HPS Question

[k1ucHt]

Hey guys I'm just wondering, I have a decently small box setup and with the CFL's I have now that I'm using for veg the temperature is about 82. Once I begin flowering I'm going to be using a 400W HPS system.. I have had all intentions on buying a cool tube (well a Bake A Round) but just in case the temperatures are still too high I could put a smaller bulb into the ballast without any problems right. Like a 250W ?

[turtle420]

I could put a smaller bulb into the ballast without any problems right. Like a 250W ?
No.

[Cell54]

Your supposted to tell him yes, so later we can all have a good laugh at his expense.

[turtle420]

I could put a smaller bulb into the ballast without any problems right. Like a 250W ?
Yes.

[k1ucHt]

So it's not like a regular light bulb in the sense that you can't put a bigger bulb in but you can put a smaller one. Well that sucks.

[Zandor]

Most 250w system have the transformer in the hood and that is where most of the heat comes from. Your 400 watt system is should be a remote system and that will help just because the transformer is outside the grow area.

Bake-A-rounds work great there are some good threads on building them. I have 4 of them I have built and used over the years. Now they are on the shelf but I still have them. These tubes are prety slick I must say.

[k1ucHt]

Nice Zandor, yea the transformer is seperate thank god. Have you recorded any temperature drops in your grows from using a Bake A Round.. does 20 degrees seem realistic? We got our box temps to 76 and 56% humidity with the CFL so the box with the hps is probably going to be around 90-96 I'm looking to keep it below 80.

[Zandor]

it's more like 12-15 deg with air-cooled hoods, either cool tubes or standard glass bottom hoods. 20 deg reduction is a lot with out using AC.

[frozentide]

Ya u definitly cant use an HPS or MH system with any bulb except the power that its meant for...

However you end up rigging your lighting, remember one important thing...

BE CAREFUL!!!!!!!!!!!! Electricity is not meant to be messed around with and electicution or fires are possible if your not careful,

peace,
froze

[rodekyll]

I have been running a 400w MH bulb against my 1000w ballast for a lot of years -- 16 years on this one. Probably 30 years altogether. It's a noisy proposition -- sounds like a herd of africanized killer turtles stampeding thru the laundry room -- but neither the bulbs nor the plants seem to mind either the setup or the noise. I replace bulbs about every year on general priciples, but never because I blew out or fogged a bulb. Now I'm thinking this isn't the most efficient way to use a 1kva power supply, but it's what I've got, and I can add a 2nd bulb to the mix if I care to without adding a ballast. And I can tell small children there's a herd of africanized killer turtles stampeding in the lanudry room, and they stay out of it.

[Zandor]

I have been running a 400w MH bulb against my 1000w ballast for a lot of years -- 16 years on this one. Probably 30 years altogether. It's a noisy proposition -- sounds like a herd of africanized killer turtles stampeding thru the laundry room -- but neither the bulbs nor the plants seem to mind either the setup or the noise. I replace bulbs about every year on general priciples, but never because I blew out or fogged a bulb. Now I'm thinking this isn't the most efficient way to use a 1kva power supply, but it's what I've got, and I can add a 2nd bulb to the mix if I care to without adding a ballast. And I can tell small children there's a herd of africanized killer turtles stampeding in the lanudry room, and they stay out of it.

You can't just wire in a second bulb with out wiring in another set of caps. MH bulbs still need a cap to boost the first few seconds of power to light the gas inside the bulb. Even if you have a 1000w transformer with a 400w bulb. Sure the bulb will work I have done it my self for many years but trying to run 2 bulbs from the same 1000w transformer same cap will not work. You need to wire in a second set of caps to run parallel

[rodekyll]

Maybe I misued the term "ballast". I'm claiming that I don't need to bring in a complete different transformer unit to add bulbs up to 1000w total. This saves power, heat, noise, and space. I'm not claiming that it can be done by simply adding a bulb in Yes, these things have a capacitor to deliver the first jolt of juice. Yes, these bulbs do not run in series, and it seems reasonable that one cap can't fire two bulbs running in parallel -- can it? But including a 2nd capacitor adds nothing to the economic or environmental overhead. Adding a second ballast/transformer does.

[turtle420]

a herd of africanized killer turtles
Ahahahahaaa!!!! lol

Watch out!!!

[Zandor]

Maybe I misued the term "ballast". I'm claiming that I don't need to bring in a complete different transformer unit to add bulbs up to 1000w total. This saves power, heat, noise, and space. I'm not claiming that it can be done by simply adding a bulb in Yes, these things have a capacitor to deliver the first jolt of juice. Yes, these bulbs do not run in series, and it seems reasonable that one cap can't fire two bulbs running in parallel -- can it? But including a 2nd capacitor adds nothing to the economic or environmental overhead. Adding a second ballast/transformer does.

That clarifierâ??s your point now. The way you said it before could have been confusing I just wanted to clarify the point before someone read this and then tried to splice into their cord and wire in a second socket .....lol

You know someone would try it too....:smokin: