1500ma ballasts NOT required for VHO
- Thread starter ren
- Start date
ren
Member
Well friends these 2 guys just keep trying to confuse everybody. LOTR ya might want to reconsider staying out since you too are lost. That GE ballast site you posted ... LMAO thats 96" bulbs. NOT Ballasts. Call hamilton and tell them to pack sand cause thier 800ma ballasts that they are posting to run 2 48" VHO bulbs won't work lol. Quit your wining cause there's a cheaper way to do something than you did it. These ballasts do work they do run VHO and thats that. They may be less effecient causiing bulb replacement at 8 month intervals vice 12 but ohh wow. How many years till the cost matches the savings?
What does it take to run a 96" VHO bulb? - I have no clue. Didn't research that and don't really care. I'm not nor will I run those. I'm figuring it will take 4-6 years for the costs to even on bulb replacement. even if it is only 2 years lol I'll prob have upgraded to MH by then. Bottom line ya 2 goobers is yes these ballasts work. They do run VHO. Cause ya might be able to change batteries in a flashlight doesn't qualify you as knowing about electronics. <img src="graemlins//yeahright.gif" border="0" alt="[yeahright]" />
What does it take to run a 96" VHO bulb? - I have no clue. Didn't research that and don't really care. I'm not nor will I run those. I'm figuring it will take 4-6 years for the costs to even on bulb replacement. even if it is only 2 years lol I'll prob have upgraded to MH by then. Bottom line ya 2 goobers is yes these ballasts work. They do run VHO. Cause ya might be able to change batteries in a flashlight doesn't qualify you as knowing about electronics. <img src="graemlins//yeahright.gif" border="0" alt="[yeahright]" />
lordofthereef
Member
RAMEY, Iknow what your saying. eveybody else, all i was doing was putting up some numbers for all you. 800ma is HIGH OUTPUT. 1500ma is VERY HIGH OUTPUT. a high output ballast will fire, and light a vho bulb, but not to its full capacity.
ren, i bet if you fall 5 stories on your head, you won't get hurt. i never seen somone with a head as thick as yours! you keep on livin' in wonderland now with your FAKE vho setup, and i'll stay here in the real world with my REAL vho set up. BTW, my vho ballast was 35 bucks, and guess what, its 1500ma fool.
ren, i bet if you fall 5 stories on your head, you won't get hurt. i never seen somone with a head as thick as yours! you keep on livin' in wonderland now with your FAKE vho setup, and i'll stay here in the real world with my REAL vho set up. BTW, my vho ballast was 35 bucks, and guess what, its 1500ma fool.
ramey70
Member
LOTR
Yes, but don't you understand 1500ma is for a four bulb setup and watts fit nowhere into the equation. Who cares that major retailers and manufacturers of these ballasts LIST the wattage limitations. Sarcasm intended.
Ren
Please stop perpuating the lie that I believed you had to MATCH wattages on a ballast. I merely stated that one must not EXCEED the wattage of the ballast (just like the two sites I quoted from said). If I believed that then I would be shooting myself in the foot so to speak seeing as how I'm running two 95 watt VHOs on the HelloLights 440 watt ballast.
Yes, but don't you understand 1500ma is for a four bulb setup and watts fit nowhere into the equation. Who cares that major retailers and manufacturers of these ballasts LIST the wattage limitations. Sarcasm intended.
Ren
Please stop perpuating the lie that I believed you had to MATCH wattages on a ballast. I merely stated that one must not EXCEED the wattage of the ballast (just like the two sites I quoted from said). If I believed that then I would be shooting myself in the foot so to speak seeing as how I'm running two 95 watt VHOs on the HelloLights 440 watt ballast.
lordofthereef
Member
let me ask you this then ramey, why is my magnetek ballast, that is for two bulbs, a 1500ma ballast?
ramey70
Member
"Speaking of, if you really looked on the Hamilton site you would have seen they sell just the ballast alone for think it was 55 bucks - from a aquarium supplier - knowing this is it so hard to believe that a national chain store such as lowes would have them for 30?"
I wanted to answer this earlier also. The $55 ballast you keep touting on Hamilton is an unassembled ballast. That means it is just the transformer and capacitor. No enclosure, no on/off switch, nothing. The Lowes GE electronic ballasts at least have an enclosure and wiring leads for a grounded power cord and leads to the lamps. The actual comparable balalst from Hamilton assembled is listed at $119.95.
I wanted to answer this earlier also. The $55 ballast you keep touting on Hamilton is an unassembled ballast. That means it is just the transformer and capacitor. No enclosure, no on/off switch, nothing. The Lowes GE electronic ballasts at least have an enclosure and wiring leads for a grounded power cord and leads to the lamps. The actual comparable balalst from Hamilton assembled is listed at $119.95.
lordofthereef
Member
ok everybody, the moment of truth is here. i just talked to mark from vantage lighting, and he told me the ballast will fire the bulb, but not to its fullest capacity. if you like, call him yourself. the number is 415-507-0402. i lost the number to ge, but, let me call some more places too. i'm sure they'll all have the same answer.
kris walker
Active Member
Thanks for the half-hour of entertainment guys!
kris
kris
lordofthereef
Member
Still proving that a 1500ma is required for vho.
