400w HPS running on 600w ballast

I have a 400w hps running on an 600w hps ballast. enclosed reflector box with glass. can i run this with out air cooling it and for how long? please help

Regardless of the higher wattage ballast you will still produce a large amount of heat from your bulb, I have run a 150w hps bulb from a 400w ballast without cooling but not enclosed under glass for many crops without too many problems, thats not to say it was ideal. If its possible i would recommend some sort of cooling

does running a 400w bulb on 600w ballast only draw 400w of power from the ballast? or are you wasting 200w on heat. seems like you would be better off buying a 600w and a fan than using a 400w which will not last as long with extra power and may burst.

indigo said:

Regardless of the higher wattage ballast you will still produce a large amount of heat from your bulb, I have run a 150w hps bulb from a 400w ballast without cooling but not enclosed under glass for many crops without too many problems, thats not to say it was ideal. If its possible i would recommend some sort of cooling

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Thanks abunch dude. so should i take the glass out?

dbo24242 said:

does running a 400w bulb on 600w ballast only draw 400w of power from the ballast? or are you wasting 200w on heat. seems like you would be better off buying a 600w and a fan than using a 400w which will not last as long with extra power and may burst.

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Good question, but soon i will purchase a hortilux 600w. i bought the system from a friend wit the bulb.

It will only be generating the extra '200w of heat' at the ballast end. this is all dependent on whether your ballast is attached or detached, if its detached the keep is out of your grow room to avoid extra heat issues. the globe will generate the same amount of heat no matter what ballast is used. I'd take the glass out. I don't see a need for more heat buildup nor for any extra light filtration. It's only gonna get dirty and reduce the amount of light to your ladies, just be very careful not to get any water on your bulb esp if its on. kaboom!

-indi-

Well i was planning on buying a 6" 109cfm Exhaust fan with duct hose. In this case would it be good to leave the glass in for a sealed effect, when cooling or should i still leave the glass off. thanks again REP+ for you.

i would still leave the glass out for the better light output, as long as the air is moving around the bulb it will cool it sufficiently.

-indi-

Awesome dude !