Op's on placing ballasts in the attic

[Guest]

I need to get these ballasts out of my room. I'd like to put them in the attic above the room & run the power lines thru the ceiling. The power source and /or timer etc for 3 1K ballasts would be in the room. My main concern is the attic is gonna get hotter than Hades in summer. I could put them in a box & vent with a fan if necessary. Thanks for any opinions on how to do this safely.

 

[MTF-Sandman]

I had mine in the attic during summer (outdoor temps in excess of 100f) and they're been running fine for years. I do use an oscillating fan on them to help remove heat buildup and run the lights during the night hours tho.

As far as safety goes, just put your ballasts on large ceramic tiles or a piece of sheet metal to prevent direct contact with the wood that they'll be sitting on - that way if something tragic happens you'll be much less likely to have a fire spread.

 

[hogwild]

IMO if your going to put a ballast in an attic it should be in an electrical box of sorts, you should cover it up and give it a grille to dissapate heat, you dont want something happening to the ballast like an earthquake and then the ballast shakes off the beam you had it on and lands in insualtion...triggering a massive electrical fire in your attic.

 

[holla@yoboy]

im not sure, but i thought the cooler a ballest was the more efficent it ran, if thats true it might take some of the life out of your ballest

 

[Frog]

Have to go with MTF-SANDMAN on this. I have had 2 1000w ballasts in the attic for years and no problem . And I'm in a area that has 100 + temps for weeks in the summer time. Hell today it was in the upper 80's. And they call this March.

Peace

 

[Guest]

I would hope that no mice snuggle up to your ballasts in the cool nights, chewing on wires,or building a nest close to it...but i live in a agriculture area where mice are unavoidiable.

I think the cooler a ballast runs,the longer it will last.

 

[Guest]

I dont know if its really worth it,I run 3 1K HPS in an 8 by 8 room and the ballasts take up room for a plant maybe,but add little heat in reality.I toyed with the idea,having them in the attic directly over thew flower room,doesnt seem worth the trouble to me.

 

[2buds]

I hung mine on the back side of the grow room wall in a knee wall cavity. They've been back there for 1.5 years and no troubles. My reasoning was get the heat out of the grow area, get the ballast out of the way, no wires to trip over, they are elevated in case I ever have a flood. Now if one breaks, I gotta remove 8 screws and take down a plywood panel to get access but buy quality ballast and you shouldn't have to work on them. Always give them a test run before mounting. I let mine burn for a week before going through all the trouble.
Peace

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the insight Gents, The ballasts have to go so I'm weighing my options. The attic sounds doable. Running during night hours would be the key factor.

 

[Guest]

to keep the mice off the wires you can always run them through the 1/2"D metal tubing. i don't think the mice'll chew through that too quick

 

[Guest]

Be aware of lampcord length limititations that could exist when relocating your ballasts.I may be mistaken but I thyink you're cool with the MH.its the HPS that has a lampcord length limit.I hope someone here knows more about that

 

[Guest]

O man I just accidentally hit something and all the sudden my letters are HUGE!This is great for my old eyes but I havent a clue what I did lol!Anyone know?

 

[waydee]

O man I just accidentally hit something and all the sudden my letters are HUGE!This is great for my old eyes but I havent a clue what I did lol!Anyone know?

try ctrl&+ and ctrl&-

 

[screwdriver]

Held shift key down for ten seconds?

There is a length limit from bulb to ballast. Mount directly above the light in the attic. The cooler the componant run the more efficient they are. Just open air should be enough to cool it.

 

[Guest]

I have ,MH ,1K magnetic ballasts. The chords will stay the same length the majority of which will be coiled in the room. Any rodents will be dealt with extreme prejudice! No threat of earthquakes but a hurricane taking the whole roof is a possibility.
I do have a 400 watt hps that was wired with a very long chord from ballast to bulb. I could use some info on the chord length requirements.
Also I'm running these on 110 at the moment, my electrician says they will run cooler on 240. Is the gauge of wire used a factor here? Thanks again.

 

[Guest]

OK heres what I plan to do. I will set the ballasts on a board in the attic right over the closet. I just happened to have a few pieces of tile in the garage collecting dust. My packrat instinct told me not to throw them out. LOL The board is situated so the scrubber exhaust will vent over them. When summer temps peak here ,I will run the lights at night to take advantage of cooler temps.

 

[EZB581]

Just so happens, I recently did the exact same thing. I have been testing the temp differences. Outside the temps were 86 to 90 degrees at midday on a sunny breezy day. Attic temps were around 20 hotter at around 105 degrees. The closet where the ballasts were ran 90 + degrees . Not a real big difference. Now I assume on a still ,no breeze day the attic temps will be much greater. However, there is no decrease in the room temps since moving the ballasts out.

 

[Guest]

Here is my thread for remote mounting wire lengths

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=50159

it is the distance between the ballast and igniter that you want to add the extra wire too, for extra long runs.

 

[EZB581]

Mole , That is very interesting info

 

[Guest]

EZB you had the most interesting info of all,a point I made earlier in a different life.If you have high wattage HID's in a relatively small area relocating the ballasts will not result in a decrease in temps.They are hot to the touch,but hold your hand six inches away and tell me how hot they are,there is practically zero radiant heat unlike the lamps.I think the only true advantage would be having extra space for the girls.In my case and I bet most others,being able to control temps with airconditioning is a lot more important than having 1K ballasts in the grow area.