Magnetic ballast recommendations please

I'm looking to pick up a switchable magnetic ballast 600 watt to replace a digital Ipower impulse buy. I don't want rfi to give me away or make myself suspicious as I am in a Nazi state when it comes to cannabis, Florida. Comcast has already come knocking once.

Does a magnetic and digital ballast use the same lamp cord connector?

Which magnetic ballast is recommended for low noise and good heat displacement?

Which company or brand is most reliable?

Every magnetic ballast I've used is low noise. They only really make noise when they start to go bad. If you're going to keep it in the same room as the plants put a fan on the ballast. Not sure about the connector as I've never used a digiballst. My magnetic has been going strong for 5+ yrs.

adower said:

Every magnetic ballast I've used is low noise. They only really make noise when they start to go bad. If you're going to keep it in the same room as the plants put a fan on the ballast. Not sure about the connector as I've never used a digiballst. My magnetic has been going strong for 5+ yrs.

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Thanks for the info
What brand ballast do you own?

i have a hand me down magnetic that is from 1993, been used since 94 is what i was told. thing still works and is quieter then my 20" box fan. it is a old above the door type of lighting fixture. not some top self but i figure warehouse and factory style ballast should be made to last a long time as they normally run 18-24hrs a day in places like those. i will show a pic but don't hate, remember its 20 yrs old and fires like a champ.

Sire Killem All said:

its 20 yrs old and fires like a champ.

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Damn 20 years...that's awesome

immaculus said:

I'm looking to pick up a switchable magnetic ballast 600 watt to replace a digital Ipower impulse buy. I don't want rfi to give me away or make myself suspicious as I am in a Nazi state when it comes to cannabis, Florida. Comcast has already come knocking once.

Does a magnetic and digital ballast use the same lamp cord connector?

Which magnetic ballast is recommended for low noise and good heat displacement?

Which company or brand is most reliable?

Click to expand...

There are only two major lamp cord connectors in the US: COMMON (Sunlight Supply) and BAREF (Hydrofarm). There are also adapter cords to convert from one type to the other. Ideally, the less connections the better, so try to get a ballast that matches your lamp cord. Vendors aren't always clear on what type of connector is on a ballast; verify before purchase.

In my experience, Hydrofarm, Sunlight Supply, and Lumatek offer professional grade equipment. None of these should have any RFI problems. Digital ballasts are basically silent while you will experience a slight humming noise from a magnetic ballast. However, due to the way digital ballasts are constructed, a magnetic ballast is practically guaranteed to outlive them. The magnetic types are also repairable where digitals are not. Beware of fans on a ballast, this is a weak point; the fan will likely fail before the ballast and it not usually an easy matter to find a correctly sized replacement fan for such equipment.

Plenty of used magnetic ballasts on the market that work just fine although I'd probably limit the age to 10 years or so.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005M96ODG/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Anyone familiar with these ballasts?

Found this while searching amazon, a dimmable magnetic ballast.

http://www.amazon.com/650w-1000w-Di...-2&keywords=Dim+Sun+Magnetic+Dimmable+Ballast

I'm curious, I know it's made in China but it's dimmable

i have talked to a few friends and 3/4 recommended "XtraSun" by hydrofarm. 2 are running these http://www.hydrofarm.com/product.php?itemid=7627
but it depends on ur budget i guess, thats y i got a hand-me down

I'd really like to find someone that has used one of these dimmable magnetic ballast. No reviews scares me.