HPS Ballasts

How to Change Your HPS Ballast

An HPS ballast is basically the “engine” for your high pressure sodium light fixture. These lights are regularly used to provide illumination for indoor gardens or outdoor security. Because of this, it is very important to make sure your sodium ballast is in good working order at all times. If you notice that something is wrong with, it might be a problem with your ballast. The best way to test this is to simply replace the light bulb with a new one. If you have the same problem with your new light bulb, then the real problem is likely to be your ballast.

Before changing your ballest, you should make sure you have the correct parts and tools available. You should also be sure to follow all safety precautions to ensure that you are not injured or cause injury to your home or work shop. This is very important when doing any do-it-yourself project, especially when it involves electricity.

Depending on the placement of your old fixture, you may need a ladder to replace components. You will need to have a screwdriver to remove the screws that are holding your light in place. You will also need a working high pressure sodium light bulb. Make sure that you have wire connectors as well, in case your old ones are not functioning. It is also important to make sure you purchase a new ballast with the same type of plug as your old one. This will keep you from having to change the outlet in order to make a replacement. The first step to replacing it is to make sure that your fixture is turned off, and disconnected from the power source. You must then make sure that your light bulb is cool, or you will risk a very serious burn. Once this is done, unscrew your ballast from the location you have it mounted. Depending on whether or not you bought a kit, you may have to put your unit together. To do this you will have to connect the igniter, socket, and capacitor. It is always a good idea to write down which wires go where to refer to it when you reconnect them.

If you have purchased a ready-made unit, those steps will have already been done for you. Once it is in one piece, you will need to reattach it to whatever mount you were using for your old one. Try to remount it in the exact same place, to reduce the amount of damage done to your wall, ceiling, or other chosen mount. You can then place your working high pressure sodium light bulb into it, and then plug it in. After everything is complete, you can resume use of your high pressure sodium light.