Digi Ballast heat???

[sunnydog]

Got a new lumatek 400 watt ballast....how hot are these supposed to get?
I thought they were supposed to run COOL, but mine is uncomfortable (HOT) to hold.
Any ideas???
Thanks,
SD

 

[Hawk]

My 250 Lumatek can get pretty hot if it's just sitting there with little to no air moving over it. I was comfortable with it functioning properly like that but I figured cooler would be better. So I set a pc fan on top of it to get some air movement through the "fins". I even put it on a speed controller see how much air cooling it really "needed". I learned it didn't take much to move the heat away fast enough to keep the case at room temperature. Anything over about 1/3 speed was of no benefit with my particular fan.

I don't think my pc fan is necessary. Practically the same amount of heat is being put into the room with or without the fan. But I figure it may run a little more efficiently and last longer if it stays cool to the touch.

$0.02

 

[sunnydog]

Thanks.... But I thought these things are supposed to run cool?

 

[petemoss]

I was also surprised at how hot my 250 Lumatek ran. Very silent compared with a magnetic ballast and somewhat cooler. I will try to remote my ballast -take it out of my cabinet and put it outside on the top.

 

[meduser180056]

I thought they were supposed to run cool also. I have 600 watt purple lumateks and they are hot to the touch. Practically silent tho.

 

[G33k Speak]

mine gets warm.. but I wouldn't call it hot. i can leave my hand on it without being burned.

 

[Guest 18340]

They do get hot. But my 600w Galaxy doesnt get half as hot as my 400w sun system magnetic.

 

[sunnydog]

Hmmm...

Hmmm...

I thought these were supposed to run COOL???

 

[FreezerBoy]

You've confused ballasts with refrigerators. Ballasts are designed to be hot. That's why they're remote, with fins, fans and/ or louvers. I think it has to do with what you're comparing. My 150 HPS came with a huge ballast enclosure designed for a 1K ballast. Well louvered with a tiny coil, it produces little heat. Digi ballasts have tiny enclosures with no vents. That's a recipe for heat, not ice.

 

[Guest 18340]

Well put Freezerboy.
The fact is that ballasts, by their very nature, get hot. Some digis' run very cool because they have a built in fan. Though, that may not be such a great attribute(the built in fan), what if/when the fan burns out?
But IN GENERAL, digital ballasts' do run cooler than mag ballasts.
Like i said, my Galaxy runs cooler than my sun system, but ya still cant hold it in your bare hands too long.
By the way, i've had my digi for 3 years worth of 12on/12off cycles and its NEVER missed a beat.

 

[sunnydog]

I have been using HIDs For about 27 or 28 years now.
I understand ballasts get hot.
My concern was based on I have heard / was told digi run MUCH COOLER than old school ballasts, therefore, my concern was this one could be defective.

 

[Guest 18340]

Well, put your hand on your old school ballast after 10 hours, and put your hand on the digi after 10 hours, which is hotter?
I dont think your digi is defective, not at all, if thats your only concern...