Hey everyone Im about to buy a couple sets of lights off a friend for 50$ a piece they are 400 watt ballast and have been owned for 2 years. Im not sure if this is a good deal or not because I dont know much about lights. Anyways each setup comes with a 400 watt hps ballast, a wing reflector, the cords ( which seem to be wired to each other), and a bulb.
well, it is a commercial ballast (used in building or parking lot lighting) It's all about how much light is left on the bulb AND keep in mind a $120 digital light will do MH and a HPS bulbs (with one ballast, you just change bulbs) (You should use an HPS to do the budding) Do you have a plan for that? Hope This helps
Cool, but yea I plan on vegging with my metal halide or cfl, Ive read that you can use mh bulbs in an hps but not vice versa. However if that doesn't work I dont mind investing in mh conversion bulbs. Btw I have already had one grow but I didnt have my own HID lights so I used a friends room for flowering and vegged with cfls.
The bulbs should get replaced every 6 months to year. Over time the bulbs light decreases and yields will suffer.
Alright Ill ask how long hes been using the bulbs, would 1000 watt bulbs work in it because I have a couple. Or do they need to be 400 watt bulbs.
Sounds like a good plan This is SO TRUE !! the thing is it will still use the same amount of electric You can get a light meter to tell if the bulb is still putting out enough light Skimping or your bulb will drastically reduce your yield .... Come on man, you MUST use the bulb size the ballast is rated at...... If not, you WILL smoke the ballast, you could have a fire, or burn out the bulb Later
A 400 watt ballist is only going to put out 400 watts it has no idea that the bulb in it is rated at 1000 I agree get the right size but it can be done Sent from iPhone 5
Im definetly gonna get new bulbs if needed, I was just curious if it was possible. When I set up these lights I was thinking about hanging them vertically one on each side of my room instead of hanging them above my plants. I Think it will help the plants bottom halfs in producing like the top half.
4'(d)x4'(w)x8'-10-(h) my ceiling is slanted and I plan on growing 5-6 plants. I just picked up the setups today, they work and are in good condition. However hes been using his bulbs for about 2 years so I definitely am going to get some new bulbs. I need to start off by getting some metal halide conversion bulbs though so I can veg, Im not really sure on how the conversion stuff works all I know is that hps need ignitors and mh don't but I've been looking at this bulb http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plantmax-MH...256?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec4d6f870 , is there a way to know for sure if these will work in my fixture?
Well, I thought it was a MH ballast? If it is a MH ballast, you just need a regular MH bulb Anyone want to weigh in on this with me?? Later
Nope its an HPS ballast and I have 2 HPS bulbs but they're two years old. I got all my old equipment out of my room today and set up the lights. Now all I need is my new bulbs and I'll be ready to go. I've read multiple threads that say that you can use a MH bulb in an HPS but not vice versa but then I read ones that say otherwise. So I have decided to just play it safe and get a Metal Halide Conversion Bulb and I did'nt know if I needed a certain type of MH Conversion Bulb or if they are "one size fits all".
Sounds like a good plan, any 400 watt MH Conversion Bulb should work Don't use a 2 year old HPS bulb to do your buddin....!!! (that may be part of why the guy is selling, so he can upgrade) I would go with a GOOD name brand bulb like Ushio or HiLux (for $40 Ushio has a VERY Good Rep) This company has done very well for me and is always cheaper, they are in Ohio if you are midwest or east coast (if you look at my build in my sig you will see the money I have spent with them) Ushio 400W 5200K Universal Metal Halide Conversion Bulb - Plantlighting Hydroponics OR if you have the money HiLux 400W Enhanced Spectrum Metal Halide Grow Bulb - Plantlighting Hydroponics Keep us posted !! Good Luck !!! Later
Yea he said he was upgrading to a single 1000 watt fixture. I took a look at the Ushio bulbs and I was gonna purchase but it says my fixture must have a glass lens, how would I know if it does or not? Also when he showed them too me they both worked fine but when I did one ballast wasnt lighting the bulb then I switched bulbs and both fixtures worked does that mean theres something wrong with my ballast?
Nope, I have two complete 400 watt setups. However when I plugged them both in one lit up one didnt. So I switched the bulbs to see if the bulbs were the problem. When I switched the bulbs both started working and I was just curious if that means one of my ballast could be malfunctioning. My other question was about the ushio bulbs you linked, Im interested in them but they say the bulb requires my fixture to have a glass lens and I dont know how to check if mine does or not.
In the bottom of the bulb socket (the part you screw the bulb into) there is a metal contact that matches up to the metal "dot" on the bottom of the bulb Sometimes the metal contact gets pushed to the bottom of the socket too far (like flattened out too much) with the unit unplugged use something plastic to lift it up just a very small bit (like 1/8 an inch max) CAUTION: even with the unit unplugged there may be a capacitor in the ballast that still has a charge stored THAT CAN SHOCK YOU Use caution because if you bend it up a lot, abruptly I have seen them just break off Then the next time you screw a bulb in don't over tighten it.... Make it tight but try not to "crush" the contact About the "glass lens" They mean a glass lens on your hood, you don't have one and many people don't, I believe they are just warning you about the danger of getting liquid MIST on the bulb WHEN IT IS ON..... (it will pop if you do) or if you touch the bulb, or fire risk by contacting the bulb NEVER MIST (Spray liquid) with the HID on.... If you look at my build in my sig you will see I got the plate glass sealed hoods for the unheard of price of $99, all of those reasons are why (and better heat control) You better understand what you are getting into, there is always safety & fire risk Here is the manufacturers website HiLux Gro - Grow Light - Horticulture - USHIO Download the PDF and read it and Click on the 3rd blue tab "Super MH" "WARNING: This lamp can cause serious skin burn and eye inflammation from shortwave ultraviolet radiation if outer envelope of the lamp is broken or punctured. Do not use where people will remain for more than a few minutes unless adequate shielding or other safety precautions are used. Lamps that will automatically extinguish when the outer envelope is broken or punctured are commercially available. Complies with the USA Federal Standard 21 CFR 1040.30 and Canada Standard SOR/80-381" Hope this helps....
Be aware the Metal Halide lamps have a burn position.. if you go with a vertical hang you'll need that bulb.. they come in vert, horz, and universal that is rated for either.. they will work it just cuts the life span down.. seems HPS dosen't care what angle of dangle the lamps have. What effect does burning position have on metal halide lamps? | Mid-Wattage Metal Halide | Lighting Answers | NLPIP MasterColor Ceramic Metal Halide 400 Watt or check this out..