How's this for a find: I picked up a 400w HPS ballast in a thrift store for $6, and danced back to the car. Before I invested in a bulb (this is my first grow in a decade, and I gave away all my stuff many years ago), I took it in to the local store and had them test it. They said it was good.
I fired it up with a brand new bulb yesterday, and it lit right up. It is running now, too (the second day). But it seems to me like it ought to be producing a heck of a lot more heat than it is. I've got a lensed, vented reflector, but with the vent fan off, I can touch the reflector's top or glass without any discomfort. I've can't tell if it not bright as it should be, because I've got nothing to compare it to.
Do ballasts ever die gradually? Am I just being paranoid?
Thanks for any tips!
I fired it up with a brand new bulb yesterday, and it lit right up. It is running now, too (the second day). But it seems to me like it ought to be producing a heck of a lot more heat than it is. I've got a lensed, vented reflector, but with the vent fan off, I can touch the reflector's top or glass without any discomfort. I've can't tell if it not bright as it should be, because I've got nothing to compare it to.
Do ballasts ever die gradually? Am I just being paranoid?
Thanks for any tips!