|
Old Advance Class P Ballast (The Ballast Inside the Old Wrap)
|
Heres the Ballast inside the Oldish Looking Wraparound (Sans Diffuser)...i bet this still works but i havent Tested Yet.
it is a Class P (Protected) Advance Ballast....the Label gives me a Strong 60's Vibe....what do you guys Think?
|
|
My GE BonusLine ballast in my rescued shoplight has lost some of it's tar (but contained in the ballast compartment) but it's solid and it's still pretty quiet, even on modified-sine-wave inverter electricity.
It was running 34w lamps when I got it but I didn't even try them on that ballast as I didn't want to risk it... running 34w lamps for the past fifteen years (oh did I mention I found out it was purchased like 15 years ago at a True Value store which explains the post-1995, pre-2003 GE Watt-Misers but the light itself likely sat on the shelf for a long time NOS). Seems okay running a pair of MainLighters and upside down uplighting the ceiling until I mount it...but is there a hazard that ballast will fail violently/should I remove it and replace it with something else to preserve it)?
Probably not bad, if it really concerned you install an in-line fuse and make sure its suspended off anything if the ballast decided to go smokey/fireworks
Personally, I'd junk any leaked ballast regardless of if it works or not unless it's vintage, then it'd probably get nailed onto the wall with the leads cut short for display uses.
The tar that leaked out of mine and dripped onto the inside of the reflector looks a little bit shiny...does this mean it could be PCB-infested? It's only a small amount and it's inside the fixture so I don't think it's a huge hazard...although it may work for many more years...but when/if I get another similar ballast it will be removed and preserved/saved for a backup...
The other three (2 used, 1 NOS) are in storage but if I do started using them I'll install fuses on them too. PCBs were banned in the late 70s so any HPF ballast made before 1979 has a high chance of containing PCBs. They should be fine to use if you don't let the cap leak IE no 34w lamps at all.
HID ballasts also had PCBs but with those all you need to do is to replace the cap with a non PCB one which I recommend doing anyways since old caps can short and take the ballast down with it.
What size fuse do you use on your PCB-containing ballasts?
@Mike, I have a pic of a fuseholder I use in my gallery.
The label on the ballast above looks very similar (although not identical) to this...
BTW, this light and its three twins have cloth wiring inside them. I checked the spare one in the basement and it had a white cloth wire and a black cloth wire. They looked to be either 12 or 10 guage too. There was no ground wire coming out of it so I assume these light weren't originally grounded, though it doesn't make sense since RS need to be grounded. Maybe the nuetral was originally used as a ground?