Ballast Question

[mystair13]

Good morning all. I decided to install lighting myself. I bought an Icecap ballast kit but have a few questions. One, the ballast will be mounted on the outside but do I need to install a fan for the ballast or inside for the lights. There will be two T-12 bulbs. Also, the power cord has just bare wires on the end and I can't figure out how or where they go into the Ballast. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[mr_X]

can you take a picture of the ballast and post it, paying attention to the connections?
is this a VHO ballast? what wattage is it?
i don't think you have to fan the ballast, but you'll have to see when the lamps are running over the tank, if the temp rises to an undesirable level. if so, then you should implement a fan.

 

[mystair13]

Here is a picture of the ballast that I have. It is 330 Watts max with 8 bulbs but will only be using 2 bulbs and is an VHO and HO.

 

[BillD]

It is impossible to read what is on the ballast, but, in general the schematic should show the wiring clearly. The power cord will go to the black and white and green for ground. It probably says it needs to be grounded. They are meant to be mounted inside an enclosed container to meet various electrical codes. When in a fixture wire nuts are normally used to make the connections. Is that fixture not capable of running T8s, which would be a better choice than the T12s which are becoming obsolete? If the ballast is for HO and VHO tubes, you need to run those. Regular tubes will get very hot and be short lived (this being known as over driving). Electronic ballasts have circuitry to accomadate various tube types and voltages so it is possible to use different ones. I am a little confused as 48" VHO tubes are 110 watts which would allow only 3 tubes to reach the max of 330. Are the 8 tubes if you use standard 40Ws?

 

[mr_X]

t8s would not be a better choice than t12, unless you wanted less light. VHO T12s are potent enough to keep most corals. i don't think i have ever seen VHO t8 lamps. meanwhile, the specs on this ballast are as follows-

Description IceCap 430 Information: IceCap Ballasts are the coolest ballasts available using 40% less electricity and burning 40% brighter. Their unique circuitry prevents premature lamp burn out and fading associated with VHO lamps. You can run VHO, HO, and STD lamps in any combination. In summary, the Icecap 430 is a versatile and powerful ballast.

Specific features include:

• A Model 430 can operate up to 12 lamp feet with a total of 324 rated lamp watts. Individual lamps can be 2 through 6 feet each. This corresponds to 10 different lamp configurations.
• Maximum light output with VHO and HO lamps.
• Cold temperature starts to -40¡ Celsius.
• 3 Year Limited Warranty.

Product Description:

• Mode: IceCap 430-008
• Input Voltage: 220V A/C
• Input Current: 3.3 Amps
• Input Power: 330 Watts
• Lamp Load: 3 @ 110 Watts
• Power Factor: > 60%
• Operating Frequency: 22-24 KHz
• Minimum Starting Temp.: -40C
• Max. Allowed Area Temp.: < 50C
• Max. Mounting Distance: 50 feet
• Type: 2 Outdoors
• Sound Rating: A
• Enclosure Overall Dimensions (Inches): 11 ¼ X 3 7/32 X 1 ¾
• Approval: cULus
• Thermal Protected: Class P
• Weight: 2 lbs

The 430 is fully dimmable, operates silently, has many available features, is fully repairable and has a 3 year conditional warranty.