Information on e-ballast vs magnetic

[esmithiii]

Does anyone have any information on running e-ballasts vs traditional magnetic ballasts. I am looking for the following information (I am considering upgrading my 400w magnetic ballasts to e-ballasts)

1. I currently run (2) 400w 6500k iwasakis and (1) 400w 10,000k ushio lamps. Is there any color difference when using the e-ballast vs using my current magnetic ballast.
2. What about intensity and PAR of my bulbs using e-ballasts vs. magnetic ballasts? Is it exactly the same?
3. What is the difference in power consumption (if any)?
4. Is the bulb life more or less when using the e-ballasts?
5. How long do these ballasts last? I would hate to shell out close to $500 for three and have them die after a year.
6. How hot do they run compared to the magnetic ballasts?

Thanks for any information that you can provide.

Ernie

 

[Moty]

I think you will find here some information http://www.metrolight.co.il/Technology/ELvsMAG-Tech.asp

 

[StevenPro]

Take a look at Sanjay Joshi's website, http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/b ... arium.html Also, look for articles from him in Advanced Aquarist, http://www.advancedaquarist.com/

 

[Anonymous]

Just giving you a bump - also looking into seeing if I can replace my magnetic ballasts for my 250w DE bulbs - trying to save some electricity and heat.

There is an excellent thread stickied at top of RC lighting / filtration forum I got a lot of good information from earlier today.

 

[texman]

I converted from magnetic to E-ballasts about 1 year ago. I like the E-ballasts a lot more. I am running 2 400W Radiums and 2 400W Ushios. I really can't tell you about the PAR, but I honestly could not see much of a difference in the lights. The E-ballasts run much cooler, take up less space and are much lighter. One of mine died after about 1 month of use, but it was promptly remplaced by Champion. I have not had a problem since. One thing that you need to know is that they do not run well with an X10 based controller system. I have them on individual timers and on a seperate, isolated circuit from my X10 stuff. When I first installed them using my aquacontroller, I had lots of problems with stuff turning on and off randomly. Using a seperate circuit does fix the problem.

 

[esmithiii]

Any difference in bulb life with the eballasts?

Ernie

 

[texman]

I really could not tell you. I have never been able to tell when the bulbs shift in color anyway. I just replace them around a year out.

 

[esmithiii]

Thanks for the info Tex.

Ernie