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Are ballasts supposed to buzz or humm like mine (which HARDDON donated so selflessly)? Also is it completely necessery to have the bare ballast encased in a metal container or any container at all? The reason I'm asking is because I took the light system HARDDON gave me apart to better suit my needs. It was one of those all-in-1 mini systems where the ballast the hood and the light are all together. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
yes, they do hummm...some are louder than others too, even same brand and size. the metal container protects you from electrical frying and the equipment inside but i have seen others separate the components to make it a remote ballast...but i wouldn't do it..
Yes I have a Hyrrofarm remote ballast I've had it for years and it humms loudly if on the floor or if it is vibrating something up against it. I put it up on a couple of heavy duty net pots to absorb the vibes and now it is more quiet. But I can still hear it though.
Herbus
OK now I have one more question. I won't get to actually try it out till I get back from my trip, but this is how I set my box up so far.
W18"(1.5ft)xL18"(1.5ft)xH24"(2ft)
I have a 250W HPS bulb hanging horizontaly about an inch and a half from the top. I'm planning on putting this 4" computer fan that I hooked up to a 12v AC adapter to blow air UPWARDS while it sits right above the HPS bulb. And I also plan on putting a few tiny fans along the walls in the middle to basically spiral the air upward toward the bulb. Then near the flooring I plan to cut 2" holes on each wall for air to get in from (cool air is on the floor more often then higher up). I have the HPS bulb already hooked up (but without a cieling) and I tried turning it on to see if heat would be a problem even without the fans. Unfortunately it seemed like it was a little (not too much) hot for growing tomatoes. I liked that whole thing in the grow FAQs about making your own cooltube, but I don't really know where I'd find a tube to work with.
So basically I need to know of any more ideas that would eliminate heat from the bulb. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Cool Tube glass: Bake a Round @ eBay
Put neoprene inserts underneath it.
Hi Guys, If you have a ballast that is giving off a lot of buzzing and you want to silence it up, disconnect it and take the transformer into a shop that works on electrical motors. Have them dip it in it's original shellac, and bake it on. It will strengthen that ballast's construction, make it absolutely silent, and extend it's life. For the couple of bucks they will charge, it's well worth it. Over time the old shellac dries out and lets loose. This causes the buzzing when the magnetic field gets too great and the tiny copper winding wires begin to vibrate.
what ever you do, do not take the ballast out of the metal box! that metal box can save you from having your house burn down if theres a electrical short. i just had a ballast that was fresh out of the box, that was arcing like a mother. if i had walked off and not noticed it, the only thing that would of saved me is the metal box. also, those cheap rubber mats from costco or sams club work really well in quieting the ballast.
The ballast I have I just put on some really thick magazine and its almost completely silent. What I would do is figure out where your plants are gona be, i.e the bottom of the plant stem. At that level bore a hole or two in the door of the cupboard and fit a pc fan or two. The breeze these thing's make are perfect because they don't blow over a small plant just fan it. This will get co2 into the system. Another problem is taking the heat out of a closest. I wouldn't bother having a fan sitting on the ground pointing directly up, it will just be blowing up stale warm air which will rise on its own anyway.
You could buy a water cooled light which would more or less solve the problem. Or you could install an extraction fan in the top half of the cupboard with ducting attached. Taking air out. This is a pain in the ass because making a fucking gaping hole in your furniture is not really convenient, and it leaves its mark. However if you want rid of stale shitty air and you want a proper ventilation type system, even in your small space (mines smiliar), I would make the holes, ruin your cupboard, and have a much more efficient system.
mine buzzzes LOUD seriousely i layed it ontop of a weedworld magazine and 2 plates or corex u knwo that plastic fireproof stuff that is like cardboard but plastic..it has the lines goin inside it so air can get through... but its still LOUD AS FUCK BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