What are grow light ballasts used for? Ballast Basics Though any expert in grow lighting might cringe at the comparison, ballasts for grow lights are akin to the sockets you screw light bulbs into. They are a requirement for any grow light to work. They operate on either a 120- or 240-volt power connection (commercial applications can operate at 22v, 347v, 400v, or 480v) and may be hardwired or, more frequently, can plug into any standard home outlet. Ballasts are usually specific to the type of bulb being used, such as high-pressure sodium(HPS) or metal halide (MH), and some are capable of switching between more than one type, though there isn't a ballast currently available that can power all types of grow lights. Ballasts help to jumpstart your bulb. When you turn your lights on, the ballast sends a high voltage surge to create an arc between two electrodes. The ballast will regulate this energy so that when the bulb is warming up, there is less current. More current is available and steadily and reliably delivered to the bulb when it's ready to shine at full capacity. Make sure to properly match the wattage of a ballast to the wattage rating of the bulb type you intend to use to get the longest useful life out of your bulbs. To spread the light more evenly across your crops, a reflector is often used. A ballast is generally connected into a compatible reflector before the bulb is installed. Ballasts create a certain amount of heat, depending on the type.
What are grow light ballasts used for? Grow lamps are low-resistance devices when they are burning, but they need a high voltage to get started. A ballast provides both. When you power up a lamp, the ballast provides a high enough voltage to get the arc started . When the arc first strikes, the sodium is solid, but it quickly melts and vaporizes. Diagram of a ballast and bulb In the gaseous state, the resistance of the lamp drops and it requires much less power to keep running. The ballast ensures that the lamp only receives the current it needs and nothing more. Without the ballast to regulate the amount of electricity going into the bulb, the light would continue to increase in intensity until the bulb blows.
When starting up, the HID bulb requires more power than your outlet provides, so the ballast ramps up what it gets from the wall to give the lamp what it needs to light up. Once it is running, it regulates whatever it gets from the wall (there are sometimes variations) and ensures the lamp always receives a steady supply of electricity. When HID bulbs age, they actually require more power to run. The ballast automatically increases the amount of power to the bulb as it ages. Once the bulb reaches a point where it needs too much power, the ballast shuts down to prevent an accident. In this case, you can restart the bulb, but the ballast will quickly shut it down again. This means it's time to get a new bulb.
Ballast Types MAGNETIC BALLASTS
Magnetic ballasts have been around since the invention of HID-style lighting. The main advantage of magnetic ballasts is their price. They also extend the life of globes, as their output is lower compared to their contemporary cousins. A magnetic ballast has a large spool of wire wrapped around steel sheets. This generator produces a large amount of voltage necessary to power up a bulb. Magnetic ballasts usually last longer than electronic ballasts. They can even operate for years in harsh conditions. This is ideal if you want a model that can match the long-term needs of your marijuana. The main disadvantages are they produce substantial amounts of heat and can't have their voltages adjusted. They are heavy and tend to vibrate and hum, which needs to be considered when doing a stealth grow.
Similarly, MH and HPS bulbs have different requirements, including separate ballasts. Nevertheless, there are switchable magnetic ballasts that can run both types of bulbs, yet they are designed for HPS specifications. Since magnetic ballasts are single-purpose, they are not interchangeable as well. For example, a 600W ballast must be used for 600W bulb. When using magnetic ballasts, lights that accumulate 39 to 175 watts of energy will lose between 14.6 and 37.6 watts of energy. In addition, they consume 8 to 10 watts when operating with the lamp in the circuit. The ballast will take about 4 watts when the lamps are removed, but the ballast remains energized.
DIGITAL/ELECTRONIC BALLASTS
Digital or electronic ballasts are overall more efficient, but are more expensive initially. However, this expense is relative as power usage is less per lumen generated. Digital ballasts get up to 30% more light from the globes and broader spectral output. They are multi-use; a single ballast can be used for different wattages of lamps. They don't give off anywhere near the heat of magnetic ones, and are substantially lighter than those types as well. Many electronic ballasts have voltage selectors so the light intensity can be adjusted. This is advantageous when trying to keep a grow room cooler during the hottest months. They do give off radio frequency interference (RFI), which can disrupt televisions and may get you busted. The RFI is noticeable by the law with a simple apparatus that will detect the ballast in a drive-by investigation.
Electronic Ballasts
Instead of a magnetic coil, electronic ballasts use microchips and semiconductors to provide the high voltage needed by HID lamps. The good news is that an electronic ballast provides up to 30% more light than magnetic ones despite having similar energy consumption. Since there's no heavy coil, electronic ballasts are lighter, smaller, and a lot cooler.Unfortunately, there's no ANSI standard for their compatibility with the 250+ watts versions of MH and HPS lamps.This is why we suggest purchasing a complete lighting packagefor growing marijuana. As a result, you ensure the ballast was designed to operate the included light bulbs. On the bright side, almost all electronic ballasts are switchable, which permits them to run both MH and HPS bulbs without issue. Additionally, most electronic ballasts are dimmable, giving you the freedom to run multiple wattages of bulbs.
Digital Ballast
The digital ballast is often confused with the electronic ballast. A digital ballast can be thought of as a smart electronic ballast as it is governed by microprocessors. Digital ballasts can perform the same functions as electronic ballasts but are able to offer a higher level of precision as to when and how much power to deliver. They also ensure a more reliable and consistent operation and can log information like temperature, lamp voltage, etc. Digital ballasts, like electronic ballasts, are dimmable, but where electronic ballasts are dimmable in 100- to 400-watt increments (though they can be built to have more steps), digital ballasts can be dimmed to land at any point between 400 and 1,000 watts to achieve a more appropriate amount of illumination for the crop being grown. These are often the most expensive type of ballast. It should be noted that electronic and digital ballasts are not interchangeable. Switching to one or the other type of bulb will usually require an entire system upgrade.