Hi, I took a trip to home depot yesterday to check stuff out. I found some MH and HPS bulbs that looked like they fit into normal sockets. There were bulbs up to 400w that looked this way. Can these fit into normal sockets? And why do they usually require ballasts?
No, they will not fit into a regular socket. You need a mogul socket. A ballast regulates the electrical flow to the bulb. Do not try to run a HPS or MH without an appropriate ballast.
No. You NEED a mogul socket, and you NEED a ballast. Neither one is optional. In fact, the whole reason there is such a thing as a mogul socket is so that such HID bulbs cannot fit into a standard socket, because if you were to screw one directly into a standard socket (or run one off a mogul socket but without a ballast) the bulb would explode and possibly catch fire.
Home circuit breakers simply can't handle HIDs? I've seen a 200w (actual wattage) CFL for sale. They have mogul bases, but I'm pretty sure they can easily run with a normal adapter. Anyone think we'll see a 1000w (actual wattage) CFL in the near future? It'd do wonders for the grow scene.
i actually found out yesterday that my 400w HPS lamp burns at 900 degrees CELCIUS. Isn't that damn near 1500 degrees F?? if i could put an HID lamp in a regular socket, i don't think i would. i hope to god we don't see a 1000W CFL, personally I think it would be the biggest waste of lumens/watt ratio and an even more painful watt/electric bill ratio for a much less yield/potency ratio. IMO