nuggdigger
04-04-2007, 05:27 PM
Does your ballast hum... (all da do da day)
by Fred Leduc
I give him cred for the article, but he wasn't here to retype it, so if I can't paste it, it doesn't deserve a quote box, imo:laugh2:
The first time some people turn on a 1000-watt light they are shocked at how noisy it is. Does your light make a loud clang when it comes on or a loud buzzing that calms down after 10 or 20 minutes, to just a hum? Is that hum to much for your peace of mind? Have you had the neighbors complain about a strange noise? I've said things like: "I have a fish tank", or "that must be the humidifier and I can't sleep without it!" I would like to share some ideas that will help reduce the noise emitted by your ballast.
Let's start with buying a new light, completely assembled. I would say to the store clerk: "I want to start a few lights (with the bulb) to hear how much noise they make."
This tells you a lot about how tight the ballast is and how it was assembled. First pick up the unit and give it a little shake. Listen for anything (handles, screws, case, and wires.) If it makes any noise, put it down and move to the next one.A properly assembled unit will make zero noise when you shake it. These are the ones that you want the store clerk to start up for you. Remember that you are paying for assembly! To save some money, you can buy a bare bones kit with an open mounting plate and assemble it yourself.
The ballast is made of steel plates that are usually welded together in only four spots. You can see the weld lines at the ends of the ballast. It is these steel plates that hum. Because the ballast is not tight, the plates vibrate and bang together. When the light comes on, it makes a louder buzz because the plates are vibrating at different speeds. The ones in the middle are not moving at the same speed as the ones on the outside. After a few minutes, all the plates move at the same speed and the buzz calms down to a hum.
My ballast is stripped down to the bare essentials. I tightened up my ballast and mounted it on a cement wall. Now the loudest thing in my room is the click that the timer makes!
A lot of things can amplify the hum of the ballast: its case, assembly, and mounting. Where you have the unit installed can make a big difference. You can have it on the floor, the wall or even in another room. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it, but try this.
If your ballast is on the floor: Try a piece of 2.5 to 5 cm-thick white foam with a cinder block on the foam and your ballast or unit on the block. Do not use blue foam because it is to dense.
If you are going to hang the ballast on the wall: Use a very big strong hook, screwed into a beam or stud. Drill a hole in the beam, a little smaller then the hook so you don't split the beam with your big hook. Hang the ballast so that it is not touching the wall (minimum 3.75 cm from the wall). When you are hanging the ballast, think about heat and vibrations! What we are trying to do is separate the ballast from the building so the vibrations don't get amplified and distributed through the building. If this isn't enough, then we have to go inside the case.
Warning: always unplug the light and wait 30 minutes before doing any work inside the case! The ballast can hold a static charge for up to 30 minutes! If you change the position of your light bulb before the gases cool down, it will shorten the life expectancy of your bulb. After 30 minutes, open the case to see what you have there. You are going to take the ballast out. To do this, you have to disassemble the unit. It's a good idea to tape and number every wire you take apart so you can put everything all back together correctly.
Now that we have the ballast out, you can see that there are 10 or 12 holes that go right through the steel plates. Some of the holes are for mounting. You can use the rest to tighten up your ballast. If you put a nut and bolt in the holes that are not used for mounting and tighten them very tight, the ballast will stop humming. When you are tightening the nuts, don't tighten them one at a time. Go around the ballast and tighten each on a little bit at a time to keep it even. You should try tightening the mounting nuts first, before you disassemble the unit. It may be enough.
Be Safe and Think.
do do do
by Fred Leduc
I give him cred for the article, but he wasn't here to retype it, so if I can't paste it, it doesn't deserve a quote box, imo:laugh2:
The first time some people turn on a 1000-watt light they are shocked at how noisy it is. Does your light make a loud clang when it comes on or a loud buzzing that calms down after 10 or 20 minutes, to just a hum? Is that hum to much for your peace of mind? Have you had the neighbors complain about a strange noise? I've said things like: "I have a fish tank", or "that must be the humidifier and I can't sleep without it!" I would like to share some ideas that will help reduce the noise emitted by your ballast.
Let's start with buying a new light, completely assembled. I would say to the store clerk: "I want to start a few lights (with the bulb) to hear how much noise they make."
This tells you a lot about how tight the ballast is and how it was assembled. First pick up the unit and give it a little shake. Listen for anything (handles, screws, case, and wires.) If it makes any noise, put it down and move to the next one.A properly assembled unit will make zero noise when you shake it. These are the ones that you want the store clerk to start up for you. Remember that you are paying for assembly! To save some money, you can buy a bare bones kit with an open mounting plate and assemble it yourself.
The ballast is made of steel plates that are usually welded together in only four spots. You can see the weld lines at the ends of the ballast. It is these steel plates that hum. Because the ballast is not tight, the plates vibrate and bang together. When the light comes on, it makes a louder buzz because the plates are vibrating at different speeds. The ones in the middle are not moving at the same speed as the ones on the outside. After a few minutes, all the plates move at the same speed and the buzz calms down to a hum.
My ballast is stripped down to the bare essentials. I tightened up my ballast and mounted it on a cement wall. Now the loudest thing in my room is the click that the timer makes!
A lot of things can amplify the hum of the ballast: its case, assembly, and mounting. Where you have the unit installed can make a big difference. You can have it on the floor, the wall or even in another room. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it, but try this.
If your ballast is on the floor: Try a piece of 2.5 to 5 cm-thick white foam with a cinder block on the foam and your ballast or unit on the block. Do not use blue foam because it is to dense.
If you are going to hang the ballast on the wall: Use a very big strong hook, screwed into a beam or stud. Drill a hole in the beam, a little smaller then the hook so you don't split the beam with your big hook. Hang the ballast so that it is not touching the wall (minimum 3.75 cm from the wall). When you are hanging the ballast, think about heat and vibrations! What we are trying to do is separate the ballast from the building so the vibrations don't get amplified and distributed through the building. If this isn't enough, then we have to go inside the case.
Warning: always unplug the light and wait 30 minutes before doing any work inside the case! The ballast can hold a static charge for up to 30 minutes! If you change the position of your light bulb before the gases cool down, it will shorten the life expectancy of your bulb. After 30 minutes, open the case to see what you have there. You are going to take the ballast out. To do this, you have to disassemble the unit. It's a good idea to tape and number every wire you take apart so you can put everything all back together correctly.
Now that we have the ballast out, you can see that there are 10 or 12 holes that go right through the steel plates. Some of the holes are for mounting. You can use the rest to tighten up your ballast. If you put a nut and bolt in the holes that are not used for mounting and tighten them very tight, the ballast will stop humming. When you are tightening the nuts, don't tighten them one at a time. Go around the ballast and tighten each on a little bit at a time to keep it even. You should try tightening the mounting nuts first, before you disassemble the unit. It may be enough.
Be Safe and Think.
do do do