Ballast cords?

So I have 4 x 315 CMH units I'm getting ready to hang. I have the standard 120V ballast cords for them.

In my room, I have an unused 40A 240V "Stove plug" outlet, and the matching 50A cord available to wire into a controller box.

Some of these controller boxes have universal outlets for 120v or 240v plugs, advertising one can run on 240 or 120 without changing ballast cords.

If my 125V rated ballast cords are used at 240V, isn't that a potential risk?
The insulated cover has the 300V stamp, but the connector is 125V.

Chip Green said:

If my 125V rated ballast cords are used at 240V, isn't that a potential risk?

Click to expand...

rated? look at the cord insulation, I doubt it's rated that low. The only difference should be the plug type.

Yeah I just edited that in there, it's the connector end that goes into the ballast that says 125

The wire insulation is usually rated at 600 volts. The insulation is what determines the max voltage the cord can contain without leakage through the insulation.

The wire conductor gauge would determine the amount of current (amps) that it can handle. Going to 240 volts will cut the amperage in half for a given load. So I doubt we need to be concerned with that at all.

Look closely at the insulation on the cable and see what it says for voltage, like 300V or 600V.

99.999% change you are good to go with the cords at 240v.

Right on Renfro, this is what I was thinking too, but that 125V stamp on the connector made me step back and think.

Chip Green said:

Right on Renfro, this is what I was thinking too, but that 125V stamp on the connector made me step back and think.

Click to expand...

Well that may just be to indicate how the cord plug on the other end is setup. Not like that connector is different on a 240 volt cord.

I figured those may be just labeling, but no sense in allowing the doubt to fester in my psyche.

300V or less and you are good to go.