Icecap electronic halide ballast very hot

[Velcro]

I bought this ballast to run my 400 watt radium:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/400w-selectable-wattage-electronic-ballast-icecap.html

This thing gets reallllly hot. Is this normal? infared thermometer shows 130ish F on the exterior of the ballast. It draws 410 watts on the 400 watt setting and 440 watts on the super lumen setting.

Is there a chance that it is running the bulb incorrectly and the heat is a byproduct of this?

 

[Reeferdood]

When I ran 400 watt halides the balasts would get pretty hot too. Some of the newer ballasts have cooling fins or heat sinks that keep them a little cooler. I had the older style that had nothing so I mounted them to a plate of aluminum to help draw the heat away.
@Brew12 might be able to also add his expertise to this topic.

 

[Brew12]

I'm not much of a MH expert, but how old is the bulb? If the bulb is too old it can cause the ballast to draw more current and generate more heat.

 

[Velcro]

I'm not much of a MH expert, but how old is the bulb? If the bulb is too old it can cause the ballast to draw more current and generate more heat.

Brand new bulb

 

[Reeferdood]

I would bet everything is ok, 400 watts is an awful lot of juice and the casing is aluminum, that alone will dissipate a lot of heat...

 

[jda]

It is supposed to be hot. The whole external case is a heat sink for a reason. Blow a fan over it if you want to keep it cooler, but it is not necessary.

 

[Reef of Fillory]

I bought this ballast to run my 400 watt radium:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/400w-selectable-wattage-electronic-ballast-icecap.html

This thing gets reallllly hot. Is this normal? infared thermometer shows 130ish F on the exterior of the ballast. It draws 410 watts on the 400 watt setting and 440 watts on the super lumen setting.

Is there a chance that it is running the bulb incorrectly and the heat is a byproduct of this?

I have my ballast [only 150w] sitting in a frying pan because i'm paranoid and thought it could melt something [laminate floors maybe]

I should take a picture, as it's humorous to me