Can I just switch my MH ballast?

[Fmellish]

I bought 2 MH retro kits. Hamilton 14K bulbs. The kits came with EVC ballast that are ugly and very hot.

I would like to run IceCap ballast since they are smaller and not as hot. Can I simply buy the IceCap 250 W ballast? Will it hook into my standard single ended mogul sockets?

I ask because when I look at pictures of the IceCap ballasts they have 6 wires instead of the three standard wires other ballasts have.

How does this all work? If I can use the IceCap 250W ballasts, then I'll order 2 right away. But I do'nt want to order them if they don't work with standard (3-wire, black, green, white), mogul sockets .

Please let me know

Thank you,
josh

 

[jdieck]

Nope they do not have 6 wires. I think you are confusing the MH electronic ballast with the ballast use for VHO. Electronic MH ballast have only 4 wires, black which goes to the hot line in the power plug or switch, the white wire which goes to the neutral, the blue and yellow wires that go to the mogul socket one to the tip of the socket and the other one to the side (the threaded part) of the socket.
the green lines fom the plug goes to the screw in the balast leg or to the attaching screw and to the metal hood or reflector if you are using one.
It will work prefectly well, just insure that the wattage of the ballast matches the wattage of the bulb.

Enjoy!

 

[Chris@IceCap]

Fmellish:

IceCap MH ballast will work perfectly with your retros. If you need help with wiring or have any questions please call us M-F 9-4 EST 800-742-3227 X25. (Dave Hall, Technical Support).

Thanks,

Chris
IceCap Inc.

 

[Fmellish]

Awesome, I will be ordering at Marine Depot and picking up from Will call at lunch, (assuming they are in stock).

Thank you,
Josh

 

[VinceC]

Fmellish

From the test we have done the IceCap is actually a little hotter.
The EVC is a little larger because it has a built in heat sink which helps keep it cooler.

IceCap Dimensions 2 x 3.7 x 8.4
EVC Dimensions EVC is 3.5 x 4 x 7.5

If your ballast is running real hot please give us a call
910-270-8888 I am not sure what you consider hot. All MH ballast get warm to hot.

As far looks that is a individual taste.

Vince

 

[Fmellish]

The EVC runs cooler?

Heat is my main consideration.

If the Icecaps would really be warmer than the EVC then I woin't get the ice caps. These are mounted in an already hot stand.

THanks
Josh

 

[djtodd]

All MH ballasts get warm to a certain degree. With my old Magnetic ballasts I couldn't even touch them without risking 3rd degree burns. The Icecaps I have now are quite warm, but not hot enough that they're uncomfortable to touch.

 

[Fmellish]

I was inspecting the IceCap ballasts at my local fish store that they are running on their display tanks and they were quite cool for a ballast. I was so impressed I thought I'd replace my EVC ballasts with ice Cap ballasts.

However VinceC just said that the EVCs will run even cooler? Can anyone else substantiate this? I need to know soon so I can place my order for IceCaps or not.

Also consider that at any specific small area on the housing the EVCs may be cooler, but a slightly lower temp over a much larger surface area may not really be cooler than a slightly hotter temp over a much smaller area. The iceCap ballasts are so much smaller, I can't help but wonder if a small device running slightly warmer is better than a huge device running slightly cooler. It's the same SUM amount of heat, just dissipated over a larger area. SO in the end, I wish I had numbers on the total heat dissipation and how many degrees each would raise my internal stand temperature.

I haven't installed the EVCs yet, so while I know how an IceCap ballast feels when running, I don't know how an EVC feels while running. Like I said, the Icecaps powering the displays ay my LFS were very cool. You wouldn't feel uncomfortable putting them in a vest pocket, (if you didn't mind all the wiring ) And they were powering 250W MH just like mine.


Thanks
Josh

 

[VinceC]

I want to help but I am a little confused in your first post you stated
.

The kits came with EVC ballast that are ugly and very hot

Which made me think that heat was the problem.
Now in your last post you say

I haven't installed the EVCs yet, so while I know how an IceCap ballast feels when running, I don't know how an EVC feels while running.

So how do you know what temperature they are to say they are too hot. Do you know which Icecap ballast you were looking at in the lfs. Was it the new version that was pictured above.
Like djtodd said All MH ballasts get warm to a certain degree.

Please clarify exactly what the problem is with the EVC ballast so that I may help out.

 

[nikonosis]

Icecap Ushio

70.1F 0 Min

78.6F 35 Min

85.2F 45 Min/No Fan

All Electronic ballasts run pretty close to the same temp
here is the temp for ARO also

ARO Ushio

70.2F 0 Min

79.6F 35 Min

88.3F 45 Min/No Fan

There really isn't much diff in temps...

 

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6491151#post6491151 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fmellish
I was inspecting the IceCap ballasts at my local fish store that they are running on their display tanks and they were quite cool for a ballast. I was so impressed I thought I'd replace my EVC ballasts with ice Cap ballasts.

