Good Grow Lights, DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE THEM!

[PudgeyPimp]

Alright, I've actually got the opposite problem most people here have.
I got the bulbs and as of now can't use them.

I have Two PHILIPS 175w Metal Halide bulbs, which screw into a regular
lamp light bulb socket thinking it would be easier and cheaper.
Also I have Two SYLVANIA 150w High Pressure Sodium bulbs. which also
screw into a regular lamp light socket. NOW! My problem is from what i've
realized is that I can't just make a ballast and put one MH on either side in regular lamp sockets for veg stage, and change them with the two HPS for flowering/budding stage. I'm assuming I have to buy these $200+ ******* commercial Ballasts with a white box connected i'm guessing to power them. The bulb boxes both say the same thing along the lines of "for use only in fixtures containing ANSI Ballast S55" -HPS and "for use only with ANSI M57 ballast" -MH . Can't I just get 2 lamp sockets from my hardware store that can power bulbs to up 200w for each bulb and make my own hood to put them in? Assuming my problem is that my lamp sockets I'm using now only are rated for 100w Max...dunno
HELP A BROTHA OUT!

 

[GanjaGuru]

If you have bulbs that screw into a 'regular' fixture, I doubt if they're MH or HPS.
Both MH and HPS require a ballast which supplies the power suge they need to start and run.
Without a ballast, MH/HPS don't work.
By the way, you don't need MH systems at all. A full-spectrum HPS bulb works just as well.

 

[PudgeyPimp]

After doing alittle digging, There's alot more to it than just screwing in a bulb lol. I need a ballast like you said, which I found a 400W HPS ballast system with bulb for only $130, And I gotta get a 400w MH conversion bulb to use during veg stage, then put in the HPS during flowering/budding stage. by the way the bulbs I have now are medium base which is why they screw in a regular lamp socket.

 

[md.apothecary]

Very strange, I don't know of ANY standard medium base HID bulbs. All of them I know of require a Mogul socket. Even the high powered CFL's require a mogul base.

 

[Dubbaman]

the bulbs your talking about are for outdoor lighting they are the big blinding motion sensor lights they do screw into a regular socket e.g. a table lamp and wont work ,but in the proper fixture (a motion set up) there is a small ballast and ignitor in it already (the big space of a box thats inbetween) to run it when its hooked into the homes electric. go with the 400W HPS set up get the MH bulb if you want to but you can do a full start to finish grow with the HPS bulb only, just might have to change it after every few months.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

I have plenty med and mog hid bulbs. You'll need a ballast. Try ebay...you could get a 175w mh and 150w hps cheap in an auction.

 

[That crazy vancouver guy]

DubbaMan is right on... yup... those HID bulbs need to get replaced cuz they wear out. return those bulbs you got by mistake and get yourself the other stuff. unfortunately, the lighting is a little more, but worth it

 

[bombbudpuffa]

You can use the med base bulbs fine. You don't HAVE to use mogul bases.

 

[That crazy vancouver guy]

You can use the med base bulbs fine. You don't HAVE to use mogul bases.

true... I just like to use more POWER :hubba: :watchplant:

u just have to make sure the equipment is all compatible with each other - ie. it's rated for what it is going to be used for - don't wanna start no fires, now....

 

[bombbudpuffa]

I just like to use more POWER

Lol...mog bases use the same as a med.

 

[Vegs]

DubbaMan is right on... yup... those HID bulbs need to get replaced cuz they wear out.

I thought HPS bulbs had a life span of about 24000 hours. Assuming this is true, dividing that by 24 hours you get 1,000 days. Divide that further by 30 days and you get 33.3 months or 2.7 years.

Why are we recommended to change out an HPS bulb every few months?

 

[md.apothecary]

As the filament burns during the usage, it starts to loose it's intensity over time. The bulbs don't burn as bright and you actually start to lose the quality of the light.

HID ( High Intensity Discharge) bulbs vary. HPS (High Pressure Sodiums) bulbs need to be replaced once a year with a 12 hours on 12 hours off cycle. HPS bulbs lose 20% output in a year, so you lose around 20% of your yield. MH (Metal Halide) bulbs need to be replaced every 8 months on a 18 hour on 6 hour off cycle. MH bulbs lose 40% output in a year, so you lose around 40% yield. Problems like the light going on & off with power outages make the life of the bulb even shorter. Bulbs will in a lot of cases work for years, but they are not putting off the light that plants need. The inside of the bulb starts off clean and as you use the bulb it starts to turn black on the ends of the inner arc tube. The older the bulb the more black is on the inner arc tube. The black does not let the beneficial light through. When a customer comes in who has been using a bulb for 2 years & they buy a new one, they always say they did not realize how much light they had lost until they plugged in the new one and that they would be replacing the bulbs more often now that they saw the difference first hand.