Does the reflector need to be grounded?

[b8man]

Hey everyone - need some advice....

So I have a 250w HPS security light, fitted in a big, black, heavy, metal housing with ballast attached. I'd like to take the reflector and bulb bits out and attach them to a short piece of wood (making it lighter), and moving the housing/ballast outside the cab (to keep it cooler).

I know not a lot about electrics, but I think i've read that you have to attach the ground to the reflector. But this reflector material feels like some kind of foil stuff.

So those who know, do I need to do the grounding bit? The ballast is grounded to the light housing, is that enough?

Thanks


B8man

 

[ahhhavalanche!]

Be careful putting a "short piece of wood" [READ: Kindling] near your 250W burning searing heat source... i would say that any advantage of lightening your light set up/ cooling your ballast would be offset by the chance of burning down your grow/house/life... that being said, it shouldn't be a problem separating a reflector and ballast, as long as you keep all the connections together, and there since no electricity is flowing through the reflector (TYPO, wrote ballast initially), there is no reason to ground it.

 

[FreezerBoy]

There is most certainly electricity running through the ballast. That's what makes it work. When the ballast and reflector were in a single metal housing, one ground was enough. You've separated them and so both need to be grounded.

The ground is not part of the circuit, it's there to channel "loose" electricity should you develop a short. Loose electricity wants to get to the center of the earth and your body is an excellent conduit. The ground is a direct link to the earth and keeps the electricity from going through you.

Not wild about the wood part.

 

[homerjay]

"your body is an excellent conduit"......

Ummm NO. Your body can conduct electricity but if there is any other path it WILL go that way (your ground). Your entire setup should be GFCI protected and that will trip long before you so happen to be touching your reflector at the exact moment you get a short.
Wood, not a good thing to build lights out of...Dry up, get hot, fire, fire men, police, jail all no good.
Make it all out of aluminum, screws holding together will act as ground and be lighter.
Also keep in mind how much advice do you want to take from Homerjay?

 

[madpenguin]

When the ballast and reflector were in a single metal housing, one ground was enough. You've separated them and so both need to be grounded.

He's right. You need to bond the 2 back together. The reflector and ballast should be electrically continuous with regards to the egc. (Equipment Grounding Conductor).

The cord running from the ballast to the relector should already acomplish this tho. So..... Unless you screwed with the wiring and left the ground unattached at the reflector assembly, then you should still be OK.

 

[MarquisBlack]

I think Core runs 1000 watt lights (or at least 600s) with typical metal wing reflectors secured directly to a piece of wood.

Not condoning it, but I can't imagine you'll start a fire with the 250.

 

[sirbudsalot]

If the reflector isn't grounded, an electrical short or mis-wiring could energize it to whatever the voltage in the ballast/bulb is (120V?). It would be an electrocution hazard.

 

[JefersonAirplan]

My entire grow isnt grounded. I have not died. Have not burned down. Take it as you will.

 

[FreezerBoy]

"your body is an excellent conduit"......

Ummm NO.

Ummm YES! The ground wire is a better one but your body is an excellent conduit perfectly capable of accepting lethal levels of electricity.

 

[odin_]

I think Core runs 1000 watt lights (or at least 600s) with typical metal wing reflectors secured directly to a piece of wood.

Not condoning it, but I can't imagine you'll start a fire with the 250.

i used to run 2 1000s just like this on a 2x2 with no problems

quite a few of them too in the same room without a problem

 

[b8man]

Gotcha. Thanks all.

Yeah, i'd need to get an aluminum reflector for the grounding to work. All in all, I think i'm going to keep it in the housing and just make sure it's securely fastened.

Thanks again guys

 

[sirbudsalot]

i'd need to get an aluminum reflector for the grounding to work.

Well, you don't have to ground if you're not using a conductive reflector (can't ground non-conductive stuff).

 

[Dr Dog]

I just posted this in another thread

But why not just add a junction box...

 

[macro]

If your reflector comes into contact with a lead conductor and you touch the reflector and a ground you could be toast. You should ground it simply because it's easy to do and it COULD save you from being accidentally stupid. Really what you need to do is install a GFCI in your circuit. A receptacle or breaker will protect the whole circuit. a GFCI senses a ground fault within a few hundred mA, shuts off the circuit, and prevents death and severe pain.

 

[sirbudsalot]

...GFCI senses a ground fault within a few hundred mA...

within milliseconds, not milliamps. shocks ~300mA can kill.