Replacing ballasts every 2-3 months ... why???

[Getko]

almost certain the application notes would specify that you mount those drivers with a healthy gap behind them when mounted to non thermally conducive board of wood.

If it makes you feel better, even Meanwell HLGs fail more often than I care for.

Meanwell HLGS fail often, those other not famous led driver brand ,they will fail more .

 

[Roy O'Bannon]

From just an electrical standpoint I would make sure I had correct voltage under full load. Low volt can burn things up. I suppose heat isn't a big issue with those and they are probably pretty safe, but I don't like the wood. Keep in mind, I am used to inspections before jobs are signed off on

The other thing I wonder is how all that is plugged in? You could get some 4x4 boxes and put commercial 20A receps in them, control it all with your timer running a 40A 120v contactor. Would be That way the timer doesn't handle any real amperage. Contactors are tough.

Those power strips... I have seen some odd problems caused by those. One of the 1st things I rule out in a service call.

 

[Apostatize]

I hang my Meanwell drivers from the same bracket that I hang the light from. I know with the Meanwells the hottest part is the bottom of it. My lights had the drivers mounted to the back of the LEDs, right on the heatsinks. It left a heat outline of the ballast on the heatsink after I took the ballast off. I'd be worried about the heat building up inside the ballasts if I had them mounted to a board like you do @Apostatize . At the least they could use some air like @Rurumo said.

Thanks, everyone! After speaking with a Fluence rep, I'm hoping it's a heat issue. Not sure if you can tell what I'm doing from the photos but mounted ballasts way above lights and am installing a 4" fan for every 2 ballasts.
Five fans for 10 ballasts.
Pics are from the larger tent, the smaller tent (6 ballasts...) will be simpler.
2 more lights, 6 more ballasts to go in the larger tent.
Didn't have a loop on the ends of the ballasts, so it's not so easy to hang (e.g., a loop/hole in ballast).

 

[Bookush34]

I would check your input voltage to the drivers when your lights are on.

Low voltage causes higher amperage in turn causes more heat.

Heat kills electronics.

I seen this in my trade all the time.

 

[Roy O'Bannon]

If those need that much cooling I might take them out of the tent. Put a fan across them and keep the dust off them.

 

[Apostatize]

If those need that much cooling I might take them out of the tent. Put a fan across them and keep the dust off them.

I think it's overkill but I was in Wal-Mart ... and, unlike other things I've had to figure out in tents, I wanted this to be resolved today. Every time this happens, I lose money.... Took a 1/2-day off today to deal with it....

Room has up to 55 amps (2.5 breakers, 1's shared). If the heat problem persists, I'd move everything out of the tent. There's room outside of it, but it gets a little tricky because I've got 2 other areas of the room designated for veg. Extension cords, possibly need to assemble something to keep it off the floor properly ... I can do it, that will be my next effort if this fails.

 

[Roy O'Bannon]

Idk what you floor is, but if you have lots of stuff to run. Build a shallow tray for it and cover it with 3/4 ply so you can walk on it without hurting anything. Then you can take the ply off to easily change things.
I've seen some remodels build an entire subfloor just so they could run everything that way.

 

[go go kid]

buy yourself a bike typre innertube and cut your own washers out of it and try placoing them under the power supply and you will give it some air flow all round the ballast

 

[Apostatize]

Idk what you floor is, but if you have lots of stuff to run. Build a shallow tray for it and cover it with 3/4 ply so you can walk on it without hurting anything. Then you can take the ply off to easily change things.
I've seen some remodels build an entire subfloor just so they could run everything that way.

A sub-floor remodel would be so cool. Also just recently worked out distance between light and even canopy -- so, wanted to err on the side of too many fans -- if ballasts throw off what I've got going on with light/distance from canopy, I'll be super pissed. haha -- gotta turn this corner, so I can get back to plants....

 

[thetruthoverlies]

Quick question: Why are my ballasts burning out every 2.5 months?

They're all Fluence, all under warranty. The lights themselves have had no problems ... but frequently replacing ballasts is a real pain in the ass. Fortunately, I have an extra light + ballast, but I don't want it to be a f'ing backup -- I want to use it ... but every time I catch up, circle back, and get ready to mount it to supplement a veg station, one of my nineteen ballasts blows.... So fed up with this. Fluence won't tell me anything and the authorized re-seller just keeps sending me replacements. I want them to work correctly, I don't want to regularly devote time to replacing ballasts, reorganizing my cables/timers. Pita, pitfa.

