got ethical husbandry?

IceCap ballasts

A_Lee

A_Lee

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Wow, I keep starting all these threads - sorry if I am getting annoying :p But it's not my fault you are all such a great help and a great resource for advice and opinions, and facts ;D

So, I am considering purchasing a used 250w IC ballast. I'm informed it is a couple years old. Since I am new to buying MH ballasts, how long are these bad boys expected to last on average? I know there are always exceptions, such as premature burn out. I am trying to figure out if it would be worth purchasing a new one off of MD for $130, or getting it used for substantially cheaper.
What do you all think?
 
I have an old one that keep chugging along, IIRC, if they stay cooler during their life, they last longer, at least according to Dan from PGS.

That said if had the money I'd get a new one because they've made some changes and the new ballasts perform better.
 
What Jeremy said, however I thought Dan was anti-electronic ballast from what he said during our talk... or at least as far as fixing them :D

Me, if it's a really good price, sure why not, if it's $10-20 less than new, I'd get the new versions if you were stuck on buying an icecap.

I still have some love for magnetic ballasts however.
 
[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=4829.msg58748#msg58748 date=1223918332]
What Jeremy said, however I thought Dan was anti-electronic ballast from what he said during our talk... or at least as far as fixing them :D


[/quote]

His new ballasts are IceCap. My understanding was that the e-ballasts were not as cost effective on the initial purchase, but with the materials costs on mag ballasts heading to the moon the e-ballasts were a becoming a good alternative. He was very anti-"HQI", and lamented having to make DE lumen arcs, and wondering why the hobby has not moved towards position oriented SEs.
 
So it sounds as though I may be better off purchasing a new one from MD, rather than second hand, unless the second hand ballast is dirt cheap.
 
Jeremy: Gotcha.

Anthony: Well it depends upon how much you really need to save, you can get the new ones for around $130 online so let that be your starting point for price, now is it worth the new one for $10 off? $20? $30? That's a call everyone has to make for themselves, plus you have to take into account you're buying a piece of used equipment vs new equipment (warranty), again how much are you really saving and is the savings worth it to you.
 
You guys never let me down! ;)
I'll order a new one later on when I get this project started
I am still ironing out what I will getting ... sorta like a grocery list.
 
I like the newer IC ballast because it look at lot nicer and the casing itself act as a heat sink. On the order ballast you'll have to buy the heat sink seperately.
 
Yep I second Perry's remarks. Makes for a very easy process in mounting them too.

Here is how I have mine set up.

IMG_4524.jpg


You will see an old ice cap ballast with a heat sink. granted it is from my VHO's but will give you some idea of the difference.
 
Yes, very easy. Make sure you order the quick disconnects too to wire up to the pendant. will make your life very easy and your wiring very clean.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~IC7151.html
 
On Craigslist I just found someone selling a brand new PFO 250w HQI Mini Pendant for $80, and a 250w HQI IceCap ballast for $100. :) Almost $60 in savings.

Now this is going to be a weird question (I've never wired anything like this before) but, what role does that make quick disconnect play in this set-up? What will things be like without it?
 
That is my reefkeeper elite SL-1 module. It connects to the PH probe and the temp and ORP probes (though I do't use and ORP probe) and sends the readings to my heat dunit

There is a female end on the ballast that comes with it. The male end (the one I gave you the link for) is made to fit the female end. It just makes the connection between the two nice and clean. The male end has a screw off piece that allows you to connect the wires within it and then seal it up. Overall the two make it simple if you ever need to move and or replace one or the other. Not sure if you were at the meeting on Saturday but this is how it made it easy for me to switch between different ballasts while I was doing my demo on lighting.
 
Ohhh, sweet - definitely sounds like it will make things easier for me in the long run. Good lookin' out :)

How do you like the IC ballasts as well? Do they run real hot?
 
Nope they run super cool, I wouldn't mount them to a piece of plywood if they didn't. I use mine for moguls but there should be no difference as to the heat output if you are running DE. I also like the fact that I can run radiums well without having to overdrive them as you would with an HQI ballast.
 
Even an older IC ballast run pretty cool. I remember the ones I have were very cool. I mounted them about 2' from the light bulb and they were only a little warm after 8 hours of running. I think they were warm because of the heat from the light bulb.
 
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