Bought 70w Hps Need help MUTT !

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

OK, so i bought the lithonia 70w Hps.
i got the 3 prong plug connection, and i need to wire it up.
what else do i need to do? should i remove the daylight sensor?
any steps and guidlines whould be sweet.
im also confused on how to wire it up...looks simple....3 wires from hps, to the 3 wires on the cord...but what color goes to what.
i see one is gound wire on the hps, but i cant figure out which is ground on the 3 prong plug.
help me mutt :)

[akirahz]

ground wire is the bare wire (or some times green), white is positive, black is negative (USUALLY!), you can ignore the bare wire if you wish, unless it wont power on without it, then you'll have to ground it, i would remove the daylight sensor : ) yeah but im not mutt so, maybe he can clear that one up.

If you have a multimeter or a volt meter, get that sucker out and test the current in the wires to be 100%

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

ok, ya i know the bare wire is ground....on the hps.
but the wire 3 prong...all the wires are covered, but there are black,white and a GREEN....so green must be ground wire.

ok, so do i connect positive to negitive.....black wire to white wire? or black to black wire and white to white wire....and ground to ground.


also, the tips of the wires on the 3prong, have a little bet of metal on them...should i cut off the metal tips?? or leave em.
looks like tack weild

[akirahz]

black on black, white on white, green on ground :)

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

what about the metal tips? cut em??

[screwdriver]

Are you taking out the ballast on this project or using it as bought?

[akirahz]

yeah are you wiring the light into a different power source thats already plugged in? if so, then yeah id kill the metal tips, or cut the end off?

[Mutt]

Give me some time here dude...please no one post till I get done. thx,

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

for now, as bought.
sooo how do i remove the photo sensor...or light sensor??

[Mutt]

Here is the schamtic for a 150W but its the same as the 70W you got just wattage is different is all. Same layout.

[akirahz]

none of my bizz but why is the bulb separated from the ballast? is the ballast going some where else??

[Mutt]

Now the first thing you want to do is gut it so it looks like this....at this point do not cut or disconnect anything...you just taking out the guts.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

wt hell?? ok so i wired it all up. plugged it in, and it worked fine!

then i took it in grow room, mounted it and plugged it in.
it worked for a second, then just shut off!!!!!!!!
so its mounted up, plugged in, but not ON any more.
whats the deal?? do i have to take out the sensor?
i put my finger over the sensor, and nothing happend.

[Mutt]

OK first thing first lets get rid of the "duck till dawn" crap. (the photosensor).
Need to study the schematic closely. Trace the wires. The colors "should" match what the schematic did. mine did.
First pic is before removal of photosensor second pic is after

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

ok, so what i got from your info, and diagram (thanks btw) is that i basically just want to run power straight to the ballast.....and not through the sensor.
i i remove the sensor, and connect the main power wire, to the rest of the power line.....so black, to rest of the same black wire, that i cut.
right?

if i do that, it should run power straight to the ballast ?

[Mutt]

ok,
I extended my socket wires to a couple of feet.
Then put everything (except photosensor) back in the housing.
The reason is the ground (green wire) is hooked up to the casing of the housing. instead of making a whole new box..I'm cheap use what I got.
This is a pic after i got done removing the sensor.....wire nuts and strain releif is a must. Its easy make a loop and tape the loop up...that way if u jerk it. the wire nut won't fail. ;)
The rest I think you can handle ;)

Threw in a pic if you want and idea to use the reflector in with the flood. ;)

[Mutt]

Hope this help dude.
Good idea to run a test on the counter not touching anything before wrapping everything up to make sure everything is good. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ON FIRST FIREUP!!!

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

wait, what do u mean counter??? not touching anything?
its not working read my post #15

[Mutt]

Take a picture of what you got.
The pictures are EXACTLY what i did and worked first time...pay very very close attention to the one pic with all the descriptions.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

i cant, its in the grow room, and lights went off....so i cant work on it till tomarrow.

but i can tell exactly what i got: I wired it all up...Black to black, white to white, and Green to uncovered Ground.
i twisted each 2 wires together, then capped it. Then i taped the cap, to the covered part of the wire ( sticking out the bottom of the cap). so it would stay in the cap.
then i grouped all 3 capped sets of wires together, and used wireing tape to keep them all together.
The mounting base is on it, and i ran thick string through the screw holes, and hung it from that.

i went in the grow room, pluged it in to test it again...it worked....so i strung it up to my "light holder" then plugged it in again, and it went on....then i didnt notice it go off...but it went off.

if i remove the Photosensor, will it fix this prob. ??

actully, i could go in there in the dark, and cut the rope its tied with.
would it be more efficient to hang it vertical ?? without the whole box around it??

