anybody have exp. using these? i wired it up and it gets REAL hot. ive never ran a mh bulb befor so maybe thats normal. but the transformer and capacitor are connected to the "socket" and im not cool with that hanging above the goods. another somewhat off topic question, what is the best placement for bulbs, horizontal or vertical? ive read vertical, but see most systems being sold are horizontal. thanks. tryin to upgrade from cfl's even tho i have no complaints about em.
A 400w Mh will need venting, swap it for a 250w, they do good in a closet, will still need venting, hang it vertically peace "V"
thank you for the reply. yea that 400w bulb gets way too hot for my comfort. i was just looking for a cheap way out. the more ive researched and sat on it for awhile im going to invest in a 400w hps system. one more thing, did you have any info about the positioning of the bulbs? ive read/heard that verticle is the best but see most if not all systems the bulb is horizontal? thanks.
went out yesterday and got a 400w hps sytem. its hanging horizontal right now but if verticle is the "best" id like to try and go for that. the only problem i see in with that is maybe having to rotate the plants more often. any advice? thanks
I have an industrial 400 watt mh setup for my tent. I separated the ballast which sits outside my tent. I run it with no hood hanging vertically and a fan aimed on the bulb pushing the air at the exhaust side of the tent. Lots of air movement in there. The hood seemed to trap warm air.
yea id like to have something like that. ive been thinking about trying to fabricate my own vertical hanging with some sort of reflective hat at the top of it. gonna do some more thinking about it
IMO hanging the light vertically is great if your room is big enough to allow the light to hang below the canopy to allow light to penetrate to the lower portions of the plants. But typically smaller grows will benefit more from a horizontal position allowing for more coverage. The larger grows that I have seen have both horizontal and vertical lights.
OP, I think you are referring to a High Bay light, correct? The reflectors for those things are meant to cast the light downward in a cone shape and not reach maximum coverage for too long a distance to be efficient for growing. The only way to utilize on of those would be to convert it into a remote ballast configuration, and get a hood, or straight up bare bulb it. I prefer a good glass shielded hood myself, because in the event of a bulb rupture the molten glass will be contained.
yes i was originally talking about those. i since ditched that idea and bought a system. now i am thinking about converting it to a verticle setup. as of this moment i am pondering the idea of what if i were to just mount the whole hood and light vertically and place it on the side of the plants. ya know with the hood against the wall? with adequate space of course. any input whatsoever is greatly appreciated.
I do use a couple of 150w HPS high bay lights that I have remove the reflectors and use them to supplement vertically below the canopy with T5's as they dont produce as much heat and they were cheap, but again I have a fairly big room were plants are spread out when growing in soil. I'm not sure your ideal of placing the light against the wall is the best placement option as again the light will not penetrate through the plants. Let us know what u finally decide as the outcome will be interesting re:growth.