smokinthablunt
Member
can i use a 175w flood light to grow. Im growing in a closet about 2.5 ft w and 5ft tall. im currently using 3 2ft long growing fluorescent tubes for 2 plants, will that work or do i need more?
can i use this lighting source ?
- Thread starter smokinthablunt
- Start date
What kind of flood light? Is it Fluorex or something? I'd say you could probably use it but don't put it any more than 1ft from the top of the plants... DEFINITELY not more than 2ft. Any part of the plant more than 3ft from the light won't even give you .1gram buds. This is all assuming it's MH or HPS or even Fluorex. If it's some other type of light, you'll definitely want it no more than 1ft.
smokinthablunt
Member
i just did some reseach and found that they sell 175w to 400w Metal Halide bulbs at home depot which one do you think works better for two plants, keep in mind that im growing in a close closet with a fan.
robert 14617
Well-Known Member
MH is for veg growth you know this ,and you know you need to change up to hps for flowering
robert 14617
Well-Known Member
check all the connections and if they are ok try another outlet they take time to fully start to light
arss
Well-Known Member
if you buy a mh bulb you'll need a ballast to run it. you can get an 150w mh or hps system for pretty cheap and it will work much better than a flood light.i just did some reseach and found that they sell 175w to 400w Metal Halide bulbs at home depot which one do you think works better for two plants, keep in mind that im growing in a close closet with a fan.
http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=53025
robert 14617
Well-Known Member
switch it over to hps try that bulb it may be the ballast itself
robert 14617
Well-Known Member
i use a 400w HPS for flower that is a converted high bay light and veg with a 250w MH that came out of a warehouse i got free also a high bay light
Brick Top
New Member
How long did you wait to see if it would fully ignite/light?
MH, and to some degree HPS too, takes a while too fully illuminate.
Also a MH that is well into the blue light spectrum will not appear all that bright to the human eye so even when fully lit it may appear to be weak to you but to your plants it will be very bright.
　
If you did not wait long, as if you assumed turn it on and then in a few seconds or a half minute or a minute later it would be bright as heck you would have been expecting to much to quickly.
Try it again, turn it on and go have a cup of coffee or smoke a bowl or pull your pud or something and then come back and see if it is fully lit or not.
If not then I would say you likely have a bad bulb, but remember even at full intensity a MH that is well into the blue light spectrum will still appear to be weak to your eyes so just because it isn't blinding to your eyes would not mean the bulb is bad.
Just see if there is a considerable difference or not.
robert 14617
Well-Known Member
better get on the phone to the place you orderd it from
arss
Well-Known Member
you totally hijacked this thread lol
arss
Well-Known Member
yup, they just sell replacement bulbs. Some carry low wattage hps (70 or 150 watt) that are usually sold as security lights or spotlights; these lights have built in ballasts and come with a bulb.
I recommend just going to the local Home depot and have yourself a look or buy online
I recommend just going to the local Home depot and have yourself a look or buy online
Yeah but those security lights and stuff seem like a fire hazard waiting to happen, since i'm pretty sure u need to remove the light sensors and either way they are huge and expensive for what they give. He should just go to the same place we all go... HTGsupply.com
Get the same nice 150watt HPS I have for only $80.... the 250watt and 400 watts are only about $120 and 600watts are about $150. Excellent prices in my opinion and good reviews.
Get the same nice 150watt HPS I have for only $80.... the 250watt and 400 watts are only about $120 and 600watts are about $150. Excellent prices in my opinion and good reviews.
robert 14617
Well-Known Member
How do I convert a home security light into a remote ballast grow light
How do I convert a home security light into a remote ballast grow light ?
For some reason growlight manufacturers are completely ignoring the small, personal grower. A quick look around Overgrow and you can see some very respectable bud being grown under 150's, and even 70 watt HPS lights. But the smallest ready made remote ballast growlight you can buy is a 250 watter, and they usually cost well over $150 (US).
So, as usual in the medicinal herb growing world, you need to take matters into your own hands.
