posterart
Member
RIU`upers My trusty NextGen 400/ 600 W digital ballast finally died , lasted 5 years , made some noises , flickered a little a day before he / she died . So here is my dilhema . What to replace it with ? A little background . I use 3 600 watt NextGen`s , on light movers . My room is 8 ft High 10 X 11 . So heat can be an issue in summer in CA . I use Hydro Farm Radiant hoods .
I have been reading up on DE ( double ended ) digital ballasts . I am leaning towards Gavita`s but my question is , the DE digital ballasts are adjustable ( some are 1 K , 750 , 600 , 400 ? ) . Is there a 7/ 600 that I could replace my broken unit with ( of course ) and what experiences have the community had with DE digital ballasts . The Gaviyta`s are steep $$$ , but I have seen a bunch of You - Tube stuff saying reflective aluminum surface loses reflective % every year . My hoods are over 5 years old , I don`t use glass or in line cooling . You - Tube says hoods lose 5 % reflectivity every year ( scratches, dirty , when you clean they lose % reflectivity ) . I saw a Gavita video and they say they built low cost ( $ 20 - $ 40 ) replacement 98 % reflective material . They said the DE light bulb only loses 5 % over a entire year , burns more efficiently and uses less electricity ( 30 - 40 % ) . Gavita`s are $ 400 - $ 500 bucks . I am a serious amateur hobbyist . I want to see better results , my ballasts and hoods are OLD technology . I would like to run 2 stronger lights and use less electricity . Do DE digital ballasts really produce more PAR or Lumens ( I believe it has an enhanced spectrum because it burns more efficiently ) AND use substantially less power ... therefore lower electric bills ??? Do you think hoods lose reflective efficiency every year you own / use them ???
I have been reading up on DE ( double ended ) digital ballasts . I am leaning towards Gavita`s but my question is , the DE digital ballasts are adjustable ( some are 1 K , 750 , 600 , 400 ? ) . Is there a 7/ 600 that I could replace my broken unit with ( of course ) and what experiences have the community had with DE digital ballasts . The Gaviyta`s are steep $$$ , but I have seen a bunch of You - Tube stuff saying reflective aluminum surface loses reflective % every year . My hoods are over 5 years old , I don`t use glass or in line cooling . You - Tube says hoods lose 5 % reflectivity every year ( scratches, dirty , when you clean they lose % reflectivity ) . I saw a Gavita video and they say they built low cost ( $ 20 - $ 40 ) replacement 98 % reflective material . They said the DE light bulb only loses 5 % over a entire year , burns more efficiently and uses less electricity ( 30 - 40 % ) . Gavita`s are $ 400 - $ 500 bucks . I am a serious amateur hobbyist . I want to see better results , my ballasts and hoods are OLD technology . I would like to run 2 stronger lights and use less electricity . Do DE digital ballasts really produce more PAR or Lumens ( I believe it has an enhanced spectrum because it burns more efficiently ) AND use substantially less power ... therefore lower electric bills ??? Do you think hoods lose reflective efficiency every year you own / use them ???