When growing indoors, lighting is an essential part of your grow systems. Reflectors and ballasts are required to maximize your
Indoor gardening and greenhouse horticulture use ballasts to improve plant growth. Image via Brooks Electric.
When growing indoors, lighting is an essential part of your grow systems. Reflectors and ballasts are required to maximize your
Indoor gardening and greenhouse horticulture use ballasts to improve plant growth. Image via Brooks Electric.
A ballast’s purpose is to start and control the energy flow through a lamp. It regulates the electrical current that flows through the HID lighting so that they work efficiently. This is particularly important in indoor gardening where light is limited and artificial light needs to be introduced. A sufficient electrical current controlled by the ballasts so that the bulb won’t be destroyed.
Design complexity varies in ballasts. The simplest form can be a series resistor/inductor, capacitors, or a combination of the two. For more complex ballasts there are electronic versions that are used with fluorescent lamps and high-intensity discharge lamps. An electronic version is intended to limit the current through the lamp tube. The tube has negative resistance characteristics and without limiting the current it would increase to damaging levels.
Ballasts include a 120V power cord that plugs into any home or building. Ballasts, reflectors, and lights are all required to complete the system. There are two types of connectors in reflectors therefore the ballast-to-reflector connection must be compatible.
Another important consideration is that the wattage rating of the ballast matches the wattage rating of the grow light. Ensure you have sufficient warranty on your product, it may be the most important feature of your system.
Feature Image: Quantum Horticulture dimmable ballast. Image via Quantum Ballast.
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