Idiot Lighting Question

That link sent me to check out. I have a magnetic core HPS ballast and I have to be inches away to hear anything(myth). If you went with a magnetic core you can use HPS and CMH. The benefits of digital are they run cooler and use a little less electricity. With a magnetic core, parts can be changed cheap and are not throw aways like digital. Digital is the future and the older ballasts are dirt cheap now and will take a 15 foot drop than still fire right up. if you do go digital I'd look into a ballast that is "switchable" meaning it can fire a MH & HPS bulb.

So a digital cant fire a CMH?

What kind of ballast do you have? I def want something thats quiet.

No currently a CMH bulb requires a magnetic ballast, mine makes no noise at all

I went with Harvest Pro Elite 400w HPS ballast from The Hydro Source(awesome online shop) for $133. They have a base model for $107 but houses all the electrical components in one unit. The Elite has two seperate channels for maximum cooling. Shipping was rather cheap as well($29.00 coast to coast for a whole ballast reflector package). Really love the heft to these ballasts, could double as a badass weapon.

Ya that site seems pretty legit. I notice they have daystar package. Would this set up work for CMH?

http://www.thehydrosource.com/Lighting_Packages/HPS_400_Watt/400w_HPS_Day_Star_6_Package

What ballast should I get?

Harvest Pro Elite Switchable? or just Harvest Pro Switchable? or Harvest Pro Elite HPS? I really have no idea. Being quiet and durable is my biggest concern for a ballast.

Mine just says Harvest Pro Remote Ballast on the box cost me $118, got it at growlightexpress

http://www.growlightexpress.com/grow-light-ballasts-3/400-watt-ballasts-12/harvest-pro-400-watt-hps-ballast-1268.html?zenid=qqs6795rv2lj3pqt2k0dtrc5a7

needs an ansi code of S51 to work with CMH

Ya Im confused by the ballast. I need one for MH to veg and then switch to HPS for flower, right? I have no idea which ballast is good for that or what the best way to go about doing this. I was an LED person, so the whole HPS/MH is still kind of new for me. If im throwing down 300, I want to get what I need.

Too many options.

Like this ballast here says HPS/MH. So it switches right?

Whats the deal with 120/240V?

I just need a 400W ballast that can switch between MH for veg and HPS for bloom.

http://www.thehydrosource.com/Remote_Ballasts/Harvest_Pro_Elite/Sun_System_Harvest_Pro_Elite_400w_MHHPS_Switchable_Ballast_120v240v

Or should I just use HPS to veg and flower? Im a little confused. I would prefer to use MH for Veg and HPS for flower... how do I do that with that daystar system?

seriously check out my grow, there is nothing to be confused about, CMH runs cooler, works for whole grow (no changing bulbs to flower) has UVB (makes more resin & thc) has same spectrum as the sun and growth is incredible!

since I started this grow at least 15 people have switched to CMH, it truely is a no brainer

balls to the wall sig link

You just need a digital ballast. 120/240v means it will run on both voltages. I've been veging with hps there's a grow log In m sig. I'm pretty happy with hps only. Haven't had any streatching. I'll be posting new pics later this week.

If your at all interested in CMH give creedence to Riddleme's advice. I was going to go with Grow Light Express but The Hydro Source had a better representation of prices accross the board. Rudy, you really need to read some basic info on light source. If you go CMH you have the option of running CMH and HPS. Let's say you liked the CMH for vegging but prefer HPS in Flower, you can intermingle. The key point in turning me onto this type of system was that these bulbs most acutately represent the Sun. There's nothing wrong with going digital (actually most do) and what you would want is a switchable ballast allowing you to veg with MH and Flower with HPS. You need to first decide what type of lighting source your gonna use. It really is a preference as maximum results can be achieved using any legit source.

I'd like to have as many options as possible. Im just a little skeptical with CMH as I heard the same things abou LED's and they fell short. But ya I would like to use CMH to veg and then HPS to flower, thats sounds pretty legit. So which type of ballast would I need for that? Can I get that with the daystar package.


Thanks again for all the help

The led panels are not the same across the board. There's lots of garbage knock offs out there. When LEDs start coming down in price and start listening to the growers, I'll jump on board. CMH has been around longer than led for horticulture purposes. There's a CMH dedicated forum on icmag you should check out that's been running since 2006. Seriously, google CMH, most of the growers that use CMH never go back. The daystar package with a 400w hps ballast(not digital,not switchable) and bulb is a good deal. The ballast is a budget ballast. I think it comes with Sun System 10. I would hesitate to buy this ballast only because it's one unit. When you upgrade, the components are seperated into two compartments for cooling. Heats the killer on these ballasts. If your on a budget the Sun System 10 hps will work just fine. Also do a little research on Sun light Supplies( Super Sun 2) I think this is the direct competition between Hydrofarm and SLS. I love the Super Sun 2. For such a small reflector the SS2 covers a rather large area.

Rudy Rudiger said:

I'd like to have as many options as possible. Im just a little skeptical with CMH as I heard the same things abou LED's and they fell short. But ya I would like to use CMH to veg and then HPS to flower, thats sounds pretty legit. So which type of ballast would I need for that? Can I get that with the daystar package.


Thanks again for all the help

Click to expand...

I see alot of nice grows here with LEDs. I just don't want to spend the cash right now. Your $600 for a decent led. The rest are skeptic.

Ya, I was using two 90W UFO's. They did ok for veg, but just took forever to flower and the buds were fluffy. Not dense like they should be. It just wasnt meant to be.

So now Im going with the 400HPS, praying that the circuit can handle it. It would be a real pain shipping all of that back. Sure hope the ballast doesnt hum, like some. Going with Harvest Pro Elite Switchable. Hopefully its quiet.

They only pull like 4 amps. And most home circuits are set up for 25-30amps in the USA. You shod be cool as long as your not running ac, microwave, bigs screen all on the same circuit. Go with a vented hood if you can. I have a 400 and it still gets hot. That's probably my next upgrade. Probablynot till spring tho since the heat won't matter soon.

No, just a deep freezer and grow stuff. Its a 20amp by the way, made sure yesterday. So I should deff be good.

Is it safe to order all this from the hydrosource?? Lights, ballast, reflector, the works. I dont wanna raise any red flags

looks like I'm a little late in responding, but if you still were looking for reflectors:

Some are made by a few different companies, despite the similar names, but I have always liked all the 'lumen...' reflectors/ Lumenmax, Lumenbright, Lumenarc. I believe (though check with the product specs and/or manufacturer) that all will support horizontal mogul and hqi, quite possibly other configurations, again check with documentation to find out for sure. The smooth Lumenmax is what I have experience with, but I know people using all of those, and they are incredible reflectors.

Here is a top notch review of them. The article is on aquatic horticulture, but all the info they give is applicable to any application.
Product Review: Analyzing Reflectors: Lumenbrite III, Lumenmax Elite, Lumenmax, and Lumenarc III | Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine