Why is my 1000w ballast cold?

I have a 2 year old magnetic 1000w ballast running a HPS and it used to be hot hot all the time, but now it's cold to the touch! It still works, but is it going out or what? Why is it cold?

It sounds strange, but it could be the condensator in it which is blown up. Get a new condensator or throw away the ballast, because if it is the condensator which is broken the ballast can be detected by the power company. It fucks up the grid appearantly...

I run an indoor grow most of the year. I know most of the time our rooms stay pretty much the same temp. But I do notice when it starts getting colder my ballist seems to run cooler. I have no idea why but its true. A comparrison is this, 70 degrees in your house feels nice in the summer. In the winter its freezing cold. In my opinion 70 in winter is cold.

you have probably blown a resistor. i would highly suggest getting a new ballast ASAP because with out a resistor you will probably burn out your light fairly quick. if it is your resistor you will notice that the light start up will be different, it will either be Super rapid(no warm up time) or will not ignite at all and just flicker. take it in to your local grow shop or call a electric company and get an opinion. (say you are using the light for your backyard or for commercial use. ie. construction) Good Luck!

Ive experienced a bad ballist would flicker and neve ignite. He says his works fine.

Just thought I would point that out.

Ballast should get that hot that's why they have heat sink housing.If it's working then there's no problem with it.

the heatsink draws the heat away from the resistors which is why it gets hot. if the resistors are not getting hot than neither will the heatsink.

Windex said:

if it is the condensator which is broken the ballast can be detected by the power company. It fucks up the grid appearantly...

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It is called a condenser - or more correctly a capacitor.

I don´t think that is correct at all, and the power company won´t give a damn even if it was.

The bad parts dont make sence. I come from an electronically expert father and this doesnt ring true. If its fried you could tell through the bulb. If the ballist is working and the light is bright then you shouldnt be concerned. I have a 1,000watt too and it runs ice cold now. Its the temp changes and the (feels like temp) that makes it feel colder. If the transformer was fried the output of the ballist would drop/rise in voltage and watts and never light up. If your bill is the same and your plants growing dont freak out. Think it as a blessing. Dont listen to people telling you your ballist is fried when it works, when a parts goes out in an electronic device you will notice by sound, and/or performance.

10poitrma said:

the heatsink draws the heat away from the resistors which is why it gets hot. if the resistors are not getting hot than neither will the heatsink.

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I've never seen a resistor of any type in a magnetic ballast. However, there is an electrolytic capacitor and they're usually contained in a metal can, usually oval. There is a negative and positive terminal on the CAP. The negative side connects to the ballast(transformer) and the positive side goes to the center connection of your lightbulb. Some ballasts employ an ignitor system(that is also wired into the lamp line) so that hps bulbs without built in ignitors can be used. The heat is generated by the wire windings of the transformer. The CAP will only allow certain frequencies of electricity to flow through it and dampen out others. I would be more concerned if my ballast was operating on the hot side. It sounds like your light's working ok. Maybe, (not saying there is a problem) it's time for a new lightbulb. Lightbulbs are only good for the amount of operating hours that they are rated for then their light starts to get less intense until it fails.

ill take it if its free