However VinceC just said that the EVCs will run even cooler? Can anyone else substantiate this? I need to know soon so I can place my order for IceCaps or not.

Also consider that at any specific small area on the housing the EVCs may be cooler, but a slightly lower temp over a much larger surface area may not really be cooler than a slightly hotter temp over a much smaller area. The iceCap ballasts are so much smaller, I can't help but wonder if a small device running slightly warmer is better than a huge device running slightly cooler. It's the same SUM amount of heat, just dissipated over a larger area. SO in the end, I wish I had numbers on the total heat dissipation and how many degrees each would raise my internal stand temperature.

I haven't installed the EVCs yet, so while I know how an IceCap ballast feels when running, I don't know how an EVC feels while running. Like I said, the Icecaps powering the displays ay my LFS were very cool. You wouldn't feel uncomfortable putting them in a vest pocket, (if you didn't mind all the wiring ) And they were powering 250W MH just like mine.


Thanks
Josh

Me personally I think the EVC's run the coolest of anyones because of the heatsink.

 

[nikonosis]

Well if this lets you know anything...

ALL Electronic Ballasts run colder than a human being. If you touched an electronic halide ballast and then touched yourself, you would be hotter... I don't know how that can be considered "VERY HOT".

 

[Fmellish]

Thanks nikonosis, that's 2 votes for EVC being the coolest. That makes me feel better. I don't want to spend another $250 replacing ballasts, so this makes me happy.

The EVC ballast design is that of a large ribbed aluminum housing. I concluded that this design was for the purpose of dissipating heat. This led me to conclude that the EVCs must run really hot to necessitate such a large heatsink-like housing. The Icecaps don't require any such heat disipating technology, and they are much smaller. That combined with my experience of feeling them led me to conlude that the IceCaps surely must run cooler than the EVCs. You could argue that I shouldn't have judged the EVCs as hot just by looking at them. However they wouldn't be designed the way they're designed unless it was necessary.

The other 40% of the isse is size. I have a small stand, and the EVCs are huge.

I will hook them up tonight and then know for sure through running the same "feel" test which is the coolest. Assuming the LFS 250W bulbs were similar to mine, (which they were).

Thanks for the info guys.
Josh

 

[Fmellish]

And Vince, thanks for getting that new socket out to me so quickly, you have very good customer service.

Here is the old one BTW.

Thanks
Josh

 

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6491577#post6491577 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fmellish
Thanks nikonosis, that's 2 votes for EVC being the coolest. That makes me feel better. I don't want to spend another $250 replacing ballasts, so this makes me happy.

The EVC ballast design is that of a large ribbed aluminum housing. I concluded that this design was for the purpose of dissipating heat. This led me to conclude that the EVCs must run really hot to necessitate such a large heatsink-like housing. The Icecaps don't require any such heat disipating technology, and they are much smaller. That combined with my experience of feeling them led me to conlude that the IceCaps surely must run cooler than the EVCs. You could argue that I shouldn't have judged the EVCs as hot just by looking at them. However they wouldn't be designed the way they're designed unless it was necessary.

The other 40% of the isse is size. I have a small stand, and the EVCs are huge.

I will hook them up tonight and then know for sure through running the same "feel" test which is the coolest. Assuming the LFS 250W bulbs were similar to mine, (which they were).

Thanks for the info guys.
Josh

Well here is the diff, evc comes with their heatsink built on, icecap you have to buy their heatsink seperate if you want one.
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=IC7611
thats the link to icecaps ballast heatsink!

 

[Fmellish]

Thanks nikonosis.

Unrelated to which ballast I choose ..

Is there anything wrong with having the ballast sit on top of the canopy? I would be anchored of course. My stand just has too much condensation inside and it has a back, so I can't get wires from the stand to the canopy easily.

Thanks
Josh

 

[nikonosis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6492276#post6492276 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fmellish
Thanks nikonosis.

Unrelated to which ballast I choose ..

Is there anything wrong with having the ballast sit on top of the canopy? I would be anchored of course. My stand just has too much condensation inside and it has a back, so I can't get wires from the stand to the canopy easily.

Thanks
Josh

There shouldn't be anything wrong with it as long as it doesn't get salt water in it and it isn't super hot up there.

 

[blgreef]

the cooler an electronic ballast runs the longer its life may be. As such heatsinking a ballast is a good move as long as there is good airflow around the heat sink.

Placing the ballst on anything that wil get hot is not ideal

 

[Fmellish]

Thanks guys, you're the best.

Josh

 

[h2joe]

i personally have the same EVC retros you have purchased and i love them. they dnt run as hot as some of the other ballast that i have felt and i also have mine mounted on top of my canopy for better vetilation and the fact that they have there own circut. they are a little larger then some of the balast out there but i dont think there that bad. good luck and you are dealing with a quality product.