ballast placement

[scarf_ace1981]

after placing my ballast all the way in the back of my stand i decided it wasn't such a good idea. i took them out irked: hate working under stand)i even made it extra tall and it's still a pain. when i see guys who have like a 24" tall stand i can't believe how you possibly get anything done in there.

my question is if i were to place the ballast outside of the stand, can i place one on top of the other? i understand they can get very hot but what if i put a fan blowing directly on them? it's three ballast btw, 2-250w and a pc ballast.

 

[DEEPWATER]

is your ballast bare or in a box ,mine are in boxes (ready wired from the company) set on the floor by the side of my tank ,also helps that they come with 15ft cords to connect the light with

if they are bare ,you can screw themon the side of your stand (outside ) to keep the heat out ,you wil have to fine a way to run the wires to make it look good

 

[scarf_ace1981]

they are all in boxes ronen. question is:will i have a problem placing all three, one on top of each other?

 

[bad coffee]

if they're in regular boxes, stack away. The top one might get hot, but a small fan will cure that problem.

B

 

[DEEPWATER]

they are all in boxes ronen. question is:will i have a problem placing all three, one on top of each other?

Hmm good question ,I really coudnt say (maybe heat related issues ) havong them 1 on top of the other ,,,,,,,but i could say that i keep my ballast side by side,,Its been like that for over 3 years no probs

 

[FRY]

i whouldnt put ballast on top of each other they have to be flat when mounted best to have a air space between back and surface its mounted to

 

[Tonyscoots84]

why not mount them to the back of the canopy (on the outside) or ontop of the canopy if the design of the canopy is good for it....

i would def. not stack em on top of each other and i would def. not leave them on the floor incase of a flood (you never no)

you can also mount them on the back of the stand

just a few helpfull hints and tips from the scoots..

 

[regal]

If they are electronic ballasts, it should be fine. If you have mag or HQI, it may be a little too hot b/c you are cutting the surface area for cooling by 1/3.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

thanks for all of your info guys. i decided to put them on a shelf next to the tank. the are not stocked on top of each other anymore.

my aquamedic ballast has a fan built in but the pfo doesn't. wonder why pfo don't install fans in the ballasts:scratch: