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View Full Version : Ballasts, can someone explain to me?


SteveJakubiec
10/23/2008, 07:00 PM
I hear people talking about them all the time, basically, what are they and how do they work with your lighting fixture?

theatrus
10/23/2008, 08:06 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_ballast

They're current control devices. Most lamps beyond normal resistive filament lamps cannot regulate the current flowing them. As their temperature goes up, the current goes up, which causes the temperature to go up, which causes the current to go, etc, until something goes pop.

Every fluorescent, compact fluorescent, HID, MH and other type of lamp beyond your average tungsten filament light bulb have them somewhere.

They're always sized to one specific light bulb type and power rating (with a few exceptions for smarter electronic ballasts). You must match the bulb with the ballast.

marioensf
10/23/2008, 08:14 PM
Depends on the lighting you want to use; there are magnetic and electronic ballasts, normally electronic are more energy efficient but you will still see lots of magnetic ones, maybe a matter of choice?
Wattage varies depending on what you plan to do, MH from 70 to 400 Watts !! and the same for fluorescent ones. Bulbs do make a difference in the color spectrum of anything inside the tank from yellowish 65000 Kelvin to 20K being really blue light

Magnetic ones tend to be heavier and when it comes to MH (Metal Halide) you'll hear a constant buzzing sound
For fluorescent tubes similar thing but since aquarium lighting has more output than their similar regular flou cousins, you would need a ballast that can handle the power (watts) some are limited to the length in feet of the tubes you want to power, for instance an IceCap 660 can power up to 16 feet of fluo lighting either T-5 HO (High Output) or T-12 VHO (Very High Output).
And there's always the brand name that has a good reputation among reefers and the cheap option if you are on a budget.
I have a couple of old Custom Sea Life ballasts (PC) that went dead, I opened them and inside is a regular Work Horse 3 ballast ???
Some companies ARE manufacturers and others just paste their brand on them to charge a little extra, some how they have to make money, don't they?
Hope it helped you

SteveJakubiec
10/24/2008, 07:31 AM
So, are these balasts good enough for this fixture? They come with it from sfiligoi.

Sfiligoi T-5 Pendant: 12 x 54w T-5 Pendant $1,399.00
* Active Cooling Fans
* Tempered Glass Protective Cover
* Individual Reflectors
* 115 V Ballasts
* Thin Profile- Just over 3"
* Hanging Kit Included
* 47.6" x 19.6" x 2.95"