Right on, lol Yessir!
Peace.
FF
 
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spek9

Well-Known Member
thumper60 said:
For real if you cant put your fingers on it with burning!! Unplug that fucking thing before you kill somebody.
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Magnetic ballasts get very hot. That's one of the drawbacks to them. They've been this way since their inception.

If a magnetic ballast is having electrical problems, it'll show itself through the light. It'll randomly dim, behave inconsistently, or plain not turn on at all.

Keep the ballast free of dust, ensure it isn't in an enclosed space, and always ensure adequate space around it for air movement.
 
thumper60

thumper60

Well-Known Member
spek9 said:
Magnetic ballasts get very hot. That's one of the drawbacks to them. They've been this way since their inception.

If a magnetic ballast is having electrical problems, it'll show itself through the light. It'll randomly dim, behave inconsistently, or plain not turn on at all.

Keep the ballast free of dust, ensure it isn't in an enclosed space, and always ensure adequate space around it for air movement.
Click to expand...
Not sure what kind of magnetic ballast your talking about the ones I use from hydrofarm run warm, I can put my hand on it all day long no burning? I agree 100% on the dust,enclosed space, I hope that is common sense
 
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