Could a dimmer switch adjust watt usage and color spectrum on 1000w hps?

[DazedNconfussed]

So up in my area we have been hit with alot of outages and power surges lateley due to snow storms. I was in my living room when the house's elec went down and all the lights dimmed for a few seconds at a time over and over and it got me thinking.

1. Can I use a home dimmer switch to control the outlet i use for my 1000w magnetic ballast HPS. Wouldnt being able to do so give you the option to run your 1000w at lower wattage like those expensive electonic ballast's?

2. Now if you are able to crank down the watts, when the light dimms wouldnt the light spectrum change also due to the bulbs filiment getting less power and heating to a lower temp. Wouldnt a HPS go even more into the red spectrum? Does this happen when you adjust a electronic ballast?

 

[Buddy Flowers]

a dimmable digital balast is your best bet. see quantam

 

[deacon1503]

I would not recc using a residential rheostat for controlling power supply to an electronic ballast. If u are looking for the dimming feature, just go with a ballast that has a built in dimmer, most have them now. Also, im not sure that just by fluctuating power to the ballast/bulb will change the spectrum/kelvin temp of ur bulb. Ive never heard of that.

 

[DazedNconfussed]

a dimmable digital balast is your best bet. see quantam

Yeah I know a dimmable digital is the ideal way to go, I am just curious if a dimmable outlet would work on a magnetic ballast, or if it would damage it. It would be nice to have that feature on a cheap simple magentic ballast.

 

[Buddy Flowers]

try it

 

[mrdizzle]

^^^^^no, dont try it. unless a qualified electrician tells you otherwise

 

[Bobby Smith]

^^^^^no, dont try it. unless a qualified electrician tells you otherwise

This question was specifically asked at a thread over at RIU of the electrician "IAMStoned" (a knowledgeable guy who helped me with some electrical issues) and he in no uncertain terms said that this could not be done.

I don't go near electric, but I trust his word - I really wouldn't do that.

 

[Papa]

Can I use a home dimmer switch to control the outlet i use for my 1000w magnetic ballast HPS.

no.

and no "qualified electrician" would ever tell you to do it . . . so if an electrician were to tell you that you could . . . it would mean that he/she is in the "unqualified" classification.








Papa

 

[motherlode]

bad idea - unless you like fires

 

[DazedNconfussed]

lol...i wasnt going to try until i could confirm it was ok.....i dont have money to blow on replacing ballasts....so definatly a bad idea....thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[dentonland]

Do it.. haha just kidding.. wanted to raise a few eyebrows but my 3 cents is if there is a dimmable ballast available and thats what its stated to do.. then im sure the company who makes it could tell you the right dimmer to use... rated at a thousand or more watts.. wouldnt try dimming an outlet. Not sure of the color spectrum.

 

[blazeit02]

Hey dazed, look into dimmers used in stage lighting maybe? not sure if they would work on hps bulbs tho..

 

[Papa]

Do it.. haha just kidding.. wanted to raise a few eyebrows but my 3 cents is if there is a dimmable ballast available and thats what its stated to do.. then im sure the company who makes it could tell you the right dimmer to use... rated at a thousand or more watts.. wouldnt try dimming an outlet. Not sure of the color spectrum.

Hey dazed, look into dimmers used in stage lighting maybe? not sure if they would work on hps bulbs tho..

guys, if you don't know, don't offer advice. he asked a very specific question and already got good answers to that question.

dentonland: he doesn't have a dimmable ballast, so you're not answering his question.

blazeit02: "stage lighting maybe?" no, no wild guesses.

dimming arc lamps requires a specifically designed ballast and control. messing around with trial and error and experimentation in this area results in destroying equipment, injury, and fire.







Papa

 

[Steve Z]

bad idea - unless you like fires

lololololololololol sorry but i cant stop laughing at this post.... dont know why, just guess the "unless you like fires" just gets me


i cant give you rep or i would hahaha

 

[Carson]

hot hot hot

 

[tomsawyer]

YES, Dimming an HID bulb WILL affect spectrum. There are multiple gases in there that burn at different temps. The gas mix is designed specifically for the wattage. Dimming a bulb will affect spectrum. How much that affects your plants is another question.

 

[kinzla34]

A dimmer will trap the current going to service the ballast demand. A 1000 watt line voltage dimmer won't care what the load is. it will just choke it off creating alot of heat on the dimmer. If the dimmer is not set up with heat sinks you have a pretty good chance of failure and/or fire.

The standard magnetic ballast is a transformer. If it doesn't have enough volt/amps it will simply shut down. So these specially designed dimmable ballasts will dim but like stage lighting systems they are designed to do so and are pretty expensive.

I would not recommend trying this since the rewards in spectrum and energy savings, are why you're considering it, won't make it worth the risks of connecting it all up and walking away from it.