Enclosed Ballast HID's?

[ataxia]

Just a question, I was looking at a plug n play 400 wt HPS. I believe itwas Sun System 2??? ... my local hydro dealer was giving me the sales pitch about how you can change HPS and MH bulbs. and also that it supports a 600 wt bulb. THE QUESTION... the system has an enclosed ballast. when putting my hand directly under the system it didn't seem to produce alot of heat but Im curious of anyone who has or has tried them... DO they produce as much heat as I think it would???? Curious because i was looking into grabbing one. right now in my 2x4x5 I'm running about a total of 375 watts of CFLs... would the HPS be WAY hotter than all those cfls,??

 

[DaBombSquad]

what type of cfls are you running. A 400w HPS light puts out as much as 84 cfls. So yes it will be warm.

 

[IAm5toned]

errr 375w apparant, or 375w actual?

because i think if you have 375w actual, your prolly roasting em alive at this point, lol

 

[ataxia]

375 actual ...yep if i kept the door closed the temps reach 100 F. i usually have to keep them open and run the fans in the tent and the ceiling fan to keep it at around 85 degrees. Its my first grow so I'm still trying to get down the basics .... which is the reason for the HID.. I'd rather have one condensed heat source than the cfls which end up burning the leaves if the plants or lights move around .... the CFLs im running are a mixed batch of temps some 65k some 27k .. but i have two 65 wts. a 42 a 30 and about 8 23-27 watts

 

[Dr.RR]

375 actual ...yep if i kept the door closed the temps reach 100 F. i usually have to keep them open and run the fans in the tent and the ceiling fan to keep it at around 85 degrees. Its my first grow so I'm still trying to get down the basics .... which is the reason for the HID.. I'd rather have one condensed heat source than the cfls which end up burning the leaves if the plants or lights move around .... the CFLs im running are a mixed batch of temps some 65k some 27k .. but i have two 65 wts. a 42 a 30 and about 8 23-27 watts

I've never tried the enclosed system from Sun Systems but I am very interested in grabbing one in the next couple months. It seems it would help keep the temps down compared to having an open hood, but here's what I'm confused about.

Since it's enclosed, won't the bulb and the ballast run much hotter than if it were open? Any danger to this in the long run? If you say you put your hand under the glass and it didn't seem too hot, then it probably will work fairly well for ya.

I've got an open hood 400w HID system and to be honest, my temps aren't bad at all! So I think you should be quite happy with the Sun System 2 400w system.

I agree with what you said about having one main heat source rather than multiple ones. I went from CFL's to HID and I ain't looking back.

 

[tat2ue]

375 actual ...yep if i kept the door closed the temps reach 100 F. i usually have to keep them open and run the fans in the tent and the ceiling fan to keep it at around 85 degrees. Its my first grow so I'm still trying to get down the basics .... which is the reason for the HID.. I'd rather have one condensed heat source than the cfls which end up burning the leaves if the plants or lights move around .... the CFLs im running are a mixed batch of temps some 65k some 27k .. but i have two 65 wts. a 42 a 30 and about 8 23-27 watts

If I am understanding you correctly..you want to put up a 400w enclosed ballast system in a tent??? I have a 250w and a 400w enclosed system (in the garage collecting dust) and they are pretty heavy. How do you plan to support that weight in a tent???

As for heat, they get pretty hot. Not only do you have the heat from the bulb but add in the heat from the ballast and your heat is almost doubled as opposed to a remote ballast. Another option is to go with a digital ballast....JMO

 

[racerboy71]

i have a sun system setup, just like the one that you are talking about, only mine is a lil itty bitty 250 watter, and i have to say that most of the heat is generated only by the bulb, although a lil bit of heat is generated by the ballast which is built into the hood.. i can just about hold my hand on the hood after it has been up and running for awhile, although it does get quite warm to the thouch, but not burning hot... i am not sure how much more heat would be generated by a bigger wattage lamp and the ballast that comes with it, but i am very impressed with how cool that my 250 runs..

 

[SickSadLittleWorld]

The heat has to go somewhere, whether the hood is enclosed or not. If it were me, I'd look elsewhere. The fact that you can't remotely locate the ballast or cool the bulb in any way would make heat issues a major problem when using that system. If you weren't in an enclosed space like a tent, it may be an ok idea but there are better options out there.

 

[ataxia]

The heat has to go somewhere, whether the hood is enclosed or not. If it were me, I'd look elsewhere. The fact that you can't remotely locate the ballast or cool the bulb in any way would make heat issues a major problem when using that system. If you weren't in an enclosed space like a tent, it may be an ok idea but there are better options out there.

I hear what your saying totally .. however if im not mistaken there is a port on it for ducting. it looks as though if i were to hook up an exhaust drawing heat away from the bulb it may work... as far as supporting it with the tent ..well i'm trying to figure that one out. I'm not growing for yeild really but CFLs can be a pain in the ass.. What would you suggest for a better option?? thing is is this system will only cost me around two hundred for the 400 wt. if i wanted to grab a 250 same model ..it would cost 170.... i've seen hps on ebay for much cheaper from HTG with remote magnetic ballasts... The lamp Im looking at seems pretty versitile for the money. but like i said im open to any suggestions. T5's are would be something im interested in but the systems are more expensive.. and although im not extremely concerned about yeild, i'd like to get the most for my money....Please any other ideas are welcomed

 

[tat2ue]

I hear what your saying totally .. however if im not mistaken there is a port on it for ducting. it looks as though if i were to hook up an exhaust drawing heat away from the bulb it may work... as far as supporting it with the tent ..well i'm trying to figure that one out. I'm not growing for yeild really but CFLs can be a pain in the ass.. What would you suggest for a better option?? thing is is this system will only cost me around two hundred for the 400 wt. if i wanted to grab a 250 same model ..it would cost 170.... i've seen hps on ebay for much cheaper from HTG with remote magnetic ballasts... The lamp Im looking at seems pretty versitile for the money. but like i said im open to any suggestions. T5's are would be something im interested in but the systems are more expensive.. and although im not extremely concerned about yeild, i'd like to get the most for my money....Please any other ideas are welcomed

Check out dchyro.com . they have prices even lower than HTG. They have a 400w digital ballast under 110.00 bucks but no cord set. HTG has a decent 400w digi from Greenhouse w/ a cord set for under 160.00 but you would need a hood or use theeir supplied cordset vertical. But in a tent situation it would probably be best to go with a remote ballast to avoid any heat issues....JMO

 

[ataxia]

i have a sun system setup, just like the one that you are talking about, only mine is a lil itty bitty 250 watter, and i have to say that most of the heat is generated only by the bulb, although a lil bit of heat is generated by the ballast which is built into the hood.. i can just about hold my hand on the hood after it has been up and running for awhile, although it does get quite warm to the thouch, but not burning hot... i am not sure how much more heat would be generated by a bigger wattage lamp and the ballast that comes with it, but i am very impressed with how cool that my 250 runs..

I don't know much about much ...but if i'm not mistaken.. maybe it was the ballast i was hearing while it was running. but did it have some sort of fan in the part of the lamp that has the ballast enclosed ....it seems as though it did, my memory is such shit i cant remember if i felt air blowing out of that area ..i remember it was vented. I dunno.. we will see ... but as far as supporting the light in a tent .... don't we see that all the time in ads in HT. Isn't the tent made to support a light like that... i can't imagine they sell tents with the idea that that it will not support an hps. just a thought