Its nothing special, a sunsystems magnetic 1khps switchable I believe. I've never tried running a 1k MH bulb in it, maybe I should. I've got it in a big ass white air cooled reflector, it might have been called "The great white reflector". Its got 6 inch ducting so it stays cool enough I keep it about 12-14 inches above the canopy.
Hi Thundercat and all the other Cats out there too. Just lately I've been paying attention to hid start-up. I've noticed a wide variety of start-up times. Could it be that the cheap bulb was just a slow starter...rather then doa?
Sadly no, when the shop owner I bought it from put it in a different brand ballast it fired, it was an incompatibility issue. I don't get super hung up on bulb brand, the hortilux are just common so they are easy to get, and they seem to be consistent quality. I also only change my bulb once a year or so. I've never noticed a change in typical harvest weight that seemed related to the bulb replacement, and I like to get my moneys worth from the bulbs.
I see, quite old school. Maybe a new $24 bulb every 4 months did better than a $74 bulb year round.
i suppose start-up time mean from fired to working status, if the bulb can't be fired then it just failed to play with this ballast.
Nope Pretty much have always gotten consistant yields before and after bulb change no matter which bulbs I use. Trust me I'm not totally set in my ways, but I have tried many of the variables over the years. I have come to do certain things certain ways over time, but I'm also really trying to get out of habit.
CMH will definitely change the result. Those HPS from different brands performed very similar in PAR output and spectrum, so you wouldnt noticed any difference
Yeah I've considered CMH, but I struggle with the if things aren't broken don't fix them thing. Eventually I will likely make the switch to LED honestly. I would love better coverage then a centralized bulb offers.
A proper CMH is better than most of LEDs, great output and spectrum. Lots LED named full spectrum or 12 bands spectrum, either crap on PAR or high on cost.
I'm not in any hurry to switch I've been watching the various light styles change and advance for the last 11-12 years. When the tech gets where it needs to be so will I
. I'm hoping the spectrum gets dialed in, because the light output has come a long ways.
The Leds I've looked at that interest me are mixtures like this to obtain a great spectrum, but still running 50w/sq ft gaurantees no reduction in intensity, and a massive increase in canopy coverage to better suit your plants needs around the edges and corners.
. I'm not super into constantly switching things up though.
White light LED for both vegging and flowering? suppose 3000k CMH could be better at this point
Absolutely.
" Is that a question or statement? What's so funny?Funny thing is there is no correct answer about which one is good. More reading more confusingAbsolutely.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-ideal-spectrum.981395/
"suppose 3000k CMH could be better at this point
Hi there, how high should you keep MH lights above the canopy?
Will the lights be in an air cooled hood is the first question that is important. If the hood is air cooled you could keep a 400w 8 inches inches below with no problem. I had a 400mh That the plants almost touched the glass multiple times, I had to raise it up as they grew. If it's not air cooled I would think you'd want to be closer to 12-14 inches.Hi there, how high should you keep MH lights above the canopy?
Does the wattage make a difference, or is there a general rule of thumb? Planning to use 400w
For flowering Im gonna use a Sodium Discharge light, also 400w. Should that be set at the same height?
Any advice appreciated...
RW
When I was using 400 watt MH, I kept the lights about ~18" above the plants with new bulbs. You should take a reading with some kind of photography meter or something that can give you a number to base from and then keep tabs on the light level as the bulb ages....and move the light accordingly. As a general "old school" rule of thumb....If the light is casting a very sharp shadow under the plants, then the light is probably adequate. I'll probably catch Hell for advising such an inaccurate method...but, what can I say? This is what I was taught!Hi there, how high should you keep MH lights above the canopy?
Does the wattage make a difference, or is there a general rule of thumb? Planning to use 400w
For flowering Im gonna use a Sodium Discharge light, also 400w. Should that be set at the same height?
Any advice appreciated...
RW
I agree with starting out a little high and lowering it till you get it right. I'm all about getting as much light on my plants as possible.When I was using 400 watt MH, I kept the lights about ~18" above the plants with new bulbs. You should take a reading with some kind of photography meter or something that can give you a number to base from and then keep tabs on the light level as the bulb ages....and move the light accordingly. As a general "old school" rule of thumb....If the light is casting a very sharp shadow under the plants, then the light is probably adequate. I'll probably catch Hell for advising such an inaccurate method...but, what can I say? This is what I was taught!
Also, I did not have any kind of lens or glass between the bulb and the plants, so the plants were getting the FULL spectrum of the MH, as well as full heat. I have been told that this is a very unsafe method to use due to hot bulbs getting a drop of cold water on them and BANG!!!....but...that's....what....I did back then!
You will likely have to play it by ear as far as adjusting the height of the light, because there is no universal formula that all plants will respond to the same. In general, when the plants are young, start the light farther away (~24") and then watch the plant response as they get older and larger and stronger and able to take more intense light. This will also apply to switching to a flowering spectrum.