240 volt lumatek ballast <-- ok to use water heater timer?

ok, i have my digital ballast and cooltube set up, i bought a 240v water heater timer to use with it.

my question is this: the water heater timer simply cuts the power to one of the legs and leaves the other hot. will this work ok for my ballast? i would think that the ballast would realize it has less than 240 and simply doesn't start up.

can anyone let me know if its ok for me to fire up my new ballast this way?

There is no problem using a timer designed for 220 volt apps on a 220v light. If the timer drops one leg of of the 220, be aware that the other leg is hot and don't get shocked. I see these in the hydo shop all the time. Can't believe someone buys them when they are so cheap to build. good luck.............

spartree said:

There is no problem using a timer designed for 220 volt apps on a 220v light. If the timer drops one leg of of the 220, be aware that the other leg is hot and don't get shocked. I see these in the hydo shop all the time. Can't believe someone buys them when they are so cheap to build. good luck.............

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cool thanks for the info. i hoped they were designed to work like that i just wasn't sure.

gonna finally get my digital ballast working and get my HOT magnetic ballast out of my tent!!! i can't wait to see a difference in temps since i will be using this ballast with a cooltube!

In the lumatek manual it SPECIFICALLY says not to use this type of timer. http://www.botanical.com/hydro/lightsys/ballast/LumatekInfoSheet.pdf
Let us know how it goes. A lot of people complain that the digital ballasts don't last very long. I wonder if they read the manual.

jack the beanstalk said:

In the lumatek manual it SPECIFICALLY says not to use this type of timer. http://www.botanical.com/hydro/lightsys/ballast/LumatekInfoSheet.pdf
Let us know how it goes. A lot of people complain that the digital ballasts don't last very long. I wonder if they read the manual.

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Sadly enough, most people don't...on ANYTHING. These are normally the geniuses standing in front of their charred dwelling, attempting to explain to the Fire Marshall exactly how "this" happened.