electrical help please!

okay so i have a slight problem. i just got 2 HID set-ups. they both came with a metal hallide bulb each, and they both work with the metal hallide. the ballast says that it can be used with HG, MH, and HPS which is great... but the only problem is that i need to use the hps option and i have no clue what bulb to get. i went and bought a 400 watt hps bulb from the store and it doesnt work in the fixture.... so i am guessing that i need a different type of 400 watt bulb. the ballast says it is a 450watt max, and a 400 watt mh bulb works great in it..... so i am confused and i hope somebody out there can tell me how to determine what bulb works with a ballast.

thanks everybody

i believe my ballast is a m59.. that is what is printed on it... if that sounds familliar than thats it. i have no clue about these things, but i would love to learn. thanks again

what you bought, was it a true HPS or was it a HPS conversion bulb....?

well i bought a true hps bulb... but the thing is the ballast says right on it that it can be used with hps and mh. 400 watts.. i was reading on the internet and people do use normal hps bulbs with the m59 ballast... this bulb is just wrong. it says to use it with a different ballast.. so yeah..

might be a bad lamp... it does happen

true, you may be right. i will return it tomorrow. i think i figured it out. the ballast says 450 watt max and that it can be used with a mh or hps.... i just searched online and it says on a couple sites that i have to use a 360 watt m59 compatible bulb.. maybe i will order one of those...

i do have another question though. if you buy a 1000 watt hps ballast. can you buy any 1000 watt hps bulb and it will work? or no?

and just figured out my ballast type....


m59/h33


i had to have got the wrong type of bulb i guess. people say you can run either on this ballast

ahh you were misled. that is a basic advance industrial MH ballast, probe start.
you will need a HPS conversion lamp to run HPS on that ballast...

IAm5toned said:

ahh you were misled. that is a basic advance industrial MH ballast, probe start.
you will need a HPS conversion lamp to run HPS on that ballast...

Click to expand...

yes sir you are correct!!!! thanks. if anyone ever has this problem in the future. if you own or want to buy a m59/h33 ballast and you want to run a hps on it than you gotta get the 360watt conversion bulb.

thanks i am stoned! the reason i got these grow light fixtures/ballasts is because i got them for $60 each lol. they are modified so i can plug them into the wall and i think they will work great for what i will be using them for. i will return the 400 watt hps bulb i bought and i will order 2 of the conversion bulbs! and then i will grow some medical cannabis and be happy
thanks again man!

+rep for you my good sir!!