OK, I have an IceCap 430 ballast that will fire up 12' of VHO bulbs. Would I be better off running 2 @ 6'. Each bulb is 160 watts or 320 watts total. Or, run 4 bulbs @ 3'. Each bulb is 95 watts or 380 watts total. The 380 watts should be about 20% brighter, but is it? Does it make that much difference? Is the amount of light output linear like that? Cheaper to buy 2 bulbs than 4 and also dont need as many end caps. Thanks for helping out.
Dumb Lighting Question
- Thread starter holabird
- Start date
+1 on the Icecap 430.
BTW-my understanding is that this particular model has a ballast factor of 1.2, which means it 'overdrives' bulbs by 20%. So, you get 120% of the light you would get from a normal output ballast.
BTW-my understanding is that this particular model has a ballast factor of 1.2, which means it 'overdrives' bulbs by 20%. So, you get 120% of the light you would get from a normal output ballast.
VHO bulbs driven by Icecap ballasts are only good for about 6months of 8hrs a day use. You will begin to notice brown algae in the sand after that amount of time. Not saying that's bad, just fyi if you didn't know. But you do get more light output during that operational time. If you want to fire 4 bulbs you would need the Icecap 660.
According to IceCap and numerous other websites, the 430 can drive 4 bulbs. I even have the wiring diagram in my hands on how to do that. I also read that this ballast will "overdrive" the lights although I didnt know how much until now.
But back to the original question, which will be brighter four 3' bulbs or two 6' bulbs and would it be noticeable? If not something you can see, it would not be worth the extra cost in going with the four bulbs. thanks for the input so far.
But back to the original question, which will be brighter four 3' bulbs or two 6' bulbs and would it be noticeable? If not something you can see, it would not be worth the extra cost in going with the four bulbs. thanks for the input so far.
Below is the 'look-up table for the 430 ballast configuarations. As you can see, it will only drive 4 x 2 foot bulbs.
<p style="text-align:center"><span style="color: #000000">Ballast/ Lamp Type</span>
<span style="color: #000000"># of Lamps</span>
Lamp Length
Configurations
<span style="color: #ff0000">MODEL 430</span><p style="text-align:center">T-12 & T-8, VHO, HO & Standard
2
12 Feet Max.
2 x 6, 5, 4, 3 or 2 Feet
T-12 & T-8, VHO, HO & Standard
3
12 Feet Max.
3 x 4, 3 or 2 Feet
T-12 & T-8, VHO, HO & Standard
4
8 Feet Max.
4 x 2 Feet
P.C.* or 4 Pin Compact
up to 4
55 watts or less
-----
P.C.* or 4 Pin Compact
up to 2
96 watts or less
-----
<p style="text-align:center"><span style="color: #000000">Ballast/ Lamp Type</span>
<span style="color: #000000"># of Lamps</span>
Lamp Length
Configurations
<span style="color: #ff0000">MODEL 430</span><p style="text-align:center">T-12 & T-8, VHO, HO & Standard
2
12 Feet Max.
2 x 6, 5, 4, 3 or 2 Feet
T-12 & T-8, VHO, HO & Standard
3
12 Feet Max.
3 x 4, 3 or 2 Feet
T-12 & T-8, VHO, HO & Standard
4
8 Feet Max.
4 x 2 Feet
P.C.* or 4 Pin Compact
up to 4
55 watts or less
-----
P.C.* or 4 Pin Compact
up to 2
96 watts or less
-----
