Ballasts Explained
There are many situations in which you may find you need T5 ballast. Electronic ballast is a necessary part of hydroponic gardening, for instance. Hydroponic growers use these lamps because the light provided is very close to that of sunlight or at least, as close as we can get in the world of artificial light. Hydroponic gardening takes place indoors, and therefore these lights are a required part of the process. Such a garden requires a high intensity discharge lamp, which in turn requires ballast in order to function.
A high intensity discharge (HID) light uses a glass tube which is filled with tungsten electrode, gas and metal components. After an electrical arc is created across the electrodes in the tube, the lamp will appear lit. Gas functions as a device to help the bulb begin to create light, and as the metals heat up they begin to actually produce light. The best part of an HID light is that it is highly cost effective, as they do not use more energy than is required to keep the bulb lit.
This is where the ballast comes into play. It operates by initiating the flow of electricity into the bulb, allowing the bulb to become and stay lit. More importantly, it acts to control the flow of electricity so that none is wasted, and so that there is just enough electrical power to keep a bulb on and operating. Without it, the life of the bulb would be much shorter, as ballast serves to keep the bulb from being destroyed by too much electrical power. Without it, an HID lamp will not work properly. The electrical current will not be controlled and the lamp's life will be shorter and it will no longer be energy efficient.
There are three different types which are typically used in these kinds of discharge lights: electronic ballasts, digital ballasts and magnetic ballasts. The magnetic type may also be referred to as a core and coil ballast because of the components that ballast uses to function. All of these different types work to provide a lamp with the same functions: to keep it lit and to keep the energy flow to the lamp at a safe and efficient level. Electronic types are typically used in metal halide and sodium lamps. Just like the other types, an electronic one uses an igniter and controls the flow of energy through an electronic circuitry.
As you can see, hydroponic growers absolutely must use one or two if their indoor gardens are to grow properly but what of everyone else? Because the environment has become a great concern of everyone the world over, more and more home and business owners are turning toward sources of green energy to cut energy costs and help make the earth a better place to live. Part of this process is switching to a more earth-friendly lighting system, like the kind provided by HID lamps. And as we have seen, HID lamps require ballasts to stay properly lit meaning that in the future they are something everyone will know about.
About the Author
Stewart Wrighter recently started purchasing lighting supplies such as T5 ballast online because of the convenience. For more information about T5 Ballasts go to http://www.ballastshop.com/fluorescent-ballast/t5-ballast.html .
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