The Lumatek ballast is a high performance product that is designed to work with most high quality lamps. Cheap inferior lamps may cause problems and Lumatek recommends only high quality American or European lamps. One or two good lamps with very high strike voltages may also be difficult for any electronic ballast to light; Lumatek has an adaptor available for those lamps. For specific recommendations contact your local supplier or Lumatek directly.

Be sure to disconnect the power source before changing lamps. Always use the specified wattage of lamp. (A 400W lamp should not be used in a 600W ballast). Lumatek recommends lamp replacement every 6-12 months.

It is VERY important that the lamp is given adequate time to cool down before it is reignited. You should allow a hot lamp to cool for 20-30 minutes before you try to re-strike it. Hot re-strikes cause premature lamp failure and lumen output degradation. Additionally, the lamp should never be turned off before the lamp reaches full intensity.

Lumatek ballasts are now internally RF shielded and can be used with standard System Cord sets as available in each country worldwide. Our ballasts produce the least amount of EMI (electro- magnetic interference) of any electronic ballast and conform to all international Electro-magnetic emission standards.

Lumatek ballasts operate both metal halide and high pressure sodium lamps. They will not light MV mercury vapor lamps which are commonly sold in hardware and some hydroponics stores.

Do not install ballasts in areas of very high heat such as an attic or a closed closet. Do not mount the ballast to the reflector or blow exhaust air over them. Do not stack ballast on top of each other. Do not allow contact with water. Mount units at least six inches apart. If a unit has any leaking resin please relocate to a cooler area or place a fan near the ballasts.