Ballasts: 11 of 21
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What is harmonic distortion?
When a ballast is plugged into an electrical line, it can cause a small "ripple" type distortion to go back into the electrical line. This can create problems for other sensitive equipment plugged into the line
Do I need to be concerned about
THD rating of a ballast?
The older electromagnetic ballasts had high THD (typically 30%) Electronic ballasts introduce much lower THD into the line, typically 20% or less. In most situations this is below the level of concern.
However, in special situation—laboratories, hospitals etc..—where sensitive electronic equipment is used, it may be necessary to specify ballasts with less then 10% THD (low THD).