Went up to Home Depot today to see if they had any HPS bulbs. They had some ranging from like 50w to 400w. The 400w was about $22 which I didn't think was bad at all. Now my real question is, what the hell is this ballast talk? Where can I find what I need to screw my HPS bulb into? I'm not sure if I'm even making sense or using the right terminology. ANY help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi The ballast is the power supply for your bulb & you need to get a socket for the bulb (Like in your ceiling). I presume that this will come with the ballast, otherwise I cant see the sense in buying a ballast!! Caution: You MUST get the right ballast for the right bulb. 400W HPS bulb means you HAVE to have a 400W ballast! 250W = 250W ballast etc... Hope that helped!
Appreciate the info. I think I'm beginning to understand the ballast concept. But if I were to buy a 400w HPS bulb, where could I find a ballast suitable for the bulb?
if the place stocks the bulb, they will probably stock a ballast for it as well ask someone working there for a ballast for THIS bulb, and hand them the bulb you want... if they ask what your using it for (for some reason) tell them your building an aquarium
the only hid ballasts that home depot stock are the security/flood light fixtures. some handy work and you can chop it up to create a "remote" ballast. the easyest way (and probley cheaper too) would be to get an "all in one" system. go to www.htgsupply.com and check out their budget systems. for about $200 you can get a 400w hps system with mh conversion bulb. best deal out there.
HID lamps are high-powered and give off alot of heat. They need, and I repeat, need, a ballast specified for the wattage of bulb you will be using. Usually, you need it for the right system to.. I.E. MH vs HPS. Unless of course, you have a conversion bulb/system. If you cant get a ballast at home depot, ebay it or google it and you should be good. Personally, I prefer buying the CoMplEtE lighting system with ballast,reflector, and bulb so I dont end up running around last minute like a certain someone o_0 lol, Hope the info helped
Did a little more research and it looks like ordering a complete set online is the best way to go. Now I might just go with a multipe CFL grow.