Here’s how to turn a 150 watt HPS security light available at most Home improvment stores, into a nice remote-ballast grow light.
Materials & Tools:
MATERIALS
Regent GT150H, (About $79)
Heavy Duty extension cord of suitable length
One heavy duty grounded electrical plug end (male)
Electrical box
Electrical box plate
Romex cable connectors (3)
Wire nuts
Bolts, nuts washers
Strip of metal to secure ballast
Project case from Radio Shack ($6.99) #270-253A
TOOLS
5/16 nut driver (for removing parts from the casing -- regular pliers will work)
Philips head screwdriver
Regular screwdriver
Hammer
Power drill and assorted bits
Metal file
Wire cutters
Utility knife or wire stripper
Diagonal Pliers
Pliers
Wiring Diagram
Be careful...
Remove guts
Remove the guts from the casing - bulb socket, ignitor, light sensor socket, ballast. The ballast was glued to the casing. I heated the casing for a couple of minutes on an oven burner (high), and when it was getting too hot to hold, I put it on the floor and wedged a hammer between the ballast and casing and popped it out gently.
REMOVE LIGHT SENSOR
These security lights are designed to automatically turn on when it gets dark, so there is a built in light sensor that needs to be removed.
Remove all wire nuts.
Disconnect the white wire that comes out of the sensor (currently connected to all 3 other white wires).
Disconnect the black wire that comes out of the sensor (currently connected to the black “power in” wire).
The red wire coming out of the sensor is currently connected to the black wire coming out of the ballast. Remove the red wire, and then connect the black wire coming out of the ballast to the black “power in” wire.
Reattach wire nuts (there were 5 originally, now you only need 4).
Refer to the wiring diagram!
WIRE THE SOCKET
The socket on this particular light had some metal wiring connectors that stuck up and made it impossible to attach to the electrical plate without some modification (sorry no photo). Just pull the black and white wires off of the connectors, and cut the connectors down flush with socket base with diagonal pliers. Now loosen the connectors (screws inside the socket), slip the wires under them and tighten them back down. Please use some plastic electrical tape on the end of the socket to prevent any chance of the metal from the connectors making contact with the electrical box cover plate.
Secure the cord in the electrical box with a romex cable connector and wire it to the socket: black to black, white to white, secure with wire nuts. Some electrical boxes have a green screw inside to fasten ground wires, use that if yours has one, otherwise fasten the green ground wire to the box using one of the cover plate screws when you tighten the cover plate.
WIRE THE REMOTE BALLAST
Hopefully you can see the wiring clearly in the photo, but if not, refer to the wiring diagram for details.
You’re going to have to cut some holes in the Radio Shack project box for the power cords and some bolts to hold the ballast, ignitor and ground wires down.
I used a short length of metal (plumbing department) to secure the ballast. The ignitor had a notch that made it easy to bolt down. The ground wires from both electrical cords are screwed to the base of the box.
Cut a short length off the socket (female) end of the extension cord and wire it appropriately (again - see diagram). Wire the remaining electrical cord, including the grounded male plug to the other end of the box.
Use a tie wrap to bundle up the wires in the box and try to keep them away from the ballast, which will heat up during use.
TEST IT!
If you've done everything right, it should light.
Now, build a reflector and you’ve got a nice little custom grow light.
Safety Warnings:
Always wire the male plug to the bulb socket and the female receptacle to the ballast to avoid possible electrocution! Always use an all metal project box which already has ventilation cooling slots, or if your project box has none, please cut adequate cooling slots, or drill several vent holes in the ballast enclosure (project box) to allow the heat to escape the box. Not adding the cooling slots or holes, could result in failure of the insulation and/or the transformer. Also, please be sure the enclosure is located in a well ventilated area to aid cooling.
Added on: Friday, February 16, 2007 Viewed: 4544 times
How do I convert a home security light into a remote ballast grow light ?
For some reason growlight manufacturers are completely ignoring the small, personal grower. A quick look around Overgrow and you can see some very respectable bud being grown under 150's, and even 70 watt HPS lights. But the smallest ready made remote ballast growlight you can buy is a 250 watter, and they usually cost well over $150 (US).
