220v ballast question

[Cosmic~guy]

I just got a 220v 1000w hps bulb and it came with a ballast Lk1000 dimeable electronic ballast that says input 120v and 240v? Does this mean I could plug the 220v end of the hood into the ballast and connect the ballast into a regular 110v outlet? It will just draw higher amps 9 vs 5a?

 

[Cosmic~guy]

Or do i need a 220v to 110v converter to plug this ballast into?
Thanks

 

[mdgg4]

Or do i need a 220v to 110v converter to plug this ballast into?
Thanks

digital ballast it will switch on its own no matter if 120v or 240v. magnetic ballasts that have multi voltage will have an indicator to switch to either load depending on what voltage your running. but your digi ballast is good to go go just plug her in no speacial tools required.

PEACE!

 

[everydayJoe]

Use the right cord to plug ballast into outlet. If youre running from a 220v outlet use the 220v cord. Use 110v cord for standard 110v outlet. You can tell 110 vs 220 by the plug configuration.

 

[everydayJoe]

Dont use any kind of converter.

 

[Can of Bliss]

Yup, just plug it into 240 or 120. It can tell the voltage it is getting and use it in the correct way. This is actually pretty common on digital ballasts.

 

[Floridian]

Wow that amazing to this oldschooler.So its not a multi-tap where you have to tap the correct voltage lead to the corresponding line voltage?I have used the same 1K magnetic ballasts for around 13 years.I am glad you guys chimed in before I gave some dinosaur advice!

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Your 'LAMP' says it's 220v? I'd like to see a photo of that.
I don't believe I've ever seen a lamp with a voltage rating, only wattage listings. I haven't seen everything in the industry though, hence the request for a photo.

 

[everydayJoe]

Your 'LAMP' says it's 220v? I'd like to see a photo of that.
I don't believe I've ever seen a lamp with a voltage rating, only wattage listings. I haven't seen everything in the industry though, hence the request for a photo.

I suspect hes mixing up his words a bit in terms of what piece of equipment gets what voltage.

The ballast can receive input power via either 110 or 220v depending on what outlets are available for him to use. He must have the correct cord for the voltage of course...any mismatch will become readily apparent as it is physically impossible to plug a 110v cord into a 220v outlet and vice versa
Not all ballasts come with both cords even though the ballast can run on either voltage.

The bulb itself receives a different voltage determined by the ballast output and is independent of what voltage the ballast receives as input.

 

[Cosmic~guy]

It's an actually an electronic ballast?
The hoods I have are 220v cords, the ballast also, I'll have to buy a cord for the 110v wall.
My lamp doesn't say 220v- not sure where I said that?
The bulbs says 100w hps and the cord is obviously not 110v lol

 

[everydayJoe]

I've always been curious though if there is any functional advantage to the running a ballast on 220v rather than 110v.

Granted ballasts will draw fewer amps at 220v and therefore you can run more ballasts on the same amperage breaker (i.e. can run run 4 x 1k's on a single 20amp 220v breaker but only 2 x 1k's on a 20amp 110v line). For applications where you're running many lights, the advantage of 220v is obvious as it's better to draw fewer amps so you don't overdo your panel/building limits. For smaller grows with 1-2 lamps, this isn't as much of an issue. And at the end of the day, you're paying for watts not amps and the watts are identical regardless of voltage.

So if you're say only running a single ballast and amperage draw isn't a concern, and you have the option to wire in either a dedicated 220 or 110 line, is there any any functional advantage to run 220v?

 

[Cosmic~guy]

1000w* I just woke up
Thanks for the help!

 

[YetiOG]

I just got a 220v 1000w hps bulb and it came with a ballast Lk1000 dimeable electronic ballast that says input 120v and 240v? Does this mean I could plug the 220v end of the hood into the ballast and connect the ballast into a regular 110v outlet? It will just draw higher amps 9 vs 5a?

Theres 2 different cords for voltage the ballast will automatically switch based on cord used.

You cant just plug one voltage into another. Dangerous, and not possible if you are using the right cord. The nema 5 and nema 6 plugs are totally different

Super confusing question. Its hard to ask what you mean plugging the 220 part into the ballast and whatever... i get you probably dont know much about electrical. Probably time to read up alot so that juice dosent bite you one day... power can kill

 

[YetiOG]

I've always been curious though if there is any functional advantage to the running a ballast on 220v rather than 110v.

