timmmy2021
Well-Known Member
well thats encouraging... thanks!
500w CFL?
- Thread starter DKskater75
- Start date
Hayduke
Well-Known Member
I don't think those bulbs have a ballast in them. Read the box carefully. I believe they need to be installed in a fixture that has it's own ballast. In my experience, if it has a mogul base chances are good it is not a self-ballasted lamp.
FWIW, here is the ballast inside of a 105w CFL that I have (regular, not mogul socket). It's an identical bulb to the 105watter that ebay guy also sells (got mine from 1000bulbs though).
I experimented with various CFL's for a while. Eventually I decided they are fools gold for my circumstances. Sometimes I wish I could get my money back from the CFL's that I now have laying around.
Yup those need the fixture that has the ballast. I got 65w at lowes, after the cord $30 bulb included I will mount so it is fixed and horizontal with mylar on top of box. thinking of using for veg.
Fools gold is right though, in hind site, the hole using cfl's was a waste of money. I have 420 actual watts in flower box, and if it was full could use more. spent over $100 and could have a 400w hps for less. Switching soon just trying to figure how to cool the bulb for less than a cool tube and extra blower.
42 watters are fairly hot too. the built in ballast is probably hotter than the bulb. Pic of the 65 watt light.
DKskater75
Well-Known Member
you got some crazy shit there hayduke haha i got those 65w floods too but theyre not quite that strange looking...
timmmy2021
Well-Known Member
DKskater75
Well-Known Member
you got the ballast for them too...?
timmmy2021
Well-Known Member
i had them from my 65w lights same socket
DKskater75
Well-Known Member
good shit. so you got 4 of those 100w??
Hawk
Well-Known Member
Your 65w fixture has a 65w ballast. The socket size doesn't necessarily mean anything. You want a 100w ballast for a 100w bulb. They may light up being driven off a 65w ballast but who knows what intensity or spectrum of light you'd end up with.
$0.02
DKskater75
Well-Known Member
good point... didnt notice that...
timmmy2021
Well-Known Member
i looked at the ballast form mine and the 100w lights they where the same . i got mine out of 65w spot light. theirs also a 45? or 47w fluorex light but i think it has a smaller socket?? the one hundred watt bulbs said they where 1000w....and i have two of them 
i looked at the ballast form mine and the 100w lights they where the same . i got mine out of 65w spot light. theirs also a 45? or 47w fluorex light but i think it has a smaller socket?? the one hundred watt bulbs said they where 1000w....and i have two of them
1000 watt equivalent light, 100 watts of power usage. a smaller ballast might light the bulb, but it will under-power it and not give you all the light it would normally give off. burning out the ballast is also another possibility.
wyteberrywidow
Global
thanks well explained thats exactly why i went and got an 400 watt hps..figure you gonna do it dont take half steps
timmmy2021
Well-Known Member
hmmmm so i should go get the other ballaster? or just continue using my 65w bulbs?
wyteberrywidow
Global
get a 150 hps for 69.99 that will be better than a 1000 watt cfl
I've thought about getting a cheap hps like this just to get started, but the little lumens for the price, doesn't really seem worth it. how many plants do you think can be grown under a 150 hps? maybe 2 or 3?
wyteberrywidow
Global
yeah 3-4 but you will get far more buds than cfls. there is a guy who vegged and flowered 3 plants with a 150 hps and got close to 2 and half oz a plant.
timmmy2021
Well-Known Member
what will i get with my cfl???
light, unless you don't plug it in
you can try it if you'd like. it probably wont work well without the right ballast. you could always take them back to the store and get a 150 watt hps
timmmy2021
Well-Known Member
i would have to buy new ballaster first but hps sound like they work alot better. but heat is alot more with hps so not sure
I doubt a 150 watt hps would have much of a heat problem. could be less heat then your cfl's
