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Unread 04/28/2008, 12:22 AM   #1
Screename_116
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Electronic ballasts worth it?

Are electronic ballasts worth it? I'm looking into buying a hamilton pendant but it has a magnetic ballast. Are they any good?


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Unread 04/28/2008, 02:02 AM   #2
Audi_Guy
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depends really...
some electronic balasts are dimmable and consume less power than the magnectic counterparts.
heres a good read...
http://www.coralvue.com/metalb.html


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Unread 04/28/2008, 05:13 AM   #3
IndyMatt
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Different bulbs take different ballasts. Match the bulb of choice to your ballast. Many bulbs take a magnetic ballast. Do you know whether it is pulse start or not?


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Unread 04/28/2008, 07:38 AM   #4
OneReef
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I have the Hamilton double Reefstar unit, and it came with two magnetic ballasts. I didn't like the fact that they hummed pretty loud, so I sold them and wired in two IceCap electronic ballasts to my Hamilton fixture. They run silently, and I have been happy with them, and I like the color that they are putting out with the IceCaps and my 14K Hamilton bulbs.


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Unread 04/28/2008, 08:10 AM   #5
snorvich
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I went to electronic ballasts because of noise (them and my wife complaining about them) but some of the neat features are nice as well. I have them on 250 and 400 watt fixtures.


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Unread 04/28/2008, 09:08 AM   #6
JRaquatics
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I never liked Hamiltons m58 ballast. They never seemed to burn any of the bulbs I wanted to use correctly. They were also very noisy, big and get very hot. I now use Coralvue electronic ballast and love them.


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Unread 04/28/2008, 09:18 AM   #7
hyperfocal
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I just switched from M58 ballasts to a Sunlight Supply dual Galaxy electronic ballast and I'm very happy with it. The ability to run pretty much any bulb (probe, pulse, HQI) made it a no-brainer upgrade for me.


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