I was warned by my friend when he gave me his 50W HPS that no water could touch it or it would literally explode. How accurate is that information? It's a bit awkward to water my plants right now, misting is stressing me out about the bulb. Also I have an exposed fluorescent 20W that is pretty much getting lightly misted every time I water. Do I have a problem?
lol dude, best thing is to move ur ligth when watering, it sounds a bit neurotic tho tbh, but simply to look after ur light i woudl move it when watering. water and metal over tiem doesnt really go uno
yes, misting can make your HPS bulb explode so be careful, raise your light or something. Fluros, I do not know.
your friend is right. vented hoods with tempered glass inserts are the way to go. also, you don't want to touch the bulbs with your hands either, use gloves. the oils on your hands can cause problems too. i think the flourescents are o.k. but i use a cardboard cut-out to shield when i foliar. misting with plain water isn't really beneficial. i foliar feed (which i highly recommend) and am very careful to not get the insert wet.
Okay no more misting then, I don't wanna worry about droplets on leaves anyway. I guess I'll try to find a plastic cover to fit over the bulb, I wonder if that would decrease heat output as well?