Best Digital Ballasts for Grow Light Kits (Updated 2021)

 Of all the operating parts of your grow light system the most important part of it all is the ballast. Without a ballast, a grow light will not receive any power to turn your lights on, rendering your grow lights virtually useless. While you may not think much of your grow light’s ballast, you’d be surprised to find out that not all ballasts are created the same:

Some ballasts put out high radio frequencies that can disrupt wifi signals, while others will not. 

Some ballasts can adjust the intensity of your grow light, and others that can even push your bulbs to produce 15% more heat than their maximum strength gets normally (this is known as a Super Lumen feature). 

Some ballasts are quite heavy and can only be mounted on the ground, and some so slim and light you can mount them anywhere in your grow room.

Everyone wants the kind of device that will ensure that their plants would get the optimal environment to grow better, strong and healthier. For that, I am sure you have scavenged many forums and articles.

Even if you have selected particular grow light ballast, there are numerous factors you need to keep in your mind since buying Grow light ballast is tricky.

You do not want any kind of mishap to happen to your plants, your tent or your house but it should provide you with sufficient light to help your seedlings to prosper.

So is there any guideline to help you pave your way? Yes, there is. In this buying guide, we have enlisted everything that you need to keep in mind before buying the ideal ballast for your indoor plants.

A grow light ballast is a device that is required for the safe operation of a lamp without it blowing up. It will ensure that the current only powers your bulb and does not overload it. Without one, your grow light will get unlimited current supply since most of these lights have low resistance and they would overheat quickly and break.

Types of Ballasts:

There are three major types of ballasts; Magnetic Ballasts, Electronic Ballasts, and Digital Ballasts.

Magnetic Ballast: It is an electromagnet that channels electricity into only 1 coil. It is heavy, bulky and difficult to transport from one location to another. It works with various capacitors to control the flow of currents and ensures that your device does not short-circuit. Magnetic ballasts have the least PF interference and are the least complicated out of the three but are out-dated. They offer less efficiency and can pile up your electricity bills.

Electronic Ballast: It uses a rectifier, low-pass filter, HF oscillator and a bugger capacitor which converts he single into an AC or DC signal with the help of the rectifier. It has numerous coils arranged in series. Their function runs smoothly and silently and they help in heat dissipation. Moreover, they are much more efficient than magnetic ballasts.

Digital Ballast: It is the most advanced technology in ballast in today’s world. What makes most indoor plant gardeners prefer this over the other two is the microprocessor chip. It increases the ballast’s efficiency and stops idle power loss. It is energy efficient. Furthermore, it has adjustable wattages which you can choose from. They are lightweight and easy to carry.

The Best Ballasts Recommend for You

ECO Farm CMH 945W Grow Light Digital Electronic Ballast

Features:

While some thousand watt ballast tends to be noisy when operating, ECO Farm grow light ballast is one of the exceptions. It can still perform stably with a low sound. Safety should always be a priority, especially when dealing with electricity where you have to protect yourself and your belongings from possible damage. Fortunately, ECO Farm makes sure that their product is insusceptible to short circuits. An internal built-in circuit breaker ensures that electrical malfunctions do not get to reach the rest of your appliances. So, whatever problems your ballast may encounter, abnormal currents will not mess up with other electricity-powered fixtures near you. This item also features a hot restrike function that protects the lamp and the ballast. Through this, the ballast reignites the light once it has cooled down. In cases of power interruptions or failed ignitions, the ballast spends a minute before attempting to restart the bulbs.

iPower Horticulture Digital Dimmable Electronic Ballast

Features:

The iPower GLBL ST1000D 1000 Watt Electronic Ballast is designed to complement hydroponic horticulture wherein crops grow with the help of mineral nutrient solutions in a solvent. iPower provides three dimming levels at 50%, 75%, and 100%, so you will not have a hard time adjusting your lamp’s brightness. Ballast flexibility can be a consideration for owners of indoor gardens because grow lights can either be High-pressure Sodium or Metal Halide bulbs. Also, this product is compatible with both HPS and MH bulbs through microchip programming. Hence, ith doesn’t require much effort, unlike those that demand manual transitions, or those which cannot be adjusted at all. This item also comes with a cooling fan to keep the ballast temperature within an acceptable range. I am glad about its graduating fin casing that also helps maintain a low operating temperature, so the entire piece doesn’t cause harm off a hot surface.

Phantom Commercial 1000W Double-Ended Digital Ballast

Features:

The Phantom has a high precision microprocessor to help you keep your set up running smoothly. Even with 1000 watts this grow light ballast is completely silent, energy-efficient, reliable, and lightweight for your indoor grow light fixtures. 32 MHz fully integrated microprocessor keeps your setup running smoothly. Hot-restrike programming to protect the lamp and ballast in the event of the ballast turning off unexpectedly. 4 brightness settings: 60 percent, 75 percent, 100 percent, and Super Boost. Light can be dimmed to save energy and also features end of life lamp protection and LED indication. It can run Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs and will indicate you when the lamp is at the end of its life. That means there is no more need to guess if the bulb is dimming!

Advantages of digital ballasts

A digital ballast supplies:

 Silence — quiet operating noise is essential for many growing enthusiasts.
Increased Grow Bulb Life — Slowing the light start-up is an effective way of starting up your grow bulbs while also reducing risk of premature failure.
Highly portable — Simple transportation and a fairly slim design means that digital ballasts are easy to setup and store.
Great Safety Features — Digital ballasts help reduce fire hazards and reduce damage risk to your home’s electrical circuits.

What to Look for When Buying Digital Ballasts

Different digital ballast reviews suggest practices when choosing a ballast. If you are looking for it but unsure of the characteristics to look at, consider the following important notes that may lead you to the best one:

Bulb safety — To preserve your bulbs, select the ballast with ignition voltage control and regulate current flow.
Versatility — Your ballast must be able to withstand different conditions and locations. It also has to work with either MH or HPS bulbs, DE and SE ones. And it’s expected to run bulbs of different wattage.
Durability — A quality ballast shows little to zero effect on your lamps’ performance in cases of voltage fluctuations. You have to consider the kind of materials used for its casing, and even its internals.
Dimming — Crops do not grow on the same level of sunlight. So, your ballast has to have different dimming levels for you to switch on whenever necessary.
RFI Protection — Wire shielding is essential for your ballast to protect electronic devices and radios from signals within frequencies coming from it.
Temperature — Ballasts get hot, but not too hot that you can’t touch it. You need to pick the one that causes no overheating, otherwise, your greenhouse will burn out, or your plants will lose excessive amounts of
Noise — Little sounds coming off its cooling fan is bearable, but not the one that becomes annoying.

Conclusion

All gardeners want their plants to grow healthily. I am so sure of that because that has been my ultimate goal every time I sow. In order for us to be successful, we have to have the best 1000 watt ballast to aid us.