Hot Ballast

[Barday]

Hi all, I mentioned in an earlier post that i wanted to put 18w (24") and 30w (36") lights onto a 40w starter unit. I did this yesterday and the units seemed to get very hot very quickly, is this ok?

I heard somwhere that this can be a fire hazard (or was that for putting a 40w bulb on a 20w starter unit??)

I don't want to burn my house down for a fish tank!!!

 

[Lateral Line]

Old fashioned magnetic ballast units do run hot. The firing voltage of lamps varies with size, using a ballast for one size lamp with a different type is always going to be somewhat iffy. If the lamp is being flashed with a much higher voltage then it is designed for will burn out the end electrodes faster thus shortening the life of the lamp. Using a lamp with a higher rating may not get enough of an impulse from the ballast to start it.

I would always advocate, for maximum safety and lamp life, that a starter be used for the designed lamp type. I would also suggest that as cash becomes available, older magnetic ballasts are replaced with modern electronic starters which run cooler, are vastly more efficient and are less prone to flicker.

 

[Barday]

Thanks LL