Hps Dangers???

Shredder111

Shredder111

Well-Known Member
Are there any fire hazards associated with a hps system:?:What can you do to prevent a fire:?:Can the system overload somehow and cause sparks in an electrical socket or something sparking everything in the surrounding area:?:Its kinda scary sounding... Arent people nervous to keep it on while they arent home:?: Please let me know more...:wink:

Thank you verz much...
 
BCtrippin

BCtrippin

Well-Known Member
There are fire hazards with Any electrical device if not used properly.

Its pretty easy to prevent a fire, its common sense, Dont use anything that is damaged, Dont use run your ballast if it ever got water on it or anything like that. Never run it with frayed wires, make sure you Bulb is not cracked or defected, run a test before leaving it unattended.

Dont Ever try to wire anything, or set up anything you are unsure of. Do your Research.

Other then the actual lighting sytem there could be faults in the actual house, the existing wiring could be old, the breakers might not be able to handle the load, the only way its going to cause a problem is if you were to overload the circuit. Always check the breakers, average house will run on 15 amp breakers for standard outlets. A 1000w HPS ballast pulls 5-9 amps, so a 15 amp house breaker could handle only 1 x 1000w hps, if you added 2, it would overload the circuit and Probably just cause the breaker to flip.

If nyou run everying on separate suitable breakers, or have an electrition upgrade your system then you really have nothing to worry about.

Most people, including myself, dont worry too much about it because as long as you dont overload the circuit breakers you should be fine.

In Any situation if your unsure do some research. Theres a reason you dont hear about growops burning down all the time, it doesnt happen very often because most gorwers are pretty meticulous in getting there grow room set up Perfect.
 
D

docd187

Well-Known Member
BCtrippin said:
There are fire hazards with Any electrical device if not used properly.

Its pretty easy to prevent a fire, its common sense, Dont use anything that is damaged, Dont use run your ballast if it ever got water on it or anything like that. Never run it with frayed wires, make sure you Bulb is not cracked or defected, run a test before leaving it unattended.

Dont Ever try to wire anything, or set up anything you are unsure of. Do your Research.

Other then the actual lighting sytem there could be faults in the actual house, the existing wiring could be old, the breakers might not be able to handle the load, the only way its going to cause a problem is if you were to overload the circuit. Always check the breakers, average house will run on 15 amp breakers for standard outlets. A 1000w HPS ballast pulls 5-9 amps, so a 15 amp house breaker could handle only 1 x 1000w hps, if you added 2, it would overload the circuit and Probably just cause the breaker to flip.

If nyou run everying on separate suitable breakers, or have an electrition upgrade your system then you really have nothing to worry about.

Most people, including myself, dont worry too much about it because as long as you dont overload the circuit breakers you should be fine.

In Any situation if your unsure do some research. Theres a reason you dont hear about growops burning down all the time, it doesnt happen very often because most gorwers are pretty meticulous in getting there grow room set up Perfect.
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exactly what he said. the biggest things to watch out for would probably be never let water anywhere near the ballasts, make sure all connections are properly insulated, get a surge protector, never use a light system that is damaged in any way, and don't just replace the breakers in your house without upgrading the wiring. someone i know did that and the breaker didn't pop and it created a fire
 
C

CuriousSoul

Well-Known Member
It may also be well worth investing in some of the better quality Mylar. It's worth checking if the material you're buying is fire retardant. If you follow the advice of the above posters you should be fine. If you're very concerned then an extra measure of safety is worthwhile because accidents can and do happen. Happy growing.
 
I

icemassa

Well-Known Member
i was very worried about using a hps lamp when i first started growing. but just so you make sure to do your research and setup everything correctly you will have no worries. im runnin a 600w hps at the moment and i dont even second guess it, because i actually did my homework and set it up correctly. a fan cooled hood might set your mind at easy a little more. and make sure to keep your ballast out of your grow box and sitting up on something sturdy. peace.
 
soudy

soudy

Active Member
what about an HPS light that u built? lol and did the wiring urself? lol such as me, lol i hooked up my 150w hps from econ light and tht ballast gets hot to even touch..and there are wires in there. im wondering if those wires can catch fire or something? i have the enitre ballast sittin in a clay pot like a 3gal and it holds it well if anything happens it can happen inthe clay pot lol
 
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icemassa

Well-Known Member
its not good to have exposed bare wires. and just so the ballast isnt sitting on the floor or on anything thats gonna catch fire it shouldnt be a problem. good luck to ya. peace.
 
BCtrippin

BCtrippin

Well-Known Member
Put a fan blowing on your ballast. Ballasts get hot as hell, I could cook a steak on my 1000w ballast transformers if I didnt put a fan on it, you put a fan pointing at the ballast and it will be totally cool to touch.
 
soudy

soudy

Active Member
haha, on a 400 or 600w its probably possible to cook an egg on that bitch haha, on my 150w i cant touch it for more than like 6sec before it i have to take my hand off haha, so i bet a 600w wuld cook an egg haha.
 
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