[octobong007]

just poppin a sec...how many lumens does a 70 put out? and how much space will that cover efficiently? no rush on the answer.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

wait, so in the pic with the discriptions....
just want to make sure, your saying connect the black wire from the socket, to both Red wires; from the ignitor and ballast...then cap all 3 together??

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

omg mutt, where did u go..i was just starting to understand what i needed to do !!

[akirahz]

just poppin a sec...how many lumens does a 70 put out? and how much space will that cover efficiently? no rush on the answer.

6400 lumens

that would cover about 1.2 square feet if you go by 5k per square foot rule.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

6400, thats not bad.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

if i buy a higher Watt of one of these lights, plus the one i just got....that should produce good results.....plus all the 120w CFLs

[akirahz]

oh yeah, youll be pushin some serious lumens all together, i think you got a pretty decent setup so far -- btw if your light quit working for no reason, i would check the bulb's wires make sure they're still intact and that the bulb didnt blow up, also if you touched the bulb with your fingers that could blow it up, least thats how it is on some of the higher wattage ones, not sure if it would react that way to a 70 watter.. im not sure what you and mutt are doing eggzactly, but i would keep the bulb in the flood fixture if heat isnt an issue

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

HAHA i just noticed this printed on the box, in small print.
*Approximate Comparison based on 12 Hours of operation Per Night for 1 Year at 12 cents/kwh.
and its refering to 81% lower operating cost*
bulb last 24,000 hours.

well well isnt that convient. were they growing weed when they tested this?

[Mutt]

wait, so in the pic with the discriptions....
just want to make sure, your saying connect the black wire from the socket, to both Red wires; from the ignitor and ballast...then cap all 3 together??

Yep
Works for me just fine ;)

We are making this ballast remote to keep heat outa the box AND to remove the photo sensor. If light hits the photo sensor the light shuts off.

Yes whipe the bulb down. But also keep in mind. This is only 70W...thats really nothing. Worse to get hit with 120...that stings a bit. 220V now your cookin with gas.

I'm catching a good buzz now. Will sign back on tomorrow.

[fulltimes]

how much did it cost for your 70w hps?

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

well if the ballast is in my grow room...isnt it going to put out the same ammount of heat?
i thought if i left it all contained, it would stop direct heat from hitting the plant, or something like dat.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

how much did it cost for your 70w hps?

A Buck a Watt.

or $70

[Dubbaman]

Looks simple enough from what i see you connect all like color wires together after you take off the photo sensor then wire your back to one end of your 3 prong cord and then the white to it and then its plug and play.

from what you described in the top about it was on and then off i have a few suggestions to check 1 make sure that some of the wires are not touching each other if you cross the positive and the negative it will short out, 2 you may have blown the bulb or burnt the ballast but those are extreme opposites, id say look at the bulb and make sure that none of the filaments are broken and then check for loose or crossed connections.

[Dubbaman]

well if the ballast is in my grow room...isnt it going to put out the same ammount of heat?
i thought if i left it all contained, it would stop direct heat from hitting the plant, or something like dat.

the ballast from this kind of lamp isnt going to get nearly as hot as your thinking it will put off more heat from the light than it will form the ballast.and so long as you have a fan moving air around your grow it shouldnt raise your temps by more than a couple of degrees.

EDIT: dont take this wrong but if this is giving you so much trouble why didnt you just put another 50 bucks with it and gotten a 400W HPS from HTG that is plug and play right out of the box.

[Mutt]

I had to remove mine....box is big n clunky, also remove the photosensor.
More room the better for me in 32 inches of ht. and I got another 50W in there as well.
Wiring these is a breeze, but wire nuts elec tape and wire ties is what should be used and extreme care and triple checking. But those are a given.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

ok, so i took it out of the grow room, and plugged it up out here.
its working fine.
seriously this thing looks as bright as the 400w i had, im still seeing spots from staring at it.
this is going to be sweet

[octobong007]

question for ya dubbaman...apparantly your familiar with the 400 hps...which is 2 bucks more than the 250 i was kickin around...after seeing 70watts is 70 bucks. question is, is the temps much higher in the 400 compared to a 250? and how much do either run on a flower stage per month?

