Lighting components - temperatures

[DarG]

This is going to sound like a stupid series of questions but ...

We cool our canopys / hoods / fixtures. Fans are recommended to blow air on / across T5 endcaps, especially when overdriving the lamps. My question is, can we reach a point of too cool? Or is cooler always better?
The e-ballasts for my halides and my T5's are located in my canopy. With the design of the canopy and use of fans, it stays really cool in there. At what should be the hottest point, right between the two halide reflectors (which protrude and vent into the electronics area as well), the temerature inside my canopy is 89 degrees F. The ballasts run cool to just barely warm to the touch. The SLR reflectors on my T5's stay cool to the touch. The T5 bulbs themselves are warm but not hot.

So, is there such a thing as too cool when it comes to the bulbs? and the ballasts for that matter?

 

[spoon671]

EDIT: I have no idea exactly what you are asking Your canopy temperure has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It is what it is.

 

[DarG]

I was asking about the electronics as well as the bulbs themselves. My ballasts are inside a "tunnel" portion of the canopy.

 

[spoon671]

As far as wiring goes, the wires within a ballast or transformer are specifically designed for high running temperatures. It's gonna get hot in there, bottom line. If a particular ballast or transformer is not designed for use in a confined space (i.e. within a fish tank canopy) it should state so on the body of the ballast or transformer. If these warnings exist and you still must use a confined installation location, fans are recommended. Fans should help cool the ambient temperature surrounding the ballast or transformer to tolerant levels.

As far as cool temperatures go, it would have to be extremely cold, well below freezing in most cases, for the ballast or transformer to experience any adverse effects as a result of ambient temperature.

89F seems like an ok temperature for your canopy. It's not astronomically high. As long as your in-tank temperature is not affected by the heat of your canopy, you're good. I have a buddy who lives in AZ and the temperature in his garage in the summer is over 100F. Yes, he uses chillers to cool his tanks. But can you imagine how hot his lights must be? His lights and ballasts have not suffered any damage due to these temperatures, but I bet the life of his electrical components have been shortened a great deal due to the consistantly high ambient temperatures.

I hope this helps.

 

[DarG]

The tank is basically built into a closet. The ambient temperature in this fish room is about 85 degrees. So, I considered the fact that the hottest point inside the canopy being 89 degrees as extremely good. As I mentioned, the ballast cases are just barely warm to the touch. But yes, that partly answers my question.

It's like the cars electrical system. A warm battery charges more quickly and efficiently than a cool one but an alternator runs more efficiently and supplies more potential current when it's cooler as opposed to when it is warmer. So I figured it was worth asking. What I was getting at was whether maybe the ballasts and / or lamps had an operating temperature at which they operated there most efficient and / or there best.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Bulbs are designed to operate at a certain temperature, ballasts are not. Electronic ballasts (or any electrical components for that matter) work with a longer life expectancy the colder you run them. This is due to the fact that electrical resistance is related to temperature - the higher the temperature the higher the resistance. And since electrical resistance generates heat, higher temperatures creates more heat, which will wear down the components more quickly. Bulbs, on the other hand, are specifically designed to operate at certain temperatures. There is a point at which the bulbs could get too cold and not function properly, however I don't think you've reached near that point. Doubtful that you could reach that point in a 85 degree closet using fans alone. I think you are doing well by keeping the bulbs relatively cool as T5s often get too hot and loose efficiency and life expectancy.

As a side note, the reason why car batteries recharge quickly in warmer weather is that they rely on chemical reactions to operate. Typically, higher temperatures increase the rate at which chemical reactions occur.

 

[DarG]

aninjaatemyshoe, thank you. Exactly what I was wondering about.