Dimmable Ballasts

[akhockey]

Hey everyone. I am playing with the idea of upgrading my veg tent to something bigger than 400w. Ive been looking at a bunch of dimmable 1000w set ups that can be run at 600/750/1000watts. Anyone have any experiences with these? good bad indifferent? I'd like to run a 600 but be able to have an extra 1000w come flowering time. Thanks

 

[stevetberry]

I have 3 Galaxy's that are switchable from 1000 to 600 to 400. They are digital and one of them messes with my Nutri Drip monitor but I do like the flexability that they give me. When my grow starts I throw the 1000 MH bulb in and dim it down to 400 for the first 4 weeks, then I turn it up to 600 for the last 2 weeks of veg and then I switch the bulbs to HPS and set her on 600 for the rest of the grow. JMO.

 

[akhockey]

I would imagine that dimming does wear out bulbs faster Puff and thanks Steveberry. Anyone else?

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I have a 600W that is dimmable, but have not used the dim function yet. I am going to be putting it into a 2 x 6' space that is not full yet, so I may use the dim function (LOL--but this does not help you now). I like to change out bulbs every 6 months or so, so do not know if wearing out the bulb prematurely would be a concern for me.

 

[Hushpuppy]

So how can you tell when a bulb is wearing out and not producing the lumens that it should?

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Light meter.

 

[akhockey]

I usually swap my hps bulbs every 3 rd grow. (roughly 6 months) My MH less often. Wearing out wouldnt be such a big concern as premature failure from running a 1000 at 600 for an extended period.

 

[stevetberry]

I read somewhere that the dimmable ballast is not wears the bulb out, it is the digital part of the ballast. Something about frequency. I have noticed now that some of the bulbs say digital compatibable or something like that. THG, when you say that you use your bulb for 6 months do you mean like akhockey that you use it for 3 grows which in my case would be 27 weeks for the HPS bulb?

 

[akhockey]

Ive been running digitals for awhile now and never noticed any problems with the bulbs. But like I said I change them out. I buy the cheapos from 1000bulbs. They seem to work fine. Wouldnt suprise me a bit if those articles about digital compatible bulbs was just hokus pokus to sell marked up bulbs that are the same thing.

 

[LEFTHAND]

i own 2 dimmable ballasts.. 400 and a 600..
running the 600 now.. but at this stage of veg i have it turned down to 400 instead of 600..

i run hort bulbs and coming from lumetec themselves they apperantly use horts to test there ballast..
and say if you are vegging 24/7 they suggest you shut your light down for 15-20 mins a wk to save life on the bulb n ballast..
LH

 

[Couchlocked]

I run a dimming ballast but I also change my bulbs out every year. I get about 4-5 months of use from the bulbs. I use the dimmer to soften the transition from CFL to HPS.

 

[Ryder]

I have a couple dimmable 600 Lumateks.. No problem with them and Im real happy.... Running for over a year now.. In the summer I found it useful when my temps spiked over 80 I could turn them down to drop the temps and get them in the ball park.. Only thing I have found with the Lumys is that they get hot and so having small fans on them cooling them in a necessity..

 

[Couchlocked]

Ryder, do your Lumateks have a fan inside?

 

[Ryder]

No they dont.. Thats why I like the Next Gens because of the fans.. I dont know if the newer Lumateks have fans or not.. I dont think so.... Mine dont bro.

 

[SimonSays]

Hey everyone. I am playing with the idea of upgrading my veg tent to something bigger than 400w. Ive been looking at a bunch of dimmable 1000w set ups that can be run at 600/750/1000watts. Anyone have any experiences with these? good bad indifferent? I'd like to run a 600 but be able to have an extra 1000w come flowering time. Thanks

IMO the new dimmable Ballast are the way to go, I currently use a 1000w dimmable from ACME Hydroponics, "the polaris" Its dimmable to 800, 600, 400, and also has a 1000w super lumens which puts out up to 10 % more lumens than on regular 1000w. Its priced very competitive with others, and they offer package deals with ballast and bulbs. they carry Redstar brand lamps, but are really well priced compared to others.

When using a dimmable ballast you need to follow a few things to protect your lamps tho.

First always have your lamp running for atleast 15 mins before you use the dimmer switch, either turning it up or down.

Second wait atleast 1 min inbetween adjustments" dont just go in and turn it from 1000 to 400 or vise virsa" 1000 to 800 wait 1 min 800 to 600 wait 1 min. and so on ...

Thats another reason i like the Polaris, it is built with "soft dimming technology" Their term not mine , but you can check them out if you like , they have all the details there to explain what it does.

 

[maineharvest]

What do you guys mean when you say "a fan inside"? Are you talking about a fan built into the hood or are you talking about ballasts?

 

[Hushpuppy]

Some of the digital ballasts actually have little computer fans built into the ballast itself for cooling it off. I have the Lumateks 600w and they don't come with the fan so I have them all mounted in a line with a good size fan blowing across them. It keeps them cool enough so there are no problems.

I also use the dimmable option but I swap out the bulbs with 400w rather than lowering the wattage on a 600w as that will shorten the life of the bulb.