bulb life?

[cigarettes42]

i think this thread is in the right place. anyways what type of life do you get with mh and hps bulb? if they are getting weak will you notice it? also does wattage play a role in life expectancy in bulbs?

[Twentyinches]

I wouldn't use a MH or HPS for more then 2 grows myself. They will last even up to 2 years if you wanted but the output would be greatly reduced, prolly would cost you more to run it and your plants would be getting less light.
As far as wattage vs..., with the eye hps bulbs the 400 watt says about 24,000 life hours, 600 watt 16,000 hours and the 1k watter 24,000.
As far as noticing it, some ppl can, some can't but your plants will for sure.

[t00fatt]

Really only two grows? Thats going to get a bit expensive.

[Twentyinches]

ya know it really depends on what im growing. if it's something hardcore then ide rather have a fresh light...but that's me.

[gainesvillegreen]

For HPS, at 12/12, about a year is a good time to replace. This is the time that it will still output a high number of lumens per watt used. I've never used MH, but people I know generally also use them for about a year.

[Twentyinches]

yeah that's what I say, that's about 2 grows, maybe 3 but 2 nice good full ones.