Lighting Question

rholguin · 03/11/2008, 12:11 PM

I currently have a 4bulb nova fixture ofcourse with a single reflector,but my question is will replacing the current ballast with an icecap make a differance?

silverwolf72 · 03/11/2008, 12:30 PM

It will overdrive the bulbs and will require a fan to keep them cool.

DarG · 03/11/2008, 12:34 PM

Yes but ... I would be a little concerned about the cooling. The Nova Extremes have a pretty effective cooling scheme with the acrylic splash shield in use. It creates a tunnel cooling effect that works pretty well. Im not so sure that it would be effective enough with the bulbs being overdriven by the Icecap ballast. It may be fine but it's a guess without trying it. The Nova endcaps arent exactly heavy duty and Im not sure they would hold up to the extra heat if the cooling isnt effective enough. It may be fine but it's a do at your own risk project without knowing for sure. I can tell you that T5's do run signifigantly hotter overdriven with Icecap ballast. I have run them both ways. If you can get a reply from somebody who has done it it would help a great deal. I know it's been talked about here but I havent heard of anyone who has actually tried it. But yes, it would be brighter assuming that the cooling is effective enough that the par holds. Excessive heat also causes a drop in par from T5's.

03/11/2008, 12:11 PM	#1
rholguin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 846	Lighting Question I currently have a 4bulb nova fixture ofcourse with a single reflector,but my question is will replacing the current ballast with an icecap make a differance?

03/11/2008, 12:30 PM	#2
silverwolf72 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Lake Forrest CA Posts: 1,732	It will overdrive the bulbs and will require a fan to keep them cool.

03/11/2008, 12:34 PM	#3
DarG Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,515	Yes but ... I would be a little concerned about the cooling. The Nova Extremes have a pretty effective cooling scheme with the acrylic splash shield in use. It creates a tunnel cooling effect that works pretty well. Im not so sure that it would be effective enough with the bulbs being overdriven by the Icecap ballast. It may be fine but it's a guess without trying it. The Nova endcaps arent exactly heavy duty and Im not sure they would hold up to the extra heat if the cooling isnt effective enough. It may be fine but it's a do at your own risk project without knowing for sure. I can tell you that T5's do run signifigantly hotter overdriven with Icecap ballast. I have run them both ways. If you can get a reply from somebody who has done it it would help a great deal. I know it's been talked about here but I havent heard of anyone who has actually tried it. But yes, it would be brighter assuming that the cooling is effective enough that the par holds. Excessive heat also causes a drop in par from T5's.