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Work Horse 7 (1 Viewer)

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G

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I know some of you out there use this ballast. I also know that the manufacturer does NOT recommend that you drive two 110W VHO's with this ballast. I further know that some of you out there DO drive two 110W VHO's with this ballast. How's this working out for you?

Thanks in advance.
 
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G

Guest

I do not know from experience because I use them to drive one 5ft bulb each which are 140watts, but from all the research that I did on these ballasts, be it from the manufacturer and many other reefers, this is what I came up with.

They will drive (2) 110watt bulbs, but the question is are they really being fired to their full potential?? Many different opnions on this
The only way to really tell is to put 2 new bulbs in running the wh7
and compare it to an icecap running 3 bulbs.

The other ? is if it is not driving them to their full potential this would cause premature bulb wear.

As what I got from everyone is that they do fire all the way, but as for bulb life I really did not ask?

Just my .02
 
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G

Guest

Do you think it will fire 2-36" VHO at it's rated capacity, since a 36" bulb consumes 95Watts each?
 
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AggieBrandon

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I don't think it is the wattage that is underpowered but the amperage. I think the bulbs need 1800mA where the wh7 only fires 1500mA or something like that.

Some electrical guru put in their 2 cents and correct me if i'm wrong please :wink:

Thanks.

Brandon
 
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G

Guest

Brandon,

From what I remember in doing my research, you are correct about the amperage, though I can't recall right now on the exact amperage out put by the wh7, I will check when I get home from work in the morning. This is the reason the bulbs are being under driven and also putting excess wear on the ballast as well as bulbs.

Cohiba,
Now to answer the question as to it being able to drive two 3 ft bulbs, this should be no problem at all!!
 
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AggieBrandon

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Yeah that is what i thought. Personally I am using several wh7's in different setups and have not noticed a difference in how bright the bulbs are or how long they last. I have two wh7's on the new canopy I built each firing 2 48" URI VHO Actinics and they appear just as bright as they would being fired off of an Icecap ballast. It could just be my eyes or that I am not used to the icecap.

Brandon
 
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G

Guest

Ok just to let everyone know the maxium current draw that is allowed by the wh7 actually 1.820amps or 1820ma.

If you decide to run 2 4ft vho bulbs at 110watts each then the current draw that is produced by these bulbs exceeds this amount,not by much mind you but enough to under fire the bulbs.

The current draw or (amperage) pulled by 2(110w) bulbs is actually 1.833amps or 1833ma.

To figure amperage that is on a circuit take the total watt load and divide by the voltage.

Ex. (2)110w bulbs =220watts total on a circuit of 120vac
so 220/120=1.833amps

You can use this formula to figure all the amp draw being produced by all of your equipment on your tank and really see if you should have a dedicated breaker.

Just read all the labels on on the cords and it should tell you how many watts it is .

Hope this info helps
 
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G

Guest

Thanks for the response, gentlemen.

I'm certainly no electric knowledge whatsoever, but 13/1000 of an amp doesn't appear to be a big difference. I would be willing to bet that you can't tell the difference with the naked eye between 2 110W bulbs being driven by a Workhorse7 v. Icecap 430. I most certainly may be wrong, however. Has anyone done a side by side comparison?

I'll have to pose this at RC, and risk being labeled a bigger idiot there than I am accused of here. :D
 
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AggieBrandon

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Polecat,

I said I can't tell the difference between the bulbs fired using the wh7 and bulbs using an icecap...I haven't done a side by side comparison because I could get 5 wh7 ballasts for the price of an icecap ballast. I have two wh7's on my 37 and two on my 75 and will have one on my refugium and one on my frag tank.

Brandon
 
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G

Guest

BUY WORK HORSE 7?

I WAS READING THE POST ABOUT THESE BALLASTS.
AND I WAS WONDERING, WHERE THEY CAN BE PURCHASED.
 
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