Ballast Experts??

[Casey]

Hi guys can anyone tell me the difference between a standard,pulse and electronic ballast for MH bulbs which do I want??

[cyberchef]

The biggest difference will be cost and the amount of heat generated by the ballasts. Electronic are the most expensive and produce the least amount of heat (they are much more efficent). Standard (tar ballasts I believe) get hot enough to burn you and cost the least (these run the least efficient). Is the extra dollars worth what you will save over an extended period of time, probably not. I've read it takes like 2-3 years to make back the extra cost in other savings. I have little kids, hot is out of the question, electronic was the only way I was willing to go.

[Casey]

I have cheap standards on my tank now they are under the stand and yes they get real hot I was wanting to upgrade to electronic but heard they can cause interference and stuff like with your tv,I didnt think they would save much on the already high power bill.

[LongShot]

I'm no expert, but my understanding is that "pulse" ballasts are basically conventional TAR ballasts with igniter curcuitry built into the ballast. These are used for European SE lamps (like the Ushios which don't have an igniter in the lamp.) Probe ballasts are intended for American type lamps that have an igniter in the bulb. In my limited experience, the European lamps can be run on probe ballasts, but start up may not be as reliable as if they are run on a "pulse" ballast.

The electronic ballasts will run most any kind of lamp equally well. They are much cooler running, quieter, and usually more compact. But, don't look for significant savings in electrical costs. Some of the older E-ballasts did indeed interfere with TV's, etc., but the newer versions don't have this problem.

- Bert

[Casey]

that helps alot thanks Bert and Cyber.

[Eric P]

I am using standard magnetic ballasts on mine. I got them from ebay for $20 each and I made my own aluminum enclosure for them. I think it would take a long time for me to save the electric to make it worth the price of electronics.

Eric...

[Casey]

So if I want to save on the electric bill it would take along time even with electronic ones?

[CR NC]

Hi guys can anyone tell me the difference between a standard,pulse and electronic ballast for MH bulbs which do I want??

Hi Casey,

That depends on what you are looking for. Each type of ballast has its pro's & con's. In addition, bulbs are designed to be run from a specific ballast.

The electronic ballasts are nice in the fact that they will usually run many types of bulbs, but at the expense of high upfront costs, possible RFI problems, and they may not be optimal for certain bulbs.

Pulse type ballasts do in fact differ electrically from standards although they are similar in appearance.(IOW, you can't simply add an ignitor to a standard ballast and create a pulse type ballast.) LongShot was right in respect that most European made bulbs are designed to be run by pulse type ballasts. An exception to this would be a 250W Ushio 10kK as they are designed to be run by a standard(M58) ballast.

Both standard & pulse type ballasts can run quite warm if not properly ventilated, and that seems to be the biggest cause for many of the complaints against them. Drilling a few holes and/or adding a fan is cheap and can drop the ballast enclosure temperature cosiderably in some cases.

Also, I think what Eric P was saying is that it can take you a long time to recuperate the cost difference b/w the standards & electronics from just the electrical usage costs alone.

[Casey]

Thanks for all the input guys tough choice.

[Eric P]

cr nc, exactly. my ballasts @ $20 ea. ice cap 250w @ $130 ea. It would take a long time to recover $220 in the electric bill alone.
But if you plan on using many different types of bulbs you may be better off with electronic.

Eric...

[LongShot]

Eric's absolutely correct when he says it's a virtual certainty that you'll never recoup the up-front costs electronic MH ballasts in energy savings. That's clear enough.

But ballasts like the IceCaps do have their saving graces. In my particular situation, heat, noise, and space are significant issues. I've had a pair of standard magnetic ballasts running 175W Ushios over my 65 gal., and they warmed the whole area around the tank enough to cause significant temp. swings in the CA summer even with good AC. Since the tank was in the family room, the ballast buzz, although admittedly muted, was noticable, and the enclosure was enough to draw some un-wanted attention from the wife.

In the process of setting up my new 100 gal. reef, I was lucky enough to be able to replace the magnetics with 250W IceCaps, and they're much better in all 3 departments. Plus, I've got a much broader selection of lamps I can play with.

They were worth it for me. Whether they'd be the same for you obviously depends on your circumstances and requirements.

- Bert

[LongShot]

Just after I posted my reply, it occurred to me that there's another way to look at the comparative energy costs of electronic vs. magnetic MH ballasts.

No one will argue that the difference in operating costs of the ballasts themselves is at all significant. But.....

If you live in a hot or humid climate, the heat generated by the magnetics may indirectly boost your electric bill due additional cooling that might be needed, whether in the form of a chiller or AC load. Now, I have no idea how many BTU's a conventional ballast contributes to the immediate environment, but these IceCaps run completely tepid, while the heat from the PFO's is palpable at say, a foot and a half.

The question is just how much of a difference this actually makes, and I really have no idea. Guess I'll have the chance to find out in a few months

- Bert

[David Grigor]

For me Living in MN, the electricity savings is pretty negligable. You probably spend more on a cup of coffee a month than you save on electricity per month.

However, One point that hasn't been brought up. Electronic generally ramp up amps when starting bulbs. Stardard ballasts typically spike then ramp down amps. So if you have a limited # of circiuts dedicated to your tank then you could put more electronics on the same circuit and not have to worry that they fire up all the same time and blow the breaker. Usually with standard you can get around that by staggering startup but if there is a temporaray outage, it may blow the breaker starting up again. Maybe not all standard ballast are this way but the ones I have had are if you put them on a amp meter.

Which leads to another ( although somewhat unrelated to the thread ). I never put critical equipment such as pumps and heaters on the same circuit as lights.

[Casey]

Thanks Guys