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Re: Metal Halide Ballasts
> It looks a little better on a new installation, where you don't
have to
> discard an old core and coil or potted ballast. Assuming a
traditional
> ballast cost of $50, the payback time on a new installation is 7.7
> years. Equivalent interest rate, 12.9%.
>
> If they can show real increases in lamp life, the ballasts will
look a
> lot better. The reason that I'm dubious about that is that part of
the
> decay of a metal halide lamp has to to with high temperature
chemistry,
> and it isn't immediately obvious to me how high frequency operation
is
> going to affect that.
I'm not interested in the ballast so much for the increased lamp life
(bulbs are cheap) or energy savings, but rather the cool running
ballast. My current ballasts generate an enormous amount of heat
(almost as much as the bulbs). If I can eliminate half of the heat
being generated in this room then it'll be easier to keep the tank
cool.
Mike