I'm looking to buy myself a 400W HPS DIY kit. Problem is, most websites do not last maximum environment operating temperature for the ballast. Those that do list a max. env. oper. temp. of a mere 30C. 30C????? (86F) In grow in my attic which reached 38C the last summer. I'm looking for a ballast that can sustain at least 40C, prefferably 50C. Also, I want to buy this thing in either Germany, the Netherworld...uhhm....lands or the UK. Does anybody ever worry about getting the right ballast temperature wise? Does anybody have some advice about which types/makes/brands are better then others? Experiences are very welcome here!
you just need to find a way to ventilate your attic better. if you put a 400 watter in the attic that gets 38C without one a ballast being there then you plants are gonna die anyway. i found out hard way ventilation is CRUICIAL when dealing with 400watters hope that helped
High fear! House has a point. Ventaltion is key. One thing I always do is to put a small "desktop" fan blowing right my ballast. I plug the fan right into the timer that the light is on. Peace and I hope that helps, TBug
i got an electronic ballast by future brite, 1000 watt and it has built in fans that work great. It extends bulb life too, and save u money on ur electric bill.
^^well not everybody can afford the luxury of a digital ballast tenacity...lol!! kidding. my 400w ballast easily reaches temps of 120f +. if the heat coming off the ballast is going to bring the temp of the attic up too much, then how do you plan to vent the heat from the bulb? that gets even hotter. if you have the $ to spend, get a digital ballast and a cooltube reflector.
Thanks for the replies everyone I appreciate it but let me clarify a few things : Blowing air that's 38C over a ballast isn't gonna lower the temps of the ballast below 38C. That's just not physically possible. I have a growbox. The growbox sits in the attic, and the attic got 38C last summer due to the sun. This nothing to do with my equipment. Ofcourse the equipment adds heat. But during the summer, the heat the equipment produces is just about nothing compared to the sun's power. Equipment (growbox 250W, computer a few hundred W and so on) versus sun (many many KW from the sun : direct sunlight about 1 KW/m2 @ 90 degree angle and hot air 35C from outside in extremes) When its 35C outside ventilating a 38C room isn't gonna do much. A 400W HPS produces just about as much heat as 400W of fluro's OR for that matter 250W growbox + computer idle. Bottom line is, whatever lamp or equipment I chose to operate in my attic needs be able to sustain 38C environmental temperature. This is why I need a better then 30C ballast. I just checked the digital ballast thingy. Nice technology but horribly expensive. Maybe if I win the lottery I can afford myself one of those.
Hey fear, you can probably order a ballast kit from Venture Lighting Europe. http://www.venturelightingeurope.com/ <O I just built a 400W HPS for myself and while I was at it, I drew some plans to combine both MH and HPS using a relay to control both ballast so I can have switch able ballast.<O <O As for heat, you should be ok with a small AC fan blowing on the core. I used a 25cfm and it keeps the autofomer cool enough to hold.<O <O Check this link for the plans on building the switch able ballast. I did it in Flash so you can play with the switches to see how it works. <O <O Peace <O <O RTH
Well, first off, if your going to runn temps that are 38C, then f#ck-it there going to die anyhow. Second if its 38C and you add a ballast and light your temp will continue to raise as multiple heat sources are cumulative.
RTH really supercool machine you've built there buddy! I have no doubt that thing will take the heat. Very interesting option, it's a lot bigger and heavier then commercial ballasts I've seen, and that is exactly why it works so well. +rep Not sure I'll take the time to build one anywhere soon though. The wifey wants me to do something on the house and all, so she'll be pretty disappointed when she finds out I'm spending all my time on a project like this. But I'll keep it in mind anyway, cause it looks like the ballast you built will last you a lifetime. Chimera it's time to go to bed buddy, you've missed some important things I've posted. Mainly the part about the power (=heat) ratio between the sun and any bulbs I may operate exceeds 20:1. Or to over-simplify : the sun is my problem not the bulbs. And for the record, my last grow took the 38C heatwaves with grace. No burning no yellowing/browning all green. Just a little slower then normal. And o yeah, the number of heatsources has absolutely nothing to do with the heat production. The total power will determine the total heat production. Sounds to me like you are confusing heat with temperature!