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

here, have a look

Heat is absolutely not an issue. if i did go buy a 400w....in THIS grow room; heat would be a major major problem.

heat even to the touch on the glass into Hot, its warm.
i jiggled the wires, and shook the device slightly...didnt break the connections.

[Mutt]

If you got the ht. go for it
the housing just to clunky for me and my limited ht.

[octobong007]

mutt, ya talked him thru the wiring, you dah man on that one. now i'm all torn on what to do on my system. 2 70w would be enough, but costs as much as a 250watt, shipping included. then a 400 watt is only 2 bucks more than the 250, but not sure on the heat issues...oh, and harvested and tried out a gorgeous little indica....mmmmmm good...put my arse in "mcgyver" mode. with a 6'x1.5x2.5 closed container, what's the recommendation? CONGRATS HOOKAH on the light bro, your high steppin now...i'm right behind ya.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

heat still wouldnt be a problem even with 2 of them, possibly 3, but eaisly manageable...

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

im just wondering if the plants would get more light if i hung it vertical, and not in the housing ang reflecor.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

mutt, i was thinking.
what if you shortend the length of wire between the ballast and the socket. and you baically connected ballast, and socket together. then attach the ingnitor somewhere close by....that way if you hang it vertically, without the housing...it could be in all one neat piece.....and i thought i would attach some thin rope fome the socket, to the 3prong, and tape it up; while leaving slack in the wires....so the weight of it hanging, was on the rope...and not the wires.

[Dubbaman]

question for ya dubbaman...apparantly your familiar with the 400 hps...which is 2 bucks more than the 250 i was kickin around...after seeing 70watts is 70 bucks. question is, is the temps much higher in the 400 compared to a 250? and how much do either run on a flower stage per month?

The main part of temps with any of the HID lights (250-1000) comes from the ballast, yes the light housing and bulb do put off some too but not nearly as much as the ballast and with a long cord you can be sure that your ballast is away from your plant area by just a few feet and that will help keep the temps lower ive noticed that when i fist put my HID in the grow area the temps went up by about 15 degrees but when i moved the ballast out of the room and had just the light and reflector in there it only went up by 5 degrees. im not sure on a 250 what kind of heat it puts off but im fairly sure that it would be about the same, depending on grow space. total use for a month in flower would be 360 hours of use thats a 12/12 on/off for 30 days = 360 hours. IMO the 400 is about the best way to have great light for smaller ammounts of plants if your doing a 1'x1' area sure you can get a single 70W HID for it and grow with great results,but if your space is bigger you need more light. most all of it is a matter of preferance and how much space you have to grow in.

[Mutt]

250W gets pretty haot as well. dubba had one from insidesun...ballast has to outa the grow area. IME

[Dubbaman]

250W gets pretty haot as well. dubba had one from insidesun...ballast has to outa the grow area. IME

good thing i speak mutt or i would have never understood that man :D

[fulltimes]

Wow what a lot of work. Shoulda just bought a 250 that was all wired up and ready to plug in. Sure it would have been about twice the price than this 70, but the 70 is only gonna be good for 1 single plant. It will work for more, but only work good lighting up 1 single plant. You could get away with 4 under the 250. There's your moneys worth right there, not to mention already wired! Guarantee you're gonna be itchin for more lighting soon enough. Check online classifieds and stuff for the deals. I got my 250 with reflector, 2 fans, and some primo seeds for 80 bucks. Just my opinion don't take it the wrong way...

[headband]

so your saying these flood lights are hps, cus my fathers a electrician and i have a garage full of these suckers.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

Wow what a lot of work. Shoulda just bought a 250 that was all wired up and ready to plug in. Sure it would have been about twice the price than this 70, but the 70 is only gonna be good for 1 single plant. It will work for more, but only work good lighting up 1 single plant. You could get away with 4 under the 250. There's your moneys worth right there, not to mention already wired! Guarantee you're gonna be itchin for more lighting soon enough. Check online classifieds and stuff for the deals. I got my 250 with reflector, 2 fans, and some primo seeds for 80 bucks. Just my opinion don't take it the wrong way...

