Noisy Electronic Ballast--stick it in the crawlspace?

Hi all,

I have a small 400w closet grow that is nearly dead silent thanks to S&P TD100X fan and DIY duct muffler. Unfortunately the noise generated by my Apollo Horticulture 400w dimmable ballast negates my stealth and can be heard from a good 20 feet away if my bedroom door is open. It's a whirring sound (fan). I'm thinking about relocating the actual ballast to the attic. Alternatively I could stick it in the crawlspace but would have to drill a hole in the subfloor for the cords. Either way I'd be drilling holes.

The ballast would potentially be exposed in the crawlspace to temperatures near freezing at times. If put in the attic, it could exceed 100 degrees during the summer. Are these temperatures too extreme for an electronic ballast to operate without worry?

Yes you can safely put it in a cold space like your crawlspace, that will actually help it run cooler (good thing). No need to worry about freezing it. If you notice all the street lamps and buildings using HID are able to survive intense cold. Also relocating it will cut down on the heat build up in your grow space. Good luck!

Is there anything else you can do to muffle the fan noise?

_MrBelvedere_ said:

Yes you can safely put it in a cold space like your crawlspace, that will actually help it run cooler (good thing). No need to worry about freezing it. If you notice all the street lamps and buildings using HID are able to survive intense cold. Also relocating it will cut down on the heat build up in your grow space. Good luck!

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those are mag/coil HID.

i would not put it up there, circuit boards don't like the cold or the heat.
if it that loud then ur fan maybe failing, shouldn't be louder then a normal computer.