Buying used ballast is ok?

[MariaJuanna]

Do ballasts wear out over time and become less efficient or they stay at same efficiency and fail completely when time comes?

How many hours is average manufacturer suggested time before failure for ballasts?

What are down sides of buying used ballast?

 

[Hushpuppy]

Ballasts are electronic components and as such, they do eventually fail. Buying a used ballast isn't necessarily a bad thing though. They usually have a 1 year warrenty on them because if it lasts a year then it will most likely last several years as that is the nature of electronics. The real key is how the person who has it now has treated it. If it has been allowed to get and stay filthy, or hot then it could fail sooner.

However, a lot of times, people get a light setup that is small and then they realize after several months that they want to go bigger, so they buy another light that is bigger and then sell the smaller one.

There isn't really an average lifespan for ballasts as they can fail at startup or within a couple months or not fail for decades. That is the nature of electronics. The important thing is to make sure that it is the right size and will work for what you want to accomplish.

 

[DrFever]

IMO used ballests are a good normally you get them less then half price and a complete set up incuding light bulbs and like above post mentioned they can last for a long time or short time , most importaantly is keeping them cool hotter they are they less life span they get

 

[YYZ Skinhead]

I bought a used 1000w HPS unit (with a bulb in it) for $125 and a used 430w HPS for around the same price at greenthumblight.com. Both of em work grandly. Crapslist (at least here in Hell) lists used HIDs all the time.