Granted ballasts will draw fewer amps at 220v and therefore you can run more ballasts on the same amperage breaker (i.e. can run run 4 x 1k's on a single 20amp 220v breaker but only 2 x 1k's on a 20amp 110v line). For applications where you're running many lights, the advantage of 220v is obvious as it's better to draw fewer amps so you don't overdo your panel/building limits. For smaller grows with 1-2 lamps, this isn't as much of an issue. And at the end of the day, you're paying for watts not amps and the watts are identical regardless of voltage.

So if you're say only running a single ballast and amperage draw isn't a concern, and you have the option to wire in either a dedicated 220 or 110 line, is there any any functional advantage to run 220v?

You bet. Ballasts run cooler and last longer. Most ballasts are designed for 220 so they just work better.

You cam feel the difference touching the case of my gavitas running 110 vs 220. The laser thermometer confirms a difference too but cant remember how much.

You also nailed it about running more per circuit...

 

[everydayJoe]

It's an actually an electronic ballast?
The hoods I have are 220v cords, the ballast also, I'll have to buy a cord for the 110v wall.
My lamp doesn't say 220v- not sure where I said that?
The bulbs says 100w hps and the cord is obviously not 110v lol

I'm not entirely what voltage the bulbs run at but I don't think it's 220v. Does the cord connecting your ballast to the hood look like this?

If not, then I don't think you've got the setup for HID.

 

[everydayJoe]

You bet. Ballasts run cooler and last longer. Most ballasts are designed for 220 so they just work better.

You cam feel the difference touching the case of my gavitas running 110 vs 220. The laser thermometer confirms a difference too but cant remember how much.

You also nailed it about running more per circuit...

Thanks man appreciate the info.

 

[Can of Bliss]

I've always been curious though if there is any functional advantage to the running a ballast on 220v rather than 110v.

Granted ballasts will draw fewer amps at 220v and therefore you can run more ballasts on the same amperage breaker (i.e. can run run 4 x 1k's on a single 20amp 220v breaker but only 2 x 1k's on a 20amp 110v line). For applications where you're running many lights, the advantage of 220v is obvious as it's better to draw fewer amps so you don't overdo your panel/building limits. For smaller grows with 1-2 lamps, this isn't as much of an issue. And at the end of the day, you're paying for watts not amps and the watts are identical regardless of voltage.

So if you're say only running a single ballast and amperage draw isn't a concern, and you have the option to wire in either a dedicated 220 or 110 line, is there any any functional advantage to run 220v?

Yeah, you've got it figured out. The amps and plugs on your timers might be a factor for some people too.

This flexibility is a growing trend in all consumer electronics. It's cheaper to make more of them the same way then redesign them for countries that use different voltage and or frequency.

 

[Can of Bliss]

It's an actually an electronic ballast?
The hoods I have are 220v cords, the ballast also, I'll have to buy a cord for the 110v wall.
My lamp doesn't say 220v- not sure where I said that?
The bulbs says 100w hps and the cord is obviously not 110v lol

The ballast will take 110v or 220v and give the bulb exactly the same juice with it.

The only thing with the bulb; you need to make sure of its wattage. I hope that was a typo and it's a 1000watt bulb. A 100 watt bulb on a 1000watt ballast would be a major problem.

 

[everydayJoe]

Yeah, you've got it figured out. The amps and plugs on your timers might be a factor for some people too.

This flexibility is a growing trend in all consumer electronics. It's cheaper to make more of them the same way then redesign them for countries that use different voltage and or frequency.

Thanks man and good points.

I must admit it took me longer than I thought to find an appropriate 220v timer for my digi ballast. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places. Seems like timers for 110v are everywhere but not so standard for 220v.

At the risk of spreading bad info, I was told that when the cheaper 220v timers "turn off", they cut out only one hot lead while the other stays hot. The ballast turns off of course but it still remains in contact with one hot lead. I can see how this would be bad for a ballast over time. But again I didn't test this myself so would be curious if anyone with more knowledge has better insight into why the cheaper plug-in 220v timers are not OK for ballasts.

 

[Cosmic~guy]

I'm not entirely what voltage the bulbs run at but I don't think it's 220v. Does the cord connecting your ballast to the hood look like this?

If not, then I don't think you've got the setup for HID.

View Image

My cord looks like that, I got new cords for the ballast and the lights working on my regular 110v outlet thanks!