# Can u run a 400 Watt with a 1000 Watt ballast



## Bobo (Jan 21, 2009)

got a 1000 watt balast and hood but to much 4 heat for my new cab. Am i able to run a 400 watt of the 1k watt ballast


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## UKgirl420 (Jan 21, 2009)

*not a good ea with 600 watts going idnowhere :eek*:


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## mendo local (Jan 21, 2009)

For about 3 seconds you can...


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## dubblehue (Jan 22, 2009)

If you want to potentially start an electrical fire, or blow out a bulb you just paid $35 for...sure you can do that.

All HID lights require a ballast that is rates for equal wattage as the lamp that it power.


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## TheEnhancementSmoker (Jan 22, 2009)

Bobo said:
			
		

> got a 1000 watt balast and hood but to much 4 heat for my new cab. Am i able to run a 400 watt of the 1k watt ballast


What happens when you mate a 1000HP engine to a transmission that can only handle 400HP?


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## AlbinoDanko12GA (Sep 8, 2009)

sorry im a lil late on this but yes u can run a 400 watt in a 1000 watt ballast! totally safe! ask "mygirls" on rollitup.org, theres a video of one in a 1000 watt ballast for his entire grow just to prove it! good luck


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## The Hemp Goddess (Sep 8, 2009)

AlbinoDanko12GA said:
			
		

> sorry im a lil late on this but yes u can run a 400 watt in a 1000 watt ballast! totally safe! ask "mygirls" on rollitup.org, theres a video of one in a 1000 watt ballast for his entire grow just to prove it! good luck



Regardless of what someone on rollitup says, you CANNOT *safely* run a 400W in a 1000W ballast.  The wattage on the bulb and the ballast must be the same.


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## clanchattan (Sep 8, 2009)

as a electrician, it simply isn't done. anywhere. it's a fire hazard. you could end up on the wrong end of a structure fire. as in D-E-A-D.


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## AlbinoDanko12GA (Sep 8, 2009)

so u cant throw a 40 watt bulb in your ceiling fan fixture which requires a 60 watt?????? i have 40 watt bulbs in my 60 watt ballasts and im still here huh??? im not arguing but actually accidently my buddy used a 600 watt bulb in his magnetic 1000 watt ballasts and he vegged for over 2 months and switched his bulb to a hps for 12/12 and he noticed it was a 600 watt he was using the whole time, so i guess it would be okay correct??? have either of you 2 done it or just replying on wat u think????? becasue now thats 2 counts on my end that say and have ran a lower wattage bulb in a higher wattage ballast, heres a link to see it for your self

hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16A6nYQJEyc&feature=channel

everyone goes by he say she say now a days! dont knock it until u actually try it, it works and perfectaly safe although i wouldnt want to run a 400 or 600! as of right no im using my 1000 watter but might upgrade to 6 600's in a new room, clink on red link at the bottom of my signature to check it out, later


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## LEFTHAND (Sep 8, 2009)

everyone goes by he say she say now a days! dont knock it until u actually try it, it works and perfectaly safe although i wouldnt want to run a 400 or 600! as of right no im using my 1000 watter but might upgrade to 6 600's in a new room, clink on red link at the bottom of my signature to check it out, later[/quote]

DUDE.. your increasing the wattage to the bulb.a bulb ment to only meet not exceed that wattage. the bulbs can explode and cause FIRE  .. how do you explain that one, if your alive.,.  for me dude i wouldnt try it, its like someone telling you the stove burner is hot... you not gonna take his wrd for it and burn your hand, in a  because "he" said or "she" said it was hot.. if im coming out rude im sorry..
if it was ment to be that way then everyone would have a 1000w ballasts running 250w-600w
LH


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## Rockster (Sep 8, 2009)

The bulb only draws 400w and the ballast can deliver up to 1kw,it doesn't deliver 1kw,only what is asked of it which is 400w.

 As far as I'm aware this is safe to do but I think I heard that the startup amperage to produce the arc may be higher and so reduce bulb life.


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## AlbinoDanko12GA (Sep 8, 2009)

if it was ment to be that way then everyone would have a 1000w ballasts running 250w-600w
LH[/quote]

well why would someone buy a ballast that will put out 1000 watts and only buy a 400 watt bulb or so, thats useless!

a ballast can throw AS MUCH AS 1000 WATTS but only when needed to, the bulb controls that, what dont all you get? are you guys just saying all this cuz it sounds crazy???? ive witnessed it done by accident like i told all you and for 2 months it ran 24/7 and no arcs no burnt bulbs or nothing and then for the 2nd time i met this guy and he ran a 600 watter in a 1000 watter, look at it for your own eyes! the bulb completes the circuit and makes the ballast run off 400 watts,

