Sunday, July 7, 2013

[AquaticLife] Re: Lighting suggestions please!

 

--- In AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com, "dawnshungryeyes4u2c" wrote:
> Ballasts also weaken over time (years) and eventually need to be
> replaced to be as effective as a new fixture.

This is a rather broad statement that I don't think is particularly true, especially if you are including newer electronic ballasts. But even with the older magnetic type ballast, there isn't much to wear out unless you have insulation breakdown with the windings. Assuming good insulation, a magnetic ballast should not weaken. And I can't think of what in an electronic ballast would cause the ballast to weaken rather than simply stop working.

> It is the ballast that is responsible for the amount
> of power any bulb is going to give out.

Well technically the job of a ballast is to limit the amount of current through a lamp. The lamp itself will determine (usually by length of tube) how much power is being used. Many newer lamp types will use the same current but the length of the lamps will determine their wattage.

> There is an industry standard for what is called "ballast factor",
> which is the amount of power each individual ballast puts out.
> The standard ranges from approximately 95%-100%.

Ballasts are available with a much wider range of BF ratings, from the high 60s/low 70s to 120+%. There are many reasons why a lighting engineer or designer may need ballast with low ballast factors and with high ballast factors, so they are available in a much wider range than you have indicated.

> The manufacturers do not test every individual ballast for ballast
> factor... they may test maybe 10 out of 100 from each lot produced.

I doubt they are production line testing of ballast factor. The BF rating is a design specification. Once you have designed a ballast, you can then test it with various lamp types and number of lamps to determine that ballast's BF ratings (a single ballast will often have a number of different BF ratings). Once those are determined, it becomes a specification of the ballast and won't change during the manufacturing process. Any testing in production will simply be to ensure operation of the ballast, not to re-validate the design.

> In regards to the T5 vs T8 and their heat output... the difference
> is so slight that it is usually not noticed in any measurable amount,

And for roughly the same length lamp over a 10 gallon tank, I would also say that the slightly higher wattage of a T-5 18W lamp system run off an electronic ballast probably puts out the same heat as a T-8 15W lamp system since those old T-8 systems are usually magnetic ballasts with a starter and the ballast itself easily is going to be giving off several watts worth of heat compared to the much more efficient T-5 electronic ballast.

Patrick

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