HPS ballast ignitor distance

[invi]

High!

I figured i might need to move my ballast a bit further. Does anyone know what is the max possible distance between ballast and ignitor/bulb, and how thick the cable needs to be to keep the voltage and be safe? I'm thinking about a 10 feet distance, got 2 lamps, a 250 and 400w.

Also when im done - is there a safe way to test whether the cables are insulated properly?

Tried to talk to the shop, but the guy didn't even know if there is high voltage between the ballast and ignitor or only between ignitor and the bulb.

 

[Hosebomber]

I know 15' cords are sold on some reflectors. My 400 watt has a 10' 10/3 cord. If you are going to splice the wires make sure that you sleeve/ shrink wrap insulate each line then all of them. You don't want to take the chance of a rogue wire crossing.

 

[invi]

Thanks, added my 10' cable - all works fine. have no idea how to insulate the cable where it joins the ballast, have nothing that would bear the 200F it can produce. Otherwise the girls are having their 12 hours sunbath atm with no extra heating in their room finally

 

[Hosebomber]

I was referring to cutting the wire and adding more length to it. It's not advised for people that don't have the proper electrical background and materials to do it safely. Not really a hard process, but safety is always my #1 concern with anything electrical.

 

[invi]

Oww i meant the cable between the bulb-ignitor and ballast. They light up but is it possible that they give way less lumens this way or work faulty otherwise? I added like 10' in between.

 

[Hosebomber]

Where you add the wire, (before the ballast, or between the ballast and the hood) doesn't matter. You want to make sure that water and air for that matter cannot get down into the wires. That can cause corrosion and a dis-bonding of your connection leading to a short and a fire resulting from the short. It is always best to have a single wire from connection to connection if at all possible. If not seal it good and you will be okay.

Depending on the material of the wire your resistance will increase some, but that amount is negligible under 25 feet. This has nothing to do with house/ballast lighting but, if your wire run needs to be over 25 feet and the frequency or sine wave has to be regulated, you would need to change to solid gold cables (much like what is used in microwave sweep cables for aircraft counter measures systems).

 

[invi]

Oh okay - i was just afraid that the ignitor cant supply the high voltage for some reason if cables are too long, and since the ballast is wired directly to the bulb as well.

Thanks!