Digital ballast producing heat?

Bain

Bain

Well-Known Member
I recently got a digital ballast from HTGsupply. I know digital ballasts are supposed to produce less heat, but mine is burning hot. I can only touch it for 3 or 4 seconds before it starts to burn me and I need to pull my hand away... is that normal?
 
markieeee

markieeee

Well-Known Member
yeah, sounds about right..

my 150W digital MH will fry my fingers after 5 secs. IMPOSSIBLE to hold with bare hands.
 
ganjagoddess

ganjagoddess

Well-Known Member
Thats why they have all those Heat sinks on em....

Dont really work like traditional ballsts, me thinks.
 
Bain

Bain

Well-Known Member
I don't have it mounted, I'm moving in a month so I just put it on the floor. It is odd that a 600w runs cooler than a 400w. I mean, if a digital runs this hot, how hot are magnetic?
 
ganjagoddess

ganjagoddess

Well-Known Member
Agreed mount it surface mount to a piece of plywood with 1 fan dedicated to blowing cool air across it, you should instantly be able to see a difference.
 
D

DR. VonDankenstine

Well-Known Member
Bain said:
I don't have it mounted, I'm moving in a month so I just put it on the floor. It is odd that a 600w runs cooler than a 400w. I mean, if a digital runs this hot, how hot are magnetic?[/quote
My 600's are raised mounted(I purchased 1/2" tall plastic mounts-they look like thick straws) it lifts the digis a half inch off the board-the board is sec to the wall---I don't have fans on them and they are very cool to the touch after 10hrs of cont. run time.
Click to expand...
 
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DR. VonDankenstine

Well-Known Member
If mounted correctly digis should not put off very much heat. I have ran ballast in the past-400/600/1000----I will never go back to ballast after using the digis.---little if any heat---no-noise-----more efficient.
 
Dopalicious

Dopalicious

Well-Known Member
Bain said:
I recently got a digital ballast from HTGsupply. I know digital ballasts are supposed to produce less heat, but mine is burning hot. I can only touch it for 3 or 4 seconds before it starts to burn me and I need to pull my hand away... is that normal?
Click to expand...
No, it's not. Same setup, 600w = slightly warm to the touch
 
unholycode

unholycode

Active Member
Bain said:
I recently got a digital ballast from HTGsupply. I know digital ballasts are supposed to produce less heat, but mine is burning hot. I can only touch it for 3 or 4 seconds before it starts to burn me and I need to pull my hand away... is that normal?
Click to expand...
I just got one too and I thought the same thing. Is it pink colored 400w with a sticker that shows its a Digital Greenhouse? I bought the digi because I read all about how they run cooler, but this thing gets burning hot. It's not mounted just sitting on a small glass table next to my plants.
 
Hawk

Hawk

Well-Known Member
I set a pc fan on top of my Lumatek 250w. Without the fan it gets rather hot. With the fan it stays at room temperature. I think it's ok for them to get hot but I like it being cool.
 
BIGMIKE13

BIGMIKE13

Well-Known Member
Bain said:
I recently got a digital ballast from HTGsupply. I know digital ballasts are supposed to produce less heat, but mine is burning hot. I can only touch it for 3 or 4 seconds before it starts to burn me and I need to pull my hand away... is that normal?
Click to expand...
did you make sure the internal cooling fan is running?
 
Bain

Bain

Well-Known Member
unholycode said:
I just got one too and I thought the same thing. Is it pink colored 400w with a sticker that shows its a Digital Greenhouse? I bought the digi because I read all about how they run cooler, but this thing gets burning hot. It's not mounted just sitting on a small glass table next to my plants.
Click to expand...
yeah, exactly like mine, pink 400w digital greenhouse. Hot as hell. I mounted mine last night. I'll see how it does tonight but I don't see how putting it up on a wall makes a difference.

BIGMIKE13 said:
did you make sure the internal cooling fan is running?
Click to expand...
I don't know if there is an internal fan, it makes no noise, there are no openings to let air in or out.
 
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