Ehhh, i say more than just one plant....im doing 12/12 from seed at the moment....so this 70 is going to do alot for me....
but i can buy 2 more 70's.... and set up all 3...and not have to worry about heat.

my grow space, doesnt allow for heat!, i have no intake, no exhaust...just a good fan moving the leaves and lights around....i think a 70w is good for the right situation....and hey its better than just CFL.

[headband]

word!

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

actully the heat is more than i first thought.
the glass burns my hand if touched......so heat Medium....but not a problem

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

i think im going to take it all appart tonight, and then hang it vertical, and move the ballast out.

[headband]

rig a small exhaust hole on each and tube 3 up to one small exhaust fan. That would be cool. I might try.:p

[thestandard]

after dub's post i re-worked my whole ballast/light and got the ballast very cleanly out of the room..temps went down a bit but my open air reflector doesn't make the air colder that's for sure

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

hmm, about how much wire comes on the ballast??
to get it out of this room i would need like 3 feet of wire...

[thestandard]

6 feet to fixture, 10 feet to cord.. a power drill with a collection of bits and a wall to go through make it a lot easier =/

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

on the 70 watt ???

[HGB]

HPS ballast can fire the light up to 15 feet away:hubba:

might want to rethink the NO intake part tho... same as us your plants need fresh air to live

[Dubbaman]

my grow space, doesnt allow for heat!, i have no intake, no exhaust...just a good fan moving the leaves and lights around

with out at least having a passive intake there is nothing but stagnant air in your grow and this will also cause temps to be up because of bad circulation of FRESH air. all the air that is in your room if left closed up would just continue to get hotter and hotter through the day.

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

HPS ballast can fire the light up to 15 feet away:hubba:

might want to rethink the NO intake part tho... same as us your plants need fresh air to live

i meant i just dont have a fan blowing fresh air in.....but one end is completly open, so fresh air gets in....and i open the windows for about 3 hours......

[4u2sm0ke]

:yeahthat:

I am new to this and have been told Air in/out vital.....I thank all who have helped me with my heat issue in my 2x4x6 Flower room...I was reaching 103+ when lites on 1000HPS....added...intake..exaust..both 6"...removed ballast temps went down...94-97..still to hot..right?...so had some glass here and hang it bellow lite....ran a week and temps @ 83...Still a bit HIGH?..Humid...42..Have not gotton a flower yet but its comming...:hubba:

Once again I am new to growing and have done a ton of reading and asking ?...Thanks to the BUDD GOD for this site...


Smoke:tokie:

[HGB]

Air in/out vital.

yes it is vital indeed :)

Ekoostik_Hookah, your setup would be great if you had these 2 items :hubba: you did alot of work to your grow so why not do the last thing needed? air in and out:hubba: 3 hours of open window isn't enough IMHO... I run a 12x12 inch intake and a 4x4 inch 465 blower for exhaust ;) ;)

grow on

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

i dont know.
i just think they honestly have enough air to breath.
the fan is right above the entrace to the grow, so it has to **** air in from the open cubby.
idealy i would love to install an intake and exhaust...and the wall to outside is right on the otherside of the original wall, so it could be done.
i may buy one of thoes exhaust vents for a dryer ( the vent on the side of the house) so it just looks like one of thoes.

[HGB]

i dont know.
i just think they honestly have enough air to breath.


man not to get off topic in ya thread bro, but really thats not enough exchange IMHO

fresh air from outside for the intake will do wonders for the grow as long as you can vent it as well:hubba: not say'n ya plants wont grow but with a proper vent/intake system they will do so much better trust me mang:hubba:

you seem to be great at drywall and DIY so why not install a vent system? you know it's needed to grow inside right? well get to it all ready :hubba:

:48:

[4u2sm0ke]

:yeahthat: ....I work around air handlers and air systems..and It was easy adding air in and out...But what ever gets your budd GREEN right...But as 4 me...I added air in/out..and my Ladies seem to be likin it better...


Smoke:tokie:

[Ekoostik_Hookah]

ya i will.
hmm what all would i need.
i need the cheapest way to build a intake, and exhaust.
but man, im going to have to be cutting into the side of my house to do this.
i wanted to just do inside work?
maybe i can install the intake, from the bedroom next to the grow...and then exhaust into the cubby...
any ideas?