Please tell me it's an environmental condition I can control like humidity or temp..... I want to throw them all out the window. Each light was >$300, including ballasts, which are like $50 each if you buy them separately.

Fuck Fluence and Fuck those lights. I got screwed on the Vyper X series.

That company doesn't care about its customers. They were a pain in the ass to deal with.

 

[Apostatize]

buy yourself a bike typre innertube and cut your own washers out of it and try placoing them under the power supply and you will give it some air flow all round the ballast

Thanks! I just did this. I'd saved an inner-tube that was punctured in my neighborhood (nail/syringe, equal probability...). I didn't use an inner-tube in the larger tent with 10 separate ballasts ... because I had room (and time) to set up proactive cooling efforts above the lights (i.e., not up against a wall). But at 2am, the last time a ballast overheated in the smaller tent with 6 ballasts, it's more practical to keep the ballasts on the wall. So, I cut up an inner-tube, like you suggested -- very practical.

Not my best work, but it'll do for now. I'll have to redo it probably, I did it kinda shitty.... If they'd just punched a hole in the ballast lip, where you screw it to stuff, instead of a groove, this would've been a lot easier from the beginning.

 

[Roy O'Bannon]

Well, you aren't lacking for airflow potential

 

[go go kid]

Thanks! I just did this. I'd saved an inner-tube that was punctured in my neighborhood (nail/syringe, equal probability...). I didn't use an inner-tube in the larger tent with 10 separate ballasts ... because I had room (and time) to set up proactive cooling efforts above the lights (i.e., not up against a wall). But at 2am, the last time a ballast overheated in the smaller tent with 6 ballasts, it's more practical to keep the ballasts on the wall. So, I cut up an inner-tube, like you suggested -- very practical.

Not my best work, but it'll do for now. I'll have to redo it probably, I did it kinda shitty.... If they'd just punched a hole in the ballast lip, where you screw it to stuff, instead of a groove, this would've been a lot easier from the beginning.

glad i could help, happy growing

 

[1212ham]

buy yourself a bike typre innertube and cut your own washers out of it and try placoing them under the power supply and you will give it some air flow all round the ballast

Why make washers from an inner tube? What am i missing?

 

[go go kid]

Why make washers from an inner tube? What am i missing?

Why make washers from an inner tube? What am i missing?

its to create space between the ballast and the side of the grow room, the ballasts then have some airflow around them and put less strain on the ballast from the direct heat

 

[seymour b]

Mount them with 2"+ aluminum c channel and put a fan on them

 

[NewGrower2011]

Didn't see anyone else mention to check for surges and other electrical issues beyond just low voltage; Not an electrician but the quality of the power could contribute to issues I believe. I.e. I had a circuit board that kept frying for the humidifier on my furnace and it turns out the dumb ass who installed it tapped into the blower motor directly. Yes it worked, but kept frying the board due to the nature of being on the same circuit with the AC motor which kicks on/off. When I had furnace replaced the new installer put a high amperage relay in for me to address that issue.

 

[hillbill]

Surprised to see this with such an “elite” brand.

 

[Apostatize]

Surprised to see this with such an “elite” brand.

I'll take the hit on this one -- mostly user error. Fluence LED Rays 22", 44", and my 66" lights are, I guess, intended to be supplemental lights. Fluence wants you to buy a Vector/Spydr, whatever ... but they don't come in 66", so putting 6 and 10 ballasts in close proximity, set up with little-to-no airflow, was bound to lead to problems.

But it was my first year of growing, the last thing i was thinking about was heat on my ballasts. Now that I've made improvements, it seems so obvious. I don't even want to talk about how hot it was in the larger tent ... or how frustrated I was that the smaller 6-ballast tent was outperforming the 10-ballast tent (based on individual and average plant performance). It was too damn hot.

I passed physics in college, but I definitely frequented the extra help grad tutors.... The whole house is pleased I have more control over heat and humidity. Plants took over for a while....

 

[1212ham]

its to create space between the ballast and the side of the grow room, the ballasts then have some airflow around them and put less strain on the ballast from the direct heat

I get the use of the washers. LOL
What I don't understand is why would anyone buy an innertube and make washers rather than just buying washers at much lower cost?

I've used nuts as standoff spacers, dirt cheap and will provide a bigger air gap and more cooling than thin washers.