Flipboxes......to use or not to use

[dutch69lover]

Anybody use flipboxes to run lights in multiple rooms?? What's your thoughts on them?? My thinking is I would rather run each room on their own ballast rather than having a ballast running 24 hrs a day.... After all our own bodies don't perform well if we stay up 24 hrs for days on end so I say the same for a ballast........ What's your thoughts??

 

[fishwhistle]

I ran flipboxes for years with magnetics,quantums and solis tek ballasts with no issues,i dont anymore but it didnt have anything to do with problems.I used powerbox controllers and flipboxes,id probably still be running the same ones if they were gavita compatible,maybe they are and gavita just doesnt want us to catch on,lol.

 

[toquer]

I'm with @fishwhistle on this one. Ran flips for a few years and loved them. Not compatible with the gavita's. Shucks.
I used a lighting controller in conjunction with the flip. Lights were only on for 11:45 hours in each room. 15 minute cool down during the flip. Had big issue with Lumateks not flipping prior to doing it that way.
Magnetics had no problems running 365 days a year. Only went bad when a light went out. Ignitor fires nonstop. Just make sure your capacitors are good and it's an awesome setup. Also make a vented room for the ballasts if your gonna flip a bunch of them.

 

[fishwhistle]

The main things a flip has going for it is it allows you to run 2 rooms off of one power source/breaker and using 1 ballast for every 2 lights(or multiples of that).If you have the power available and the cash to buy seperate ballasts for each room its probably better that way but if you dont flips are a good way to deal with it.I dont think people realize how much power it takes to run lights,AC,dehueys etc etc,power is always my first thought when thinking about how to put together a grow.

 

[jessejames12345]

I'm with @fishwhistle on this one. Ran flips for a few years and loved them. Not compatible with the gavita's. Shucks..

You could use some of the new DE remote ballasts and still run FLIPS on DE bulbs : )

 

[toquer]

Less efficient to run DE bulbs at a lower voltage ballast to bulb.
Actually melted my first flip box running at 240v ballast input. This was a few years back and the company that made them went BK not to long after. Lol. Wasn't very well engineered.

 

[Drdre]

I ran them tell I had a relay stick during flower.

 

[Olyver]

Less efficient to run DE bulbs at a lower voltage ballast to bulb.
Actually melted my first flip box running at 240v ballast input. This was a few years back and the company that made them went BK not to long after. Lol. Wasn't very well engineered.

Were they the flips from IPControls equalizer brand, those were compete GARBAGE lol.

 

[toquer]

Were they the flips from IPControls equalizer brand, those were compete GARBAGE lol.

Yes they were. Almost caused a fire. The boards inside there were not engineered for lighting.