industrial light fixtures

[bbr7515]

good morning people!!! i have a question.there is a local company that buys used light fixtures. they have the ballast attached to the reflecting hood.and all and they sell um for 25.00. we have the same kind at work, and have 600 watt mh lights in ours. my question is.they can be disassembled to where only the light can be used in the tent and ballast outside right?
just wondering if worth using
thanks

 

[WeedHopper]

Yes,,there is a DIY somewhere in here on doing just that with an HPS. THG posted it sometime ago.

 

[bwanabud]

As Weedhopper says, yes....the MH are great for vegging....some models can be switched over to HPS for budding

 

[DrFever]

depending on the model type i guess for instance street lights have a fixed ballast in it so all your doing is making a longer cord normally they would be 400 watt set ups

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

The DIY I did is for the lower wattage security lights. However someone did a great DIY (sorry I can't remember who) on how to separate the ballast from high bay fixtures. However, I question whether you want a 600W MH. Initial price is not everything. Also, I have never seen a high bay fixture that ran both Mh and HPS. You can buy conversion bulbs, but the lumens run quite a bit lower.

Think your purchases over well. Most of us that have been growing for any amount of time have at least a couple of ill-thought out purchases languishing in storage somewhere. I bought about 6 of those high bay fixtures at one time, but actually ended up using them in a large shop, as they are intended to be used, for high bay lighting.

How big a veg space are you going to have? A 600W MH puts out a lot of heat (more than a HPS). I would encourage you to look at T5s for vegging. I have a 4' 4 tube fixture lighting a veg space around 4 x 2. The light spread is a lot better. It runs a lot cooler. It has about the same lumens per watt as MH. And has a very low profile--a veg box lit with a MH will most likely have to be at least a foot taller than one lit with a T5. Not all the bulbs can be turned horizontal, so you may have to use them vertical which takes up more head room.

 

[LEFTHAND]

Ohhh yeah. They work. My dad is an electrician. N when I was younger I ended up napping 2 400w lol. Pending on the type
You will want to make some modifications
Like mentioned before extending the cord n socket to allow ballast to remain out if grow area.
And like mine they were yard lights so I had to remove the sensor for day n night.
If a when its taken apart n the ballast cannot be contained safely then for 10-20$ u can buy the metal ballast cases from your local hydro store
LH

 

[bbr7515]

not decided on anything yet. just getting the ducks in a row, asking questions. the input here is invaluable!! i will more than likely go with a tent, something like 32x32x60 enough for 2 plants, for i am the only one in the house who smokes sadly

 

[LEFTHAND]

Personally go with THG.
The t5s will do you good. If you are serious about the hobby n want to invest some money you can get 2/3/4ft t5s
Either in a fixture or strip lighting one brand is sunblaster you are able to daisy chain a bunch together making a fixture suitable for you. You can find them for 15-20$.
You will want a min of 3000 lumens per sqft for veg in a 6500k spectrum preferably. And min 5000 lumens for flower. In 2700-2900.

If u can get an hps light at that cost for a first time go for er.
But you can also buy a hood fixture n fan combo or a whole setup. Light fan tent n fixture.

Check out hxxp://www.plantlightinghyroponics.com
LH

 

[bbr7515]

found 2 videos on how to do this.first one is wiring.the second is removing ballast.so you can just use just the light.drops hanging weight from 30lbs to about 3lbs

hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKFWr1fA8d0

hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw96ydwtq3s

 

[LEFTHAND]

You will want to make some modifications
Like mentioned before extending the cord n socket to allow ballast to remain out if grow area.
LH

I gather you are new here. Good place to browse would be site rules. . Mp does not allow outside live links. I'm sure a mod will come fix it. But. Next time. Post as I did. With hxxp. No worries your not the first nor the last.

Lol. Not only does it lessen the hanging weight it also removes ballast heat from growing area. Very simple to do.
LH.

 

[DrFever]

bottom line the grow space is small and with the prices going down for good lighting why bother with mickey mouse crap do your home work and go over it before you decide on the lighting and exhaust think ahead where this hobby might take you in a year or 2 time cause i can guarantee you its addicting and once you harvest one grow you want to better your self and upgrade so think of the big picture

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Keep in mind that on top of the work this will entail, that you are still going to need to buy a hood (I recommend an air cooled hood). After you buy electrical cord, a box to house the ballast and a hood, you may find that it is not really cost effective at all. You should be able to get a 600W with a cool tube in the neighborhood of $150.

I'm with Dr. Fever. Like I said, most of us have ill-thought out things we bought that we do not use. If you are serious about growing, it is probably wisest and most cost effective to just get a 600W HPS package. If you go bigger, you can always just add another 600W.

The T5s just kick butt for vegging. You could start out with the T5s and plan on getting a HPS 6 weeks or so down the road when you get ready to flower. Compare all costs before you buy things and remember that, no matter how inexpensive something it, it is not a bargain if you do not use it.

 

[LEFTHAND]

remember that, no matter how inexpensive something it, it is not a bargain if you do not use it.

Ohhhhh. How sooo true. I have boxes n boxes of stuff from when I started. Either changed plans or realized it wasn't needed at the moment.
I ended up gifting 15 boxes of old gear n new gear to my brother.

I lernt the hard way. To shop around. And along with just cuz it's cheap don't mean it's good. Venting n lighting I would not skimp on.

LH.

 

[bbr7515]

t5 sounds good to me for veg. i have a couple 2 foot light fixtures. would 4 58 watt tubes be enough for 2 plants?and the 6 week time frame gives me ample time to buy the 600 watt setup. if the make a 58watt in that size. saw it in other sizes. i will research it

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Lighting needs are figured by the square foot of the grow space you have, not by the number of plants. You want a minimum of 3000 lumens per sq ft for vegging. The 2' T5s generally only put out 2000 lumens. I have never seen t5s in a 58W, so I am thinking that they might be T8s or T12s? You are going to have to check the lumens and figure your sq ft to see if that is enough light. I veg in a 2 x 4 closet with a 4'4 tube T5

 

[bbr7515]

54 watt i ment.

 

[puffnpaint]

i just bought a 400 watt one, i left the ballast on it. i had to rig it so it hung horizontal and i threw a busted gull wing over it to spread the light. it works great and it does burn both bulbs. i don`t have conversion bulbs either. my t-5 is only a 2 ft 4 bulb so that only takes them so far. if you`re broke like i am grab it..