T5 Ballast Question
- Thread starter dnjan
- Start date
Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:
Scooterman
Well-known member
In general fluorescents can work with several length bulbs, going from a smaller length to a larger you would probably have to use less bulbs, visa versa if going down to shorter bulbs, the ballast should have a diagram or you should be able to find one off the internet at the manufacture web-site.
I have not been able to find an 80-watt HO-T5 ballast that runs on 110-120 volts. Only 54 watts. I would like to use 80-watt T5 bulbs (about 60"), but am worried that if I try to run them on a 54-watt ballast (the kind made for the four-foot T5's) it will overheat the ballast. But then again, I don't know much about electronic ballasts.
Scooterman
Well-known member
I can run 4 48" or three 60" VHO's on my IceCap 660, I talked directly to Andy @ Ice cap & he said I could run two or three 48" H.O. T5's which would be 54w each. These lights are designed for office 4 foot fixtures typically. My 60" Vho's use 110w per bulb. Frankly, if I could do it all over I'd dump them & add another mh with a good reflector.
reefaddict
Well-known member
t5 ballast
i just read an article in either TFH or FAMA, I can't locate it right now (the rest of the family is asleep i don't want to wake them up) but the author overdrove t5's with an icecap660 and swears that the results with regular output bulbs double powered(80 watts on a 40 watt bulb) gets the same growth as mh! as soon as i locate the mag i will let you know the month and what publication it was in.
i just read an article in either TFH or FAMA, I can't locate it right now (the rest of the family is asleep i don't want to wake them up) but the author overdrove t5's with an icecap660 and swears that the results with regular output bulbs double powered(80 watts on a 40 watt bulb) gets the same growth as mh! as soon as i locate the mag i will let you know the month and what publication it was in.
You have to be wary about claims of people over powering bulbs. I have seen post on this stuff and it is virtually impossiable to overdrive flourescent bulbs. with out getting into the technical aspect. the physics of what those claims are made on are only assumptions. if you really want to know ask an certified electrition
reefaddict
Well-known member
overpowered bulbs
gobi,
i am skeptical also but this wasn't a post on a reef thread, it was an article in a national magazine(i know that doesn't make it infallible but i thought it gave it a little credibility). as soon as i locate it i will give you the month and page. this same person had done something similar with normal output t-12 bulbs a few years ago. he also talked about going to icecap before trying any of this to make sure he wasn't going to destroy a 660. i was just wondering if anyone else saw that article.
gobi,
i am skeptical also but this wasn't a post on a reef thread, it was an article in a national magazine(i know that doesn't make it infallible but i thought it gave it a little credibility). as soon as i locate it i will give you the month and page. this same person had done something similar with normal output t-12 bulbs a few years ago. he also talked about going to icecap before trying any of this to make sure he wasn't going to destroy a 660. i was just wondering if anyone else saw that article.
Scooterman
Well-known member
reefaddict said:
That makes sense T12's I thought you were saying that he had 60" T5's.
Either way, I doubt you would hurt a IC660, it would just over heat & trip the internal overload If anything but I can check on that to make sure it had a thermal overload.
I'm not trying to overdrive - on the contrary, I am worried about "underdriving" and overheating the ballast. I have found an electronic ballast for two, 54-watt T5-HO bulbs at a cost of about $80. Before I spend the money, I would like to know if it would work to try to drive two 80-watt T5-HO bulbs on this ballast.
Scooterman
Well-known member
http://www.specialty-lights.com/flballast.html
If you don't exceed the ballast total wattage then you won't. If you want check these out they will work, just determine how many 60" bulbs you want add up the total wattage and this will determine how many ballast you need. Now with smaller bulb, you obviously can add more bulbs per ballast, all depends on what you need & how you wire the ballast.
If you don't exceed the ballast total wattage then you won't. If you want check these out they will work, just determine how many 60" bulbs you want add up the total wattage and this will determine how many ballast you need. Now with smaller bulb, you obviously can add more bulbs per ballast, all depends on what you need & how you wire the ballast.
Scooterman
Well-known member
Oh sorry, to answers your question, No, if this ballast was designed for two 54 H.O. T5, & you put two 80w bulbs, the ballast will try to drive them, either it won't light them or it will eventually damage the ballast by trying to. Now you can run One 80W bulb if so desired. You can always go less, you shouldn't go above the rated wattage of the ballast unless your intending to overdrive. I think this is what your were getting at, hope it helps.
I agree with scooter on this. but the best way to find out info upon what your ballast can do is to contact the mfg. if they tell you it is ok than often times if somethings happens they will usually replace it. just make sure you cover your basis first. ice cap makes the perfect ballast for that application which is the 3000 series.
reefaddict
Well-known member
t-5
i finally found that article. it was written by Sandy Cohen it is in the October issue of FAMA on page 152.this person took 54 watt t-5's and ran them at 80watts with an icecap660.dnjan I realize that this isn't what you were asking about but this person says 54watt t-5s at 80 watts are better than mh, a very cheap way to keep clams and sps(if it works).
i finally found that article. it was written by Sandy Cohen it is in the October issue of FAMA on page 152.this person took 54 watt t-5's and ran them at 80watts with an icecap660.dnjan I realize that this isn't what you were asking about but this person says 54watt t-5s at 80 watts are better than mh, a very cheap way to keep clams and sps(if it works).
I hate to rain on peoples parades but a 54watt bulb is a 54watt bulb no matter what the claim is! the physical propeties of the bulbs wont allow it to run higher. And anybody who disputes it should talk to an engineer at say oshram, General Electric, or better yet Hamilton lighting. I get a laugh everytime someone makes these claims about flourescence bulbs.
reefaddict
Well-known member
gobie, are you saying that powering the lamp with a 80 watt ballast wont make it burn brighter? . according to the author that is exactly what"overdriving" the bulb does. i don't know one way or the other but i do know this, if it was true that there was a way to make 4 5 dollar bulbs with a 160.00 dollar ballast light a tank like 1000.00 worth of mh/vho's, I wouldn't rely on the expert at the company who stands to lose the most out of this discovery to tell me that it doesn't work.(a hamilton engineer).
the site you are looking for is www.icecapinc.com or you can call and talk to Andy their phone is 609-588-5338 ext 25
Scooterman
Well-known member
reefaddict said:
Incorrect, the IC 660 will deliver 420w depending on how it is wired, when you over drive normally your pushing a bulb to the upper design limits at some point the bulb will reach a flood point & burn out prematurely or cause damage, this is easily done with a regular iron ballast, not so by design of an electronic ballast. Obviously he wired these things not accordance to the design of the ballast. If the bulbs were wired according to the design it won't over drive the bulb, I talked to Andy about using T5's over a year ago, at this time they may be able to drive more bulbs because he told me they still was in the testing stage. Now with that said, no way even over driven can he honestly say that his fluorescent bulbs out perform a mh, something is not being disclosed, I ask Again, what devices is he using to test this to make such a statement, we can pull in a few more experts if needed, but I suspect your misreading the article or something is being left out. I will post this web page with some great information, if you wish to read it. I can’t argue without having all of the information, it is pointless, even more so when people don’t even bother reading the Entire thread.
http://members.misty.com/don/f-lamp.html#
dnjan, I posted a link that would offer you the prober ballast for whatever bulb you desire to use.
Similar threads
- Sticky
