Question about electricity

SmokingLoon · Feb 11, 2011

When you plug your flowering lights into your ballasts do they draw additional amps on top of the amps that the ballasts draw to begin with? Or do the lights use the amps already surging to the ballasts?

:character0029: L> help D=

Thanks everyone =p

mrenz999 · Feb 12, 2011

120 = 9 amps 240 = 4.5 amps. I always round up to 10 and 5.

aSilvrHaze · Feb 12, 2011

The ballast and light is one unit, so the amp rating is basically whatever your ballast says.

Papa · Feb 12, 2011

actually, ballasts and lamps are two different elements of a high-intensity discharge light.

in the situation of 1,000 watt lamps, the ballast will utilize an additional (approximately) 70 watts of energy.

so, if you were to connect the ballast alone (without the lamp), it would draw something around 70 watts of energy (and produce heat from this).

when this same ballast is connected with it's lamp, it will draw about 1,070 watts of energy.

Papa

Underground · Feb 12, 2011

Papa said:
actually, ballasts and lamps are two different elements of a high-intensity discharge light.

in the situation of 1,000 watt lamps, the ballast will utilize an additional (approximately) 70 watts of energy.

so, if you were to connect the ballast alone (without the lamp), it would draw something around 70 watts of energy (and produce heat from this).

when this same ballast is connected with it's lamp, it will draw about 1,070 watts of energy.

Papa

+1:character0029:
:party0042:

SmokingLoon · Feb 13, 2011

Okay thank you Papa and everyone who helped me =D

see you guys around ;D

weedfarm · Feb 13, 2011

why would the ballast draw only 70w with no bulb? Would current not flow through the primary windings? A standard transformer has no mechanical or electrical connection from the primary to the secondary windings. The voltage change is from the ratio of windings between the primary/secondary and magnetic induction.

So I am thinking current will still flow through the windings and use 1000 watts

The bulb would only allow current to flow through the secondary windings

Does the cap figure in here somewhere?

Just wondering why, not arguing:)

Underground · Feb 13, 2011

They are "magnetically coupled" and if there is no load to draw current, the current won't flow any more than it needs to to saturate the iron core.

Comercial · Feb 14, 2011

Math

SmokingLoon said:
Do 1000 watt lights use additional power on top of the ballasts that you plug them in to?

I'm wondering because I need to do some rewiring in my garage and I need to know the # of amps I'll be drawing.

Thanks for the help everyone =D

Watts devided voltage = amps.

Comercial

weedfarm · Feb 14, 2011

Underground said:
They are "magnetically coupled" and if there is no load to draw current, the current won't flow any more than it needs to to saturate the iron core.

OK

just curious, can you explain further? or is that on an engineering level?

Underground · Feb 14, 2011

No it's not on an engineering level. Rather than explaining, it would be much easier to draw a comparison to something you already know.

Transformers are use to provide different operating voltages in homes and buildings than what the utility uses to transmit power. If the utility installed a 35KVa transformer outside your home you would have the capacity to use 35KVa worth of power (and have 35,000 amps of available fault current, but that's a different topic). If this meant that the transformer was drawing 35KVa at all times, it would completely negate the benefits of transmitting at a higher voltage. Well, other than the capacitive reactance that is designed into transmission systems, but again another topic.

So where was I? Oh yeah, just because the current is available does not mean it's drawing the current. Another easy example to compare it to would be your door bell. Another transformer that draws minimal current until needed.

But yes, all magnetic transformers draw some current when not in use. Like those in the power supply of your electronics.

Underground · Feb 14, 2011

PS The cap may figure into the secondary current draw. I don't know what the power factor is on that side, but if it's less than 1.0 due to capacitive reactance I'm sure you could install a delay timer that only keeps it in the circuit for the amount of time needed to start the lamp. Or you could get fancy and some sort photovoltaic control that would take it out of the circuit based on light level, so that it would automatically reset. Too much work for the minimal savings I would think.
My guess would be that the secondary load would be resistive without the cap in place. But the transformer being a transformer would be an inductive load and could be subject to power factor correction by adding a capacitor to the primary side as well. But since the load varies on the transformer and can even drop completely, it would cause more current draw when not working properly. Unless you also used your custom built photovoltaic control to kill primary voltage after so many re-strike attempts. But again, another subject altogether.

Silica · Feb 14, 2011

ballast uses a few extra amps than bulb so iincrease usage slightly...digis use less than coil ballasts. also account for losses such as heat from balast

lazarus718 · Feb 14, 2011

Your ballast should have its power rating stamped on it somewhere...feel that heat coming off of it, that's energy consumption.

lazarus718 · Feb 14, 2011

You've got two threads running on the same topic now bro, contact a mod and have him delete one for you.

lazarus718 · Feb 15, 2011

Underground said:
They are "magnetically coupled" and if there is no load to draw current, the current won't flow any more than it needs to to saturate the iron core.

Good quick explanation bro, if current isn't being requested it isn't going to be supplied.

Underground · Feb 15, 2011

Well really they are two different topics. To keep it cleaner and more useful for people reading in the future, you can put a link to the thread that this topic made a segway into. I'll move my last comments if needed. In fact I thought I responded to the other one.

Edit: LOL man now I am going nuts, thought this was from a different OP! Guess I need to smoke and go to bed. Maybe after my root canal and my surgery to remove a sabaceous cyst that got infected, I may be able to sleep. Chances are that will really have to wait until I am a little more healed though!!:rain

lazarus718 · Feb 15, 2011

Underground said:
Edit: LOL man now I am going nuts, thought this was from a different OP! Guess I need to smoke and go to bed. Maybe after my root canal and my surgery to remove a sabaceous cyst that got infected, I may be able to sleep. Chances are that will really have to wait until I am a little more healed though!!:rain

Yeah, I needed a double take on this one...but same OP, guess he didn't get his question answered quick enough?

Papa · Feb 15, 2011

thanks for pointing that out guys.

threads are now merged.

Papa

Question about electricity

Question about electricity

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Papa

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Comercial

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Silica

lazarus718

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