Combination HPS / MH light. Have you guys seen this?

[BobBong]

Lumatek , ftw.

[GaGrown]

My point was that on high-end ballasts, you'll find no fan, because their ballasts don't get warm enough to warrant one. If you have a fan on your ballast, it either isn't doing any good, or the ballast is not tip-top.

Go buy you a Future-Brite and use it for a month.. Oh,buy a light meter. Put the same lamp in your ballast and one in the Future-Brite.. I would be willing to bet that the lumen output will be greater,than with a another brand. I've tried several,and the future-brite outshinned the 4 others I tried. The fan is in the housing for a reason..

[hybridlove420]

The fan in a digital is a part of the ballast that is needed for the digital to operate properly.If not kept at a consistant temp. it will cause stroboscopic problems. That would be flickering of the lamp due to overheating. Or just getting warmer than the board on the inside should.:thumbsup:

really? my ballast has fins and a fan, and id swear its never gone above the ambient temperature. just air slits would provide sufficient colling id think

[GaGrown]

It's just like your body temp..... It functions better if kept consistant.

[deaner]

today i saw a 1000 watt, 600 hps, 400 mh combo, supposedly a better spectrum for blooming, dont know about growing, pretty expensive, but i guess you can see the difference after a day under it. The guy knows his stuff, working at a hydro/garden supply shop around here where everyone goin in is buying for the same purpose :smokin: i want one!

[GaGrown]

really? my ballast has fins and a fan, and id swear its never gone above the ambient temperature. just air slits would provide sufficient colling id think

It would depend on whether you had the ballast in the growroom near the light. Then your ballast would exceed 100 degrees.