jacksprout
Member
i think 1 if mine is weak, only spot in the room that had smaller yeild. everything else was the same. i remember a thread about changing out the coil every so often but cant find it.
how long are magnetic ballasts supposed to last
- Thread starter jacksprout
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The coil should be fine, it's the capacitor you'd want to change out. Coil ballasts can last forever but lose efficiency as they age, the upside is they can be fixed and rejuvenated cheaply and easily.
Dunno about the losing efficiency part if the cap and (if necessary) ignitor are replaced regularly.
The cheaper made coils may vibrate themselves loose over time and cause problems. Drilling holes through the corners and bolting them tight again should fix that.
Quality ballasts should last for decades with quite cheap maintenance.
Keep it Clean!
Advance brand ballast for me, a genuine workhorse. One I
have is almost 10 years old, lol.
have is almost 10 years old, lol.
Dunno about the losing efficiency part if the cap and (if necessary) ignitor are replaced regularly.
The cheaper made coils may vibrate themselves loose over time and cause problems. Drilling holes through the corners and bolting them tight again should fix that.
Quality ballasts should last for decades with quite cheap maintenance.
Keep it Clean!
Partial failure of the capacitor will result in loss in efficiency, full failure of the capacitor means the ballast won't work.
Ignitor problems are indicated by the lamp not striking.
I worked in a large industrial plant that was built in the mid-'70's with magnetic-ballasted 400w HPS as the lighting standard. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of lights and most of them were original. As said above, an occasional capacitor and ignitor and you'll be good for decades.