ALL YOU GUYS JUST NEED TO TRY IT FOR YOUR SELF

ATLEAST ROCKSTER KNOWS WAT HES TALKING ABOUT! THANKS MATE


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## dr pyro (Sep 8, 2009)

i acidentally used a 400 on a 600 watt ballast bulb was toast. why would you risk fire to your home. so the fire dept shows up at your house for the fire sees all grow equip plus plants they call cops you get busted. not to smart if you ask me. spend the 100 bucks on the right bulb.put a volt meter on the end of a 400 ballast then the 1000 rockster.  the way bulbs and ballast work is the ballast creates the proper voltage for it to fire that 1000 watt ballast doesn't know theres a 400 bulb on the other end to regulate the voltage so its forcing those volts to the bulb causing it to either not fire,burn out ,or blow up in your face. now with that being said there are some new ballasts on the market that will run a 1000 watt at 500,750 or the 1000watts. i'm an electrician as well like clanch said it wont work dont do it.


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## dr pyro (Sep 8, 2009)

albino no offense bud your 40 watt ceiling fan does not have a ballast. if you go above the recommeded bulb type for your fan ya it will work but the bulb life will be less and the chances for fire have now been improved put a 100 watt bulb in the and your looking at a fire soon.when  a bulb explodes in your face have fun picking out the 10,000 pieces of glass in your face and eyes


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## AlbinoDanko12GA (Sep 9, 2009)

well someone gave me bad rep at 7 am!  why wat did i do??? well thanks for giving me 4 red squares now after i tried and worked my way back up to green! i didnt do nothing wrong except give my opinion and the facts that i know and seen a 600 watt bulb in a 1000 watt ballast with no problems for 2 months!! so idk i dont care anymore cuz someone was so immature to give me bad rep for stating my opinion! i run a 1000 watt bulb in a 1000 watt ballast so i dont care anymore good luck and goodbye!!!!!!


thanks for that good post though electrian, it seemed like i learned something but it was a lil confusing lol!


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## The Hemp Goddess (Sep 9, 2009)

AlbinoDanko12GA said:
			
		

> if it was ment to be that way then everyone would have a 1000w ballasts running 250w-600w
> LH


well why would someone buy a ballast that will put out 1000 watts and only buy a 400 watt bulb or so, thats useless!

[/quote]

Actually not useless--ballasts that will run at different wattages are very useful.  There are a couple of ballast companies out there now that are making adjustable ballasts (why would they do this if you could run any size bulb you wanted to?).  For example you can buy a 1000W Quantum "dimmable" ballast and 1000W bulb, but run it at 500W, 750W or 1000W.  This is a real advantage if you do not always have your closet full and don't need as much light.  I believe that NextGen is also making adjustable ballasts.


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## LEFTHAND (Sep 9, 2009)

them are cool contraptions and a bright idea them quantum ballast..

becuz like you said you can rin it at 50% 75% and even a 100%

what i ment to say b4 was if it was safe and ok to run a 250-800w buld in a 1000w ballast then everyone would have a 1000w ballast, bcuz then you could rund a 400w or a 250w or 500w but if you wanted to run a 1000w then one could... but since you cant or isnt recomended... they have came out with "a" ballast that you can dial down to 500w. which wont burn out your bulb/house/whatever..
im sorry i got involved in this....
thanx for your time all
LH


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## AlbinoDanko12GA (Sep 9, 2009)

thanks hemp goddess for the bad rep u ! i didnt do anything joto! im giving my opinion ive seen a 600 bulb in a 1000 watt ballast!!!!  why do mh bulbs work in hps ballasts??? is that not safe either, are you gonna tell me that cuz they make specific ballasts for mh and hps??? let me hear this one hamp goddess???? u dont know anything, my partners 600 watt bulb is still running to this day and it was plugged in a sunsystem 1000 watt ballast and nothing happened (for 2 months bud so i dont care wat u say, no glass blew up anywhere near his face or mine actually when i was there :watchplant: ), thats all i got to say, but if u have a 1000 watt ballast thats capable of handing and performing up to 1000 watts then buy a 1000 watt bulb to get the 150,000 lumens ur plants want!!! END OF STORY!


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## The Hemp Goddess (Sep 11, 2009)

What I did was tell you that I did not approve of your post.  You were advocating an unsafe practice.  Just because your friend has done it does not mean that it is safe.  When we are talking about electrical safety and fire hazards, an opinion is not enough.  EVERY manufacturer of HID equipment will tell you that the wattage of the bulb and ballast MUST match.  And unless you have an electronic ballast or conversion bulbs, you should not run MH in HPS ballasts and vise versa.  We are talking about safety here.  

Calm down and smoke a bowl.


