How do you wire hood fan?

[sundancer]

I have 4x400w mag ballasts running 4 coralvue lamps in 2 seperate plywood hoods. I plan to install a fan in each hood. Does anyone know if I can just splice the fans to the lamps wires? Will this harm the ballasts? Thanks.

[stugray]

Ahhhh! - NO

The wires that go to your bulbs can carry hundreds if not thousands of volts to start/run the lamps. Never hook anything into them.

If the fans are the standard DC version, just get a wall wart from radio shack that puts out 12 VDC ( or an old one laying around ). Splice that onto the fan(s).

I have mine on the same timer as my MH lights so I dont have to listen to em all night.

Stu

[sundancer]

Thanks for replying Stugray. I did not wire the fans to the lights, yet. They are AC fans running on 110v. I want the fans to come on with the lights but I also want to stagger the lights, too, to simulate daytime sun arc. The fans will need to come on with the first lamp but also stay on until the last lamp is off. I don't want to run the fans on a seperate timer if I can help it in case something goes wrong and the timing between fan and light goes out of sync.

[stugray]

If they are AC fans ( rare but possible ), then wire them into the ballast AC INPUT for the first lights that turn on ( arent they the last one to turn off? ).

Stu

[stugray]

Didnt mean to sound like fans are rarely AC, just that the kind that everyone puts IN thier hoods are the small computer types.

Stu

[sundancer]

Yes they are ac fans. They suck alot of air. 105 cfm to be exact. I didn't get the dc ones thinking I can just wire these to my ballasts somehow and have them come on together. I think splicing them to the ac wires that feed the ballasts is the way to go. Thanks.