View Full Version : 250w on 175 ballast?
Wrench
02/26/2008, 06:56 PM
What happens to the PAR if I were to use a 250w bulb with a 175 ballast?
saltycreefer
02/26/2008, 06:58 PM
The ballast wont burn the bulb @ 250 watts.
Wrench
02/26/2008, 07:21 PM
Of course not, I wasn't expecting it to. What I want to know is if it will burn it at 175 or will it be less?
jamesnmandy
02/26/2008, 08:11 PM
i would be wondering if a 175 would even start a 250W bulb to begin with....just thinking outloud here
Wrench
02/26/2008, 08:26 PM
Well since I posted, I just tried it and it fires. Nice 'n bright too. I guess I'll have to borrow the clubs PAR meter to see what it's putting out.
jamesnmandy
02/26/2008, 08:30 PM
awesome man! good to know....would be interested to see what the light output is compared to the same bulb on a 250 ballast
Wrench
02/26/2008, 08:44 PM
My guess is that it's burning pretty close to the same as a 175w bulb.
suppressivefire
02/28/2008, 12:48 AM
longer life maybe?
Wrench
02/28/2008, 08:08 AM
That's what I'm hoping!!
Seems ok so far, everything in the frag tank is doing well and growing.
JCTewks
02/28/2008, 11:49 PM
I tried it today and could not get my 250w XM 10K's to fire on my M57 ballast that is currently running my Hamy 14k's.
Wrench
02/29/2008, 07:43 AM
My ballast is an IceCap and it's fired both an XM and Reeflux.
Obi-dad
02/29/2008, 07:49 AM
Anyone in your local club have a Kill-a-watt meter? It would be interesting to see how much wattage it is using. Does the color appear any different?
PaulErik
02/29/2008, 07:41 PM
Ballasts and lamps should be matched to assure reliable and safe operation. A magnetic ballast only limits current to the lamp to a specified amount. Once the lamp reaches an equilibrium the lamp sets the operating voltage. Lamps and ballasts are designed to a set of specifications and should be matched.
With a 250W lamp on a 175W ballast the ballast and lamp will operate out of spec. This will shorten the ballast and capacitor life due to the system operating out of spec. In one commercial installation someone had installed 250W lamps on 175W fixtures. Over time the lamps failed to light even if the lamps were replaced. I went in and found out the previous company installed the wrong lamps. We tried to install the proper 175W lamps but they would cycle or not fully warm up. With a closer look and some testing we found the capacitors had failed and a few of the ballast coils had shorted out.
Metal halide lamps do not operate well at reduced power. They need to operate at a certain temperature. At reduced power the electrodes will show excessive wear and the lamp will shift color. In dimming applications manufacturers recommend the lamps must be operated at full wattage for at least 15 minutes at each start up. This assures all the halides have reached an ideal temperature and reach the arc stream. If the lamp never reaches full power the halides cannot mix well and will degrade the lamp at a faster rate.
You will see reduced efficiency, color shift, reduced lamp and ballast/component life if you use a higher wattage lamp on a lower wattage ballast.
JCTewks
02/29/2008, 11:35 PM
It's always good to hear from the expert :D
BTW, I love the arc picture in your avatar....I had to stare at mine while oit was firing today just to see if it really looked like that...and it does :lol: (yeah, I know, pretty syupid to stare directly at the lamp)
silverwolf72
03/01/2008, 02:22 AM
I'm pretty sure the 250W bulb is going to pull more current during start up and is putting a lot of stress on the electronics, this could cause it to fail or worse catch fire.
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