So, as usual in the medicinal herb growing world, you need to take matters into your own hands.
Here’s how to turn a 150 watt HPS security light available at most Home improvment stores, into a nice remote-ballast grow light.
Materials & Tools:
MATERIALS
Regent GT150H, (About $79)
Heavy Duty extension cord of suitable length
One heavy duty grounded electrical plug end (male)
Electrical box
Electrical box plate
Romex cable connectors (3)
Wire nuts
Bolts, nuts washers
Strip of metal to secure ballast
Project case from Radio Shack ($6.99) #270-253A
TOOLS
5/16 nut driver (for removing parts from the casing -- regular pliers will work)
Philips head screwdriver
Regular screwdriver
Hammer
Power drill and assorted bits
Metal file
Wire cutters
Utility knife or wire stripper
Diagonal Pliers
Pliers
Wiring Diagram
Be careful...
Remove guts
Remove the guts from the casing - bulb socket, ignitor, light sensor socket, ballast. The ballast was glued to the casing. I heated the casing for a couple of minutes on an oven burner (high), and when it was getting too hot to hold, I put it on the floor and wedged a hammer between the ballast and casing and popped it out gently.
REMOVE LIGHT SENSOR
These security lights are designed to automatically turn on when it gets dark, so there is a built in light sensor that needs to be removed.
Remove all wire nuts.
Disconnect the white wire that comes out of the sensor (currently connected to all 3 other white wires).
Disconnect the black wire that comes out of the sensor (currently connected to the black “power in” wire).
The red wire coming out of the sensor is currently connected to the black wire coming out of the ballast. Remove the red wire, and then connect the black wire coming out of the ballast to the black “power in” wire.
Reattach wire nuts (there were 5 originally, now you only need 4).
Refer to the wiring diagram!
WIRE THE SOCKET
The socket on this particular light had some metal wiring connectors that stuck up and made it impossible to attach to the electrical plate without some modification (sorry no photo). Just pull the black and white wires off of the connectors, and cut the connectors down flush with socket base with diagonal pliers. Now loosen the connectors (screws inside the socket), slip the wires under them and tighten them back down. Please use some plastic electrical tape on the end of the socket to prevent any chance of the metal from the connectors making contact with the electrical box cover plate.
Secure the cord in the electrical box with a romex cable connector and wire it to the socket: black to black, white to white, secure with wire nuts. Some electrical boxes have a green screw inside to fasten ground wires, use that if yours has one, otherwise fasten the green ground wire to the box using one of the cover plate screws when you tighten the cover plate.
WIRE THE REMOTE BALLAST
Hopefully you can see the wiring clearly in the photo, but if not, refer to the wiring diagram for details.
You’re going to have to cut some holes in the Radio Shack project box for the power cords and some bolts to hold the ballast, ignitor and ground wires down.
I used a short length of metal (plumbing department) to secure the ballast. The ignitor had a notch that made it easy to bolt down. The ground wires from both electrical cords are screwed to the base of the box.
Cut a short length off the socket (female) end of the extension cord and wire it appropriately (again - see diagram). Wire the remaining electrical cord, including the grounded male plug to the other end of the box.
Use a tie wrap to bundle up the wires in the box and try to keep them away from the ballast, which will heat up during use.
TEST IT!
If you've done everything right, it should light.
Now, build a reflector and you’ve got a nice little custom grow light.
Safety Warnings:
Always wire the male plug to the bulb socket and the female receptacle to the ballast to avoid possible electrocution! Always use an all metal project box which already has ventilation cooling slots, or if your project box has none, please cut adequate cooling slots, or drill several vent holes in the ballast enclosure (project box) to allow the heat to escape the box. Not adding the cooling slots or holes, could result in failure of the insulation and/or the transformer. Also, please be sure the enclosure is located in a well ventilated area to aid cooling.
Added on: Friday, February 16, 2007 Viewed: 4544 times
arss
Well-Known Member
I agree and I posted a link to htg earlier in the thread.