[turtlehead]

what kind of electronic ballast should I be looking for to support 2 t8 18"?

 

[Darkblade48]

I'd recommend an Advance (4F32T8) ballast, as it can also power up to 4 tubes if you choose so to upgrade at a later date

 

[gpodio]

You mean an xF15T8 ballast? The F32 is for 2-4' bulbs unless you are planning to overdrive the bulbs. A 2F15T8 would suffice, Home Depot should have these quite cheap.

Hope that helps
Giancarlo Podio

 

[Darkblade48]

LOL, shows you how much I know about ballasts

 

[turtlehead]

well can a 4F32T8 be used for 2 15wat 18" tubes?

 

[dennis]

I don't think so... I tried that a while back but I belive my particular ballast load tested the bulbs and would not operate. Some ballasts can "sense" what wattage of bulbs they are powereing. Thena gain, maybe I was wiring it wrong. This was a while ago and my first forray into DIY lighting.

 

[turtlehead]

home depot doesnt have 2F15T8

 

[gpodio]

A 4F32T8 ballast (one circuit per bulb) will most likely overdrive the bulb. Most electronic xF32T8 ballasts will automatically sense a 2' or 4' bulb but I don't think it will go down to a 15W bulb without overdriving it.

Here's an example of the ballasts you are looking for, keep in mind that some have slightly different codes (15 is the watts, T8 is the diameter), the important thing is that it is made to drive a 15W fluorescent or 13W CF (same ballast):

http://www.sunshinelighting.com/search.asp?selCategory=Ballast&Keyword=15t8&x=16&y=12

Hope that helps
Giancarlo