Anyone buy USED ballast? (READ)

kingdevin

kingdevin

Active Member
Has anyone on RIU bought a used ballast? I know its not best to buy used, but i am.... how long do they last in general, what used wattage did you buy? I'm actually trading for it haha, the guy was selling 3 ballasts 1000watt's,(wouldn't buy if the guy only had 1 for sale, sketchy) 1 cheapbrand one.... he wanted $215 for the nice ones... im trading a ps3 slim and a mini 24" Samsung tv with LA Noire, ufc game etc.... for 1000watt dimmage Lumatek purple ballast + Hood w/ glass...... do you think that's a good deal???? How do i use the 6"inch air thing on the hood... will i HAVE to use it because the hood has glass (will keep heat in, around bulb?)... do i have to buy extra shit? what did you get, and hows this deal
 
I agree dont get a second hand ballast and dont like the air cooled hood, better with the cooltube to duct the hot air out.
 
magnetic ballasts are like 350 chevys-

totally rebuildable. so easy a caveman could do it.
 
No kidding, I bought a used magnetic ballast about 5 years ago. About 2 years ago I had to rebuild it. Costed me less than $50.00 for new igniter and capacitor. Total rebuild time - less than an hour. As far as I know, the digitals cannot be rebuilt by a hobbyist like myself. I'll get another 5 years out of it easily before rebuilding. That is a solid investment.
 
magnetic last forever.. if it fires when you buy it .. chances are .. it will be fine ! if you have horrible luck and it breaks.. you will pay nearly nothing to fix it..
 
I bought several used 1K HPS ballasts off Craigslist for $50 ea.. They all worked just fine, and replacement parts are cheap. IMO you are paying way too much, or as the case may be, trading off way too much.
 
Jack Harer said:
I bought several used 1K HPS ballasts off Craigslist for $50 ea.. They all worked just fine, and replacement parts are cheap. IMO you are paying way too much, or as the case may be, trading off way too much.
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dude im not paying too much lol im not buying some no name shit like u probably got no offense, but i seen the 50 dollar ones they are alot smaller too, im getting a Lumatek, i also like it switches from 400 600 1000 (cheap ones can too, but still) they are always solid, thanks for letting me know they worked fine that makes me feel alot better >.> they are about 500 dollars new, maybe 400
 
El Superbeasto said:
For $2 more you can buy an entire brand new 1000 watt complete HPS system. Ballast, bulb, socket, and reflector. I wouldn't buy used grow light equipment.

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTGSupply-1000-Watt-Switchable-Grow-Light.asp
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2 dollars more? lol... that setup looks like complete shit man... and btw iv read htg is decent for saving that money but alot of people's shit stop working months later, besides that... Lumatek looks far superior than that little 12 inch thingy they call a ballast, not to mention that tiny aliminum trashcan they call a Hood, hes including a nice 6 inch aired one twice the size with glass etc.... and u want 2 dollars more for that tiny shit? lol....

edit: and that garbage is switchable to mh/hps, NOT able to switch to lower 600w etc, so ur running that tiny crap 1000watts full time
 
No offense taken. Mine DID look like shit. They were ballasts. With exposed wires, coils and everything. I just neatened up the wires, and made sure there was no exposed wiring. Not very pretty to look at, but man the results were! I used the hell out of them for 5 years before the cops got 'em. I know magnetic ballasts are ROCK SOLID, easy to work on and parts are cheap. But that's just me. If you like it, and are happy with the price, it sounds like a win/win to me!! It's all good.

yeah, I wished my ballasts were a but easier to look at, but pretty and quality don't alwways go hand in hand. I'd say the one in the above post, while it's a bit ugly, it STILL looks way better than mine did, and I'd bet it will provide years of service. Looks can be decieving.
 