<a href="http://maxpages.com/durotest/lighting_glossary_of_terms" target="_blank">page 1</a>
<a href="http://www.advancetransformer.com/techcenter/flb/specialty%20ballasts.asp" target="_blank">page 2</a>
<a href="http://xtronics.com/reference/flourescent.tubes.htm" target="_blank">page 3</a>
<a href="http://maxpages.com/durotest/lighting_glossary_of_terms" target="_blank">page 1</a>
<a href="http://www.advancetransformer.com/techcenter/flb/specialty%20ballasts.asp" target="_blank">page 2</a>
<a href="http://xtronics.com/reference/flourescent.tubes.htm" target="_blank">page 3</a>
ren
Member
Ok ok ok smarties, answer me this then. Since Ramey already saw it and is shying away. The Hamilton ballast - 800ma - VHO. ARE they misleading you too? OR can it possibly be that YOU 2 are mislead? See 1500ma IS NOT REQUIRED to run up to 2 48" bulbs. Get over it already. Yes thier unassembled is just that but on the same token - the assembled comes with end caps and all. 1 extream to another. If you don't want to use the unassembled for comparisson its not fair to attempt to use the complete setup.
ramey70
Member
Lie #2: Assembled Hamilton ballast does NOT included endcaps and all. It includes power cord an lamp cord. No endcaps, reflectors, etc.
I just got off the phone with Hamilton and they stated that YES THE 800ma BALLAST IS A 220 WATT BALLAST. ANYTHING RUN ABOVE THE WATTAGE RESTRICTION WILL CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF THE QUALITY OF LIGHT. THIS IS STRAIGHT FROM THE HAMILTON REP. KEEP IN MIND THAT HIGHEST RATED FLOURESCENT BALLAST FROM LOWE'S AND HOME DEPOT IS 160 WATTS.
I just got off the phone with Hamilton and they stated that YES THE 800ma BALLAST IS A 220 WATT BALLAST. ANYTHING RUN ABOVE THE WATTAGE RESTRICTION WILL CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF THE QUALITY OF LIGHT. THIS IS STRAIGHT FROM THE HAMILTON REP. KEEP IN MIND THAT HIGHEST RATED FLOURESCENT BALLAST FROM LOWE'S AND HOME DEPOT IS 160 WATTS.
ramey70
Member
The Hamilton rep also said that with an 800ma ballast it will run the bulbs at VHO quality effectively BUT only for a maximum of 4 to 6 months before an noticeable decrease in lamp output. He also said the 4 to 6 month rule was only possible if the total lamp wattage DID NOT exceed the wattage rating of the ballast. You have a problem with that take it up with Hamilton Technology.
ramey70
Member
Just spoke with a rep from URI. He said that the bulbs will not work on ANYTHING less than a 1500ma ballast without diminished output including the Hamilton 800ma. He told me the EXACT same thing that the Hamilton rep did. Unless the the ballast is rated for 220 watts the 980ma ballast will not run the VHO bulbs to full effectiveness. He also said that the phosphors in the bulb would burn out extremely fast on that ballast causing a very short lamp life. And if you don't like that either you can take it up with URI.
Now let's rehash things for a moment. Let us assume that Ren's ballast is powering the bulbs to a full maximum output. Now, both Hamilton and URI have stated that with a 980ma ballast the bulbs will last 4-6 months MAX. Ren has stated he is using a two $30 ballasts for four 48" VHO bulbs. So his initial setup cost was $60 for the ballasts, $20 for misc. wiring and endcaps, and about $90 for the bulbs if you get them online. That's a startup total of about $170. Now in 6 months Ren will have to replace his bulbs for another $90. That's 260 in one year.
Now, a 4 lamp Electronic VHO retro kit from HelloLights with prewired encaps ready to go INCLUDING bulbs and shipping is $242.40.
So with Ren's setup you have a year 1 cost of $260 for an experimental setup at best.
With HelloLights setup you have an unquestionable setup for a year 1 cost of $242.40.
Keep in mind that in year 2 bulb costs for Ren's setup will be $180 as opposed to $90 with Hello Lights. Even if it did work it is not cost effective.
Now let's rehash things for a moment. Let us assume that Ren's ballast is powering the bulbs to a full maximum output. Now, both Hamilton and URI have stated that with a 980ma ballast the bulbs will last 4-6 months MAX. Ren has stated he is using a two $30 ballasts for four 48" VHO bulbs. So his initial setup cost was $60 for the ballasts, $20 for misc. wiring and endcaps, and about $90 for the bulbs if you get them online. That's a startup total of about $170. Now in 6 months Ren will have to replace his bulbs for another $90. That's 260 in one year.
Now, a 4 lamp Electronic VHO retro kit from HelloLights with prewired encaps ready to go INCLUDING bulbs and shipping is $242.40.
So with Ren's setup you have a year 1 cost of $260 for an experimental setup at best.
With HelloLights setup you have an unquestionable setup for a year 1 cost of $242.40.
Keep in mind that in year 2 bulb costs for Ren's setup will be $180 as opposed to $90 with Hello Lights. Even if it did work it is not cost effective.
rhomer
Member
I know this was an ugly thread, but I appreciate everyone's involvment in this discussion. Thanks to Ren, Ramey70, and LOTR for their investigation of this issue.
I've been following it from the first, and I have to say that I was interested in saving some money, but only if there was going to be a huge savings over 2 175 mh. I don't see that there is.
Thanks
I've been following it from the first, and I have to say that I was interested in saving some money, but only if there was going to be a huge savings over 2 175 mh. I don't see that there is.
Thanks