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## Hick (Sep 11, 2009)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> edited to remove racial slur.
> 
> What I did was tell you that I did not approve of your post.  You were advocating an unsafe practice.  Just because your friend has done it does not mean that it is safe.  When we are talking about electrical safety and fire hazards, an opinion is not enough.  EVERY manufacturer of HID equipment will tell you that the wattage of the bulb and ballast MUST match.  And unless you have an electronic ballast or conversion bulbs, you should not run MH in HPS ballasts and vise versa.  We are talking about safety here.
> 
> Calm down and smoke a bowl.



hXXp://www.bghydro.com/BGH/static/articles/1006_eltrc.asp


> HID lamps come in various type and wattage selections. Each lamp type and wattage requires specific starting and operating conditions to develop rated light output and operate the lamp within allowable limits. Ballasts and lamps are designed to meet standards for interchangeability between lamps and ballasts of the same type and wattage. A lamp must be operated by the ballast designed for that lamp, as improper matching of lamp and ballast may cause damage to the lamp or ballast, or both.



hXXp://www.420magazine.com/forums/how-grow-marijuana/72044-does-bulb-have-match-my-ballast.html


> The bulb wattage must be matched to the ballast. A smaller bulb will usually be fed a wattage close to what the proper bulb takes, and will generally overheat and may catastrophically fail. Any catastrophic failures may not necessarily happen quickly. A larger bulb will be underpowered, and will operate at reduced efficiency and may have a shortened lifetime. The ballast may also overheat from prolonged operation with an oversized bulb that fails to warm.



hXXp://www.htgsupply.com/faq.asp


> The ballast is the electrical component of a High Intensity Discharge (H.I.D.) or Fluorescent light that makes it work. The ballast is necessary to operate a H.I.D. or Fluorescent light. It converts the electricity from your home into the specific energy frequency needed to operate the lamp. Each specific H.I.D. lamp type (High Pressure Sodium [HPS], Metal Halide [MH], etc.) and wattage type (150, 250, 400, 600, 1000, etc.) have a specific ballast for each type and wattage of H.I.D. lamp. They are not compatible with each other, you cannot use different lamp types or wattages in your light other than the one specifically made for it




hXXp://www.piaacanada.com/hid/





> The HID Ballasts have multiple functions &#8211; provide starting voltage or a high voltage pulse, regulating bulb current and power while providing appropriate [FONT=Helvetica,sans-serif,Arial]sustaining voltage and current flow and manage power   to optimize bulb life.[/FONT]
> All HID ballasts must provide specific minimum starting voltage to ignite the bulb.  In automotive applications, they provide a high voltage pulse that streams to the igniter, providing the immediate spark to fire the bulb almost instantly.
> Ballasts also regulate bulb current and power.  Following that initial pulse that sparks the bulb, the ballast limits the current to the bulb while operating.  The ballast current is set to a level that provides proper power to the bulb.  In addition, the ballast regulates the bulb current through the range of typical line voltage variations &#8211; or surges &#8211; maintaining stable bulb output and maximum performance.



The simple, and truthfull answer, is "NO".. you should never substitute bulb wattages OR bulb types in an HID ballast.


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## AlbinoDanko12GA (Sep 11, 2009)

well i wouldnt and never had tried it but all i said is that i have a buddy that did it on accident and the bulb still fires and the ballast still is up n running! and the same thing is going on different websites so theres videos explaing all of this on youtube but its over and done with the dude that started this thread should buy a 1000 watt bulb anyway to get more lumens since he has a 1000 watt ballast! 

thanks for all that useful info hick! i say run with the biggest powerful bulb that the ballast will accept and run effcient on!


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## mistertee (Sep 18, 2009)

i know nothing about lumens and such.but i am an electrician and i certainly wouldnt recomend puttin 1000w of power through a 400w appliance.hope this helps


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## AlbinoDanko12GA (Sep 18, 2009)

ya i did some research on it and its not safe but it WILL POWER the bulb, but its not safe or efficient and can casue major major major problems


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## Pepper (Sep 18, 2009)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> well why would someone buy a ballast that will put out 1000 watts and only buy a 400 watt bulb or so, thats useless!


 
Actually not useless--ballasts that will run at different wattages are very useful. There are a couple of ballast companies out there now that are making adjustable ballasts (why would they do this if you could run any size bulb you wanted to?). For example you can buy a 1000W Quantum "dimmable" ballast and 1000W bulb, but run it at 500W, 750W or 1000W. This is a real advantage if you do not always have your closet full and don't need as much light. I believe that NextGen is also making adjustable ballasts.[/quote]


My new 1k lumatek has a dimmer that goes 50/75/100/ and super, I dont think im trying the super lol 1k is plenty plus safer.

Ballast and bulb must match not only for safety reasons but also for better performance, common sence goes a VERY long way lol.


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