Please help! My MH ballast gets wicked hot!

[luumanfoo29]

I'm new to this whole metal halide business and to be honest...im not even sure what kind of ballast it is (electronic vs. magnetic)...but my ballast for my 2x175W fixture gets wayyyy hot...to the degree where I can't even keep my fingers on it for more than 3 seconds without burning them...

Is this normal? It's kind of getting me worried...I just dropped $200 on this fixture from a fellow reefer and I'm scared of the fire hazards...

Please give me any input at all.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[naturebatslast]

I would call the person who you bought the light from. IMO, it should be warm, maybe a little hot, but not wayyy hot.

 

[TomD]

Ya mine are warm to the touch but not hot. I only have had electronic ballasts though.

What does yours look like?

 

[luumanfoo29]

Yeah that's what i figured. It makes me very uneasy that the ballast gets that hot and I spoke with the seller and he said that it always ran hot for him and that he just kept it off the ground to get better air flow around it...

 

[luumanfoo29]

it's just like...a 6"x12" black metal box with slits on the side and a single switch to turn on and off...

Do any ballast boxes for 2x175W sockets have only one switch and one wire? I'm afraid the ballast might actually be meant for just 1x175W but he just connected the wires so they are both connected...

 

[TomD]

If it was only a single I do not think it would fire both. It is probably a dual PFO ballast. As I said I have not owned one like that yet so I do not know how hot they get.

 

[luumanfoo29]

Oh ic. Thanks for your input tom and nature.

 

[TomD]

Sure, hope it works out.

 

[stevefromga2000]

what about putting in some small fans or something? I'm not sure as I am doing research to get MH as well, but what if you could work something like a pair of computer fans in there? Maybe install one on each side, one pulling air into the fixture and the other pushing air out? I know they are small, quiet, and pretty cheap, but I'm not sure if they work. Just a suggestion, hopefully a useful one.

 

[cknapp21]

possible it should only be firing 150W bulbs. You'll probably need to open the black box to find out though.

 

[JohnK]

That's sounds like a magnetic ballast of some kind (black metal box, cooling slits). PFO would be an aluminum box with cooling fins. All dual ballasts I've seen have seperate switches and seperate lamp cords.

If there's only one switch and one wire I would open it up and make sure it really is a dual ballast. Just disconnect it, let it cool, and find the screws and open it up. Assuming it's a standard magetic ballast you'll find a transformer and a capicator for each lamp. If there's only one of each, it's not a dual ballast and you've got a problem.

Whatever it is, look at the transformer and find a model / part number and Mfg. Google it, or post the number here to figure out exactly what it is.

 

[MikeG]

Most duel magnetic ballasts I have had are in a black box like you describe with one switch. Inside the box there should be 2 seperate ballasts connected to one switch. The Hamilton ballasts I use to have (magnetic and electronic) you couldn't touch more than a few seconds because they were so hot and this was normal according to the manufacturer.

 

[luumanfoo29]

Alright...I'll pop the thing open this afternoon and take a peek. I'll keep you guys updated. I was actually thinking of making a cut on the top of the box and putting a computer fan there...Thanks again for the help!

 

[luumanfoo29]

I can't open the box because the nuts are like...rusted into the box but there is a label on the bottom of the box that says:

Energy savings unlimited, Inc.
175W 120 volts 3.7 Amps
Model:AF175WD
Serial: 3041

Anybody know what that means? Is it only for a single 175W or a dual?

 

[JohnK]

I googled those numbers, found a few threads where people had the same set up - 2x175W, with the same markings on the ballast so it sounds like it is a dual ballast. Funny thing though, no one seems to know what brand it is.

The cooling fan idea works great. I have a DIY 2 x 250W ballast with a small radio shack fan in the top of the box and it stays remarkably cool.

 

[luumanfoo29]

Great! That's a relief...I'll try getting that fan in sometime this week. Thanks jimmyj

 

[Bobbofin]

I had a single black box with my Coralife Aqualight. It is a magnetic ballast. It used to get really hot like you described. I got rid of the light for other reasons but if I was going to keep in I would have put it on a 8"x8" floor tile so it would harm the carpet. Magnetic ballasts are HOT! I built a DIY one about 10 years ago with a M85 or M81 magnetic ballast in a 8"x8"x8" enclosure. It got cranking hot too. It's normal and good luck.

 

[smcnally]

I have a dual 175W magnetic ballast that looks just like you describe and it has always run very hot. It is normal for some units depending on what components are used. Mine has been running hot like that for 2 years with no issues.

 

[luumanfoo29]

Phew! thanks for all of the info everyone.

 

[Scott G]

I like it being warm because I can rest my feet on it when I am working on my desk