Which Outlets on the EB8 are best for Halides

[urbaneks]

I am in the process of hooking up all of my components and wanted to know which outlets are best for MH lighting. Is it the solid sate outlets or the relayed outlets?

 

[aquamanic]

For most MH lighting it really doesn't matter. Save outlets 4/8 for other things. Neptune recommends that IceCap ballasts go on the relay outlets though (4/8) due to their current draw. If you have any issues running them on the TRIAC outlets, then move them to the relay outlets.

 

[jeffhaag]

+1 I actually have icecaps on both triacs and relays, no difference at all. When first setup my system I didn't know there were relay and triac outlets. Now I'm just to lazy to move them to other outlets.

 

[urbaneks]

For most MH lighting it really doesn't matter. Save outlets 4/8 for other things. Neptune recommends that IceCap ballasts go on the relay outlets though (4/8) due to their current draw. If you have any issues running them on the TRIAC outlets, then move them to the relay outlets.

Thanks for the reply. The info I was reading was a bit contradictory, it looked like 4/8 were best for MH due to current draw but then I was reading that you want to keep low current items on 4/8 since the other outlets will sometimes not turn them off.

What kind of equipment would you typically save the 4/8 for?

 

[aquamanic]

Think of the relay outlets (4/8) as outlets for the extremes - high or low current devices. They work well for low current devices like dosing pumps because they're mechanical on/off and don't rely on current differentials to operate. They work well for high current devices because they're rated for more amps (10 vs 5 on the TRIAC outlets) and they won't damage the outlet.

There's a more thorough discussion in the user guide on the pros/cons of the different types of outlets and how Neptune attempts to address all the different types of devices we use in our hobby.

 

[crsandoval]

Hmm. Maybe I should change mine. I have my halides plugged into outlets 1,2