Industrial Ballast Rewire

[C21H30O2]

hey guys ive got a simpe question for all you electricians out there. i bought this ballast and light of ebay only 15 bucks. it is an industrial 400 watt MH fixture. it looks like this ...



it is wired for and industrial setting but have been told that it can easily be wired to work in a typical residential home. so i need this...



rewired to fit into this





thanks for all your help guys.

 

[Pipedream]

The twist-lock plug that is now on your fixture, while traditionally used for 120VAC has also been used for 220 volts as well. If the outside of the unit is clearly market with the operating voltage and amperage you can avoid opening it, otherwise, the first thing you need to do is to open the ballast and be sure it is set to operate on 120VAC. If it is, then all you need to do is swap out the existing plug with the appropriate heavy-duty plug. In doing so be sure you ground it properly and follow the correct polarity of the wiring. Remember, the black wire will go to the brass screw, while the white wire will go to the silver one. If you are not comfortable doing this, post some more detailed pictures, or get some assistance. Electricity is no place for "I think I can".

PD

 

[Stealthy]

Good answer pipe. Like he said, if your 100% sure it is wired for 120v rather than 240v then run down to your local hardware store and purchase a standard "plug". The green is your ground, the black wire will be attached to the gold colores/brass screw, and the white to the silver colored screw.

 

[C21H30O2]

thanks for the quick replies guys, i am pretty sure it is 120 v but to be safe i will double check. thanks again.

 

[C21H30O2]

ok i checked and it is wired to 277 vac (good thing i checked) but its is a multi tap ballast and can be rewired to 110. lol how can this be done? i will open her up and take a pic of her insides.

 

[Guest]

Unsplice the 277V lead from the line wire,splice on the wire marked 120V,replace wirenut.For safety wire nut off the unused 277V lead.

 

[Stealthy]

Correct. Just remove the 277v wire and cap it off. Then connect the 120v wire to the wire that you removed the 277v wire from (120v goes in place of the 277v wire).

 

[Guest]

that case looks a little burned i'd check inside before plugging it in

 

[Haps]

Ouou ou, I got one of these I need to do also, but different. I wanna know if all mogul sockets are the same? Can I cannibalize a socket from a dead K and use it on the 400? This is a new stonco I had to wire up to start with, which scared me, and I want to remote the ballast unit. Also, can I get a better clue on the wire nut, I get the concept, but not the diy, skeerd of lightning mostly.
H

 

[Guest]

All mogul sockets are of identical size internally,external lengths and diameters may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.A lamp with a mogul screwshell will fit any mogul socket.A wire nuts intended use for the layman is to twist the wires together in a clockwise direction mechanically joining the wires to ensure electrical continuity.Simply hold the stripped wires together,put the wire nut over them,and turn clockwise until you feel the wires are mechanically joined.Be careful not to overtighten the wirenut especially with small gauge stranded wire like you're using as overtightening can result "slipup",or drawing the stranded wire too far into the nut where the insulation can deter electrical continuity.

 

[Guest]

Mogul sockets are not all the same.
If it were me,
The wattage of the canibalized fixture must be greater or equal to the wattage of the repaired fixture. Peace

 

[Guest]

Yea I should have been more clear about the ratings,I didnt worry about that much even though I haven't a clue what in the world a dead K is,a 400W fixture is the smallest fixture with a mogul socket.You couldn't underrate it another words only overrate it.What the hell is a dead K anyway lol?

 

[Guest]

The lightbulb in my head just told me a dead K was an inoperable 1K HID Fixture lol,Ima smart cookie...DOH..With incandescent lampholders I'm 100% sure you can overrate,you can put a 60 watt lamp in a 75 watt lampholder.With pulse start HID lampholders I'm 90% sure you can overrate but I'd sure like to hear from others that are more certain.Rating values whether amps watts or KV are normally maximum values,and lower than maximum rating loads are acceptable.Voltage is different of course.

 

[C21H30O2]

ok so i opened her up and did not see what you guys were talking about. the guy i bought it from said it was multi tap and could be rewred for home use. (hope i wasnt lied to) take a look at the pics and tell me what you think.

 

[HeadyPete]

Yes, unhook the wire that says 240V from the black of your supply cord and attach the wire that says 120V to it (black), wire that says common to the white (already attached) and your green ground to the case (already done).

 

[Haps]

OK, and I think I left out the info that the 1K is HPS, and I want to use it on a MH? I figured it should work, because ordering ballasts and sockets separately, the stores do not make any distinctions of wattage or color flavor. But, I am a goofy old fart so I figured I better check with y'all, thanks.
H

 

[HeadyPete]

You cannot run a MH bulb in a hps fixture unless the MH is a conversion bulb and absolutely the wattage of the ballast must match the wattage of the bulb.

 

[C21H30O2]

fukin Sweet

fukin Sweet

Fukin Sweet just figured it out. thanks guys you helped a lot.

 

[Haps]

Yes, bulb and ballast much match, it is the socket that I am asking about - H

 

[HeadyPete]

Oh sorry I misunderstood. The socket should be fine with either bulb, as long as it is rated for 5000 volt pulse, like the examples above. 400 w bulbs and above use the same size socket.

Are you planning on using the socket with a different MH ballast or something?