Grow Light Ballasts - Scrap Value? high pressure sodium - metal halide - HPS - MH

Try breaking one open. If they're like the ones I had for industrial lighting, they'll have about five pounds of copper windings around an iron core and encased in hardened "tar". The tar is easily broken.

Ok we had some fun this afternoon.

I removed one or two fasteners to tear it apart




Took awhile but eventually I got it down to the case (aluminum ? )




These 3 little guys which dont weigh very much. They say no PCB but not sure if its worth cracking these open as they don't weigh much




Then this thing. All the weight is in this brick (didn't weigh it - over 10lbs). Looks like a lot of copper to me in the inner coil. Not sure what all that casing is. I see no way of separating this any further











So now what? Do I have something of value here? Is it worth spending the time to dissect a few more of these?

Thanks again for the help

Doesn't Maine(Maine bein not too far from you) have a MMJ law?.. those are worth far more in the retail market than yu can get scrappin...

The copper cores are fairly easy to remove from the iron. Use a grinder or Sawzall to cut through the copper windings on one side. Then punch or pry them from the windings. Good money there.

Punch or pry the windings from the steel core is what I meant.

Don't crack open those "silvery"/aluminum things. Take them as is to your scrap yard and see if they'll buy them.

Read through this thread and see if it somewhat matches what you have. As I noted, there was 3.25 pounds of copper in each: http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/disma...-fixtures.html

These 3 little guys which dont weigh very much. They say no PCB but not sure if its worth cracking these open as they don't weigh much

The 2 on the right are oil filled capacitors, nothing of value inside.
I'd throw those in the steel shred pile.
The cover is either cast or extruded alum. and the transformer you can take a
saw and cut off the windings on one end. Take a punch or large screwdriver
and punch the windings thru to the other side.

The transformers are different from most.
Most transformers have the 'I's & the 'E's interlaced (like in the video above). That means the only way to get the Copper out is to cut the copper loops of one side & then punch the rust out thru the iron transformer core.

Microwaves have the 'I's & the 'E's stacked in their transformers.
They stack the laminations (individual iron plates). Then they run a thin weld down where they touch & that welds them together. They are easy to get the copper out of, you bust the weld, then break the iron core apart & then remove the 2 copper coils.

The transformers you have, are stacked by the look of it, but they are stacked differently. Theres joins where theres normally none. That means the transformers, after the weld is ground out, will split differently.
I'd say they split into three stacks instead. Thats easy work now.

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Those 'three guys' are capactors (first ones actually a 'starter'), they are not worth anything.

Between the Ali housing & the Copper coils & the iron, you have a nice little earner.

Originally Posted by Gurge

yes, thank you lol I've been trying ebay / craigs and doing terrible. this stuff is outdated and really only marketed to a very small population of um.... botanists

edit: I see you're canadian. Maybe that stuff is a little easier to sell north of the border ehhh ? not so much in the states it seems

Colorado Resident says its everywhere here

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