Jack Harer said:
No offense taken. Mine DID look like shit. They were ballasts. With exposed wires, coils and everything. I just neatened up the wires, and made sure there was no exposed wiring. Not very pretty to look at, but man the results were! I used the hell out of them for 5 years before the cops got 'em. I know magnetic ballasts are ROCK SOLID, easy to work on and parts are cheap. But that's just me. If you like it, and are happy with the price, it sounds like a win/win to me!! It's all good.
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oh you got a magnetic ballast? i wanted to get one more lumateks later on and run them at 600w so they'll last longer, 2 of em and i can get two hoods so more plants... save me alot of energy, and running them not at full wattage make em last long... might get a magnetic one as the second ballast because people are saying its easy to fix..like recyclable ballasts lol
 
If you go digital..make sure you use a bulb that is digital friendly .. some brands burn out FAST in digital ballast. Also understand the amp draw that a 1000 watter will pull ... most home circuits are 15 amps.. and a 1000 watter pulls close to 10.. then add the fans ect to cool it.. your pretty much going to have to devote a whole home circuit to that light. If you plan on running multiple systems.. you need a electrician .. go 240v and never look back.. amp draw is cut in half.. PLEASE dont run extension cords all over your house to avoid this.. most quality extension cords are very pricey.. and the fire hazard is not worth it.. I think I spent a grand total of 350 bucks add a 240v 20 amp service to my room .. that will support 4000 watts with no ill effects.... then you can use your home wiring for whatever you please without fires or breakers popping.. and your tv shutting off on you lol.
 
You can burn out a bulb by underpowering it. If you have a 1K bulb, use it as a 1K. One other thing on the hoods, take it for what it's worth. I bought 8 Sun Systems aircooled hoods. Never again. Glass eats light. You'll lose a significant amount of lumens to that glass (like 25% or better) Standard auto glass only allows 70% of light to pass thru it. Cheaper glass will eat even more. Use it as an open reflector, ditch the glass. I promise.
 
Hey you can tell the year it was made on the ballast. They mark em on coil and core ballasts, I bought 9 hooded air cooled for 1000$ they were made in 2010 still under warranty till 2015 so just look...
 
Jack Harer said:
You can burn out a bulb by underpowering it. If you have a 1K bulb, use it as a 1K. One other thing on the hoods, take it for what it's worth. I bought 8 Sun Systems aircooled hoods. Never again. Glass eats light. You'll lose a significant amount of lumens to that glass (like 25% or better) Standard auto glass only allows 70% of light to pass thru it. Cheaper glass will eat even more. Use it as an open reflector, ditch the glass. I promise.
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yup ive actually heard just that... i was going to research it, but now i for sure know, ill get rid of the glass for lumens....

also "alotaball" what did you mean when i said i wanted to use a few ballasts, u said
"you need a electrician .. go 240v and never look back.. amp draw is cut in half.. PLEASE dont run extension cords all over your house to avoid this."
i plan on only using two ballasts/hoods MAX, using 120v probably, heard 240 is unnecessary...i don't know much about this my Father is a general contractor so please go on....
thought i would use a few extension cords if only ONE probably and hook them both up 120v, does using a single extension cord lose lumens somehow (lol)...
 
I would be suprised if you can find a circuit in your house that can handle 2 1000 watters and the fans ect in your room... The extension cord will have to be of GREAT quality to handle those amps.. so its not a matter of loosing lumens.. its a matter of burning the house down
 
alotaball said:
I would be suprised if you can find a circuit in your house that can handle 2 1000 watters and the fans ect in your room... The extension cord will have to be of GREAT quality to handle those amps.. so its not a matter of loosing lumens.. its a matter of burning the house down
Click to expand...
nah i mean 1 1000w on an extension cord with a few extra cfl lights and cords for my pc on the same extension.. will it lower my hps/lumens? not another ballast
plz answer, but also i got a 1000watt lumatek NON-DIMMABLE!! i never seen em non dimmable, have u? they good? sigh... anyways plz answer above question bout cfl+pc cords on extension w/ hps only, not two ballasts
 
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