Hello all. I purchased a brand new 600w HPS bulb, ballast, and hood. This is my first grow light so I know very little about it and learning by asking and trying. Anyway I hooked it all up and turned it on, everything seems to work great but after 5 to 10 minutes I noticed a smell coming from the bulb, I shut it down, waited for the light to cool and took it out to check it, the socket and the ballast and everything was great no smell, no heat save the bulb, no warm/hot wires. As a precaution I cleaned off the bulb with a soft dry cloth since I hear skin oil can cause a burning smell and possibly cause the bulb to explode. I put it back together and turned it on again and again I caught the odor after about 5 to 10 minutes so I turned it off again and again made sure everything was cool both literally and figuratively Anyway the thing is that the bulb doesn't smell like its burning but it smells HOT not unlike what a clothes iron smells when it gets good and hot and the odor goes away with in moments of shutting the light off. So my basic question is is that hot iron smell normal because of the heat the bulb puts off? Sorry to ask such a noob question but I'd rather ask than risk burning my house down. Also sorry for such a long description but I wanted to let you all know that I did check everything over and it was all fine. The grow space is a small space, say room for 8 to 10 plants and I have NOT installed the ventilation system yet and I know that HPS needs good ventilation because of the heat they put off. I am completely new to using grow lights like a 600w HPS so any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Dont install light till you have a way to vent it.....a smell would be normal coming off factory lines.... but seriously get the ventilation asap.
good job getting the 600w. its the most bang for your buck. is the bulb anything special, like a hortilux? or just a standard 600w bulb? i;d leave the light on for an hour an come back. if it checks out i wouldnt worry about a thing.
Thank you. Like I said its not smelling like its burning just hot which I know HPS do get very hot. I'm not using the light yet as I'm still getting the grow area ready ventilation and flat whiting the walls being my next step in the process I just got the light kit for a really good price As long as the "Clothing Iron" smell is normal under the conditions of no ventilation then I wont worry about it unless I continue to smell it after I have the vent fans installed and working. Thanks for that.
Ok mate this I'm reading this directly off the box my bulb came in. Its a Powerplant SuperHPS 600w, it puts out 10% more light than standard HPS bulbs. I hope that helps ya. Also I think I will let it run for an hour or so and keep a watch on it but I think moving out to the garage for that till I feel certain that its okay would be a good idea. As for the bulb thats what everyone told me "Get a 600w" so I figured that was the best one for what I want. I just cant wait to get my grow room ready and get started.
Awesome. Yeah I think I'll take it out on the garage tomorrow that way if on the off chance something goes wrong it wont be in the house
UPDATE: PROBLEM SOLVED!!! Turns out the hot metal smell was just that, hot metal. As in the metal hood covering the light, right over the bulb reeks like hell till it gets up to a steady temp then stops. Now I really feel foolish but hey like has been said many times on here better safe than burnt. Thanks for all the help everyone its much appreciated.