hot ballast

[fishyness]

I just got a coarlife 2x65 actinic 150w HQI for my 54 and the ballest gets pretty hot. I know they get warm, but really warm?

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Many ballasts used in reefkeeping will get hot enough to cause discomfort or burn you, it's unfortunate but normal.

 

[power boat jim]

How hot they get to the touch also depends on where you keep them. If they are under the tank with little air circulated by them they will get hot to the touch. I keep mine in the crawl space where it is a bit drafty and they run only warm to the touch.

I also had a magnetic 400w ballast that would cause a burn during normal operation. I got rid of since I did not feel comfortable with that kind of temperature under my floor.

 

[THE ROOK]

I kept a cheap 6" clip-on fan pointed at my ballasts to keep them cool to the touch. Worked pretty good & less worry about them. I simply plugged the fan into the same timer as the halides.

 

[jbird69]

Interesting. I posted the same question in the lighting/filtration forum and was told that it should not be hot to the touch. That there must be something wrong with my ballast and I should take it out of use....

 

[reefscape15]

Ballasts will be warm. Electronic ballasts will usually be only warm, but magnetic ballasts usually do get HOT. Nothing can really be done to prevent the temperature, only things can be done to deal with it. Having a fan on them to help them run cooler is a great idea! Not only does it prolong the life of your ballast, it also helps perform better. This is due to the increase in resistance with the increase in heat. Keeping it cooler helps to keep resistance lower, therefore causing it to run more efficiant