Question on HPS lighting

Today I was at Lowes picking up some supplies I toke a walk through the lighting area, I found that lowes and most likely home depot has a 400wtt and smaller HPS light bulbs for around $19.95 an under, and $84.97 for a 150 watt HPS light for commercial bulding use, it has the everything you would need, you would just have to build a reflector system for it and a DIY cool tube. (google)

I had a look at the 400 watt bulb it looks the same as the bulb that came with the 400 watt system I bought from www.thelashop.com.

It's looks like with $84 bucks and a little conversion a guy could make his own HPS lighting system.

So the question: Can you use this lighting system (look it up on lowes website), from Lowes or Home depot meant for commercial use, and build a grow lighting system with it, they have 65wtt, 70wtt, 150wtt light systems and just the 400 watt bulb replacement and I mean the 400wtt looks the same as the one I have.

This light is what you find outside of commercial buildings and in the parking lots and it looks the same as what I grow with.

So is there anyone out in RIU who has the lighting smarts that can answer this question, my bet is there is, with the right answer the lighting game we all play can became less expensive.

So please give me your answers on this I am really considering trying and bulding a grow lamp with this it can cut about $200 bucks out.

If it is the right blb I'll get one and design and build a HPS lighting system and put the plans on RIU for everyone to use, love to build things.

Time for to smoke some White Rino just love it, puff puff feelin better already eeeha.

Looken foreword to you input.

NP

I've seen those too and wondered if it could be done. i would really like to know if anyone has had any luck with commercial lights, i think the heat would be a big problem with them but i could be wrong.

Yea but you have heating issues with any high wattage lighting system they generate a lot of heat either way, that's what the cool tube and venting is all about.
Really I seen it for myself they look the same, here if anything a cheep replacement part.

Still no answer as of yet.

I did find a cheep little meter at lowes through, combo soil PH meter, Light meter and soil moisture meter $7 bucks.

Guess there may not be anyone who know's out here Ha! lol fine, so I will buy the 400 watt HPS bulb for 19.97 and match it up to the one I have and see, and if not I can always return it, so I'll get the answer for myself!

Easy enough right! and don't think I wouldn't post it because I will.

Np

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=site:+rollitup.org+diy+hid+light

It can definately be done with that light and ballast. You could find better deals from contractor and other business getting rid of their commercial/industrial lighting on craigslist also.

For a cool tube, a bake-a-round tube could be used (found cheap on ebay) or even hurricane glass for lanterns/candles at you local hobby store like michaels, etc.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=site:+rollitup.org+diy+cool+tube

If you really feel so inclined, you could even purchase the raw materials (ballast,ignitor,socket) and wire it all yourself for like 60-70 bucks too.

Anyway, do a search on this site...this subject has been hashed out many times...

igrowdank said:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=site%3A+rollitup.org+diy+hid+light

It can definately be done with that light and ballast. You could find better deals from contractor and other business getting rid of their commercial/industrial lighting on craigslist also.

For a cool tube, a bake-a-round tube could be used (found cheap on ebay) or even hurricane glass for lanterns/candles at you local hobby store like michaels, etc.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=site:+rollitup.org+diy+cool+tube

If you really feel so inclined, you could even purchase the raw materials (ballast,ignitor,socket) and wire it all yourself for like 60-70 bucks too.

Anyway, do a search on this site...this subject has been hashed out many times...

Click to expand...

I thought so much as I said it looked the same! thanks please keep in contacy if you like.

You can use the security lighting they have at lowes/hd but keep in mind that the ballast inside is only rated for the specific bulb it comes with. you can not use a 400 watt bulb in a 150 watt system.

best thing to do is buy their 150 watt system and remove the housing and turn it into a remote ballast system.

the heat radiated from a 150 bulb will allow you to keep it about 6 inches or so away from the top of the canopy. the most amount of the heat comes from the ballast.

the cheapest hps setups i've seen are on 1000bulbs.com, they are really cost effective
you see some riu fans of this site, never used them myself

IF YOU WANT TO BUILD YOUR OWN CHECK OUT THIS LINKhttp://highpressuresodium.net
I BOUGHT 2 150 BALAST BULBS AND BULB FIXTURES FOR 79.70 AND FREE SHIP AND GOT IN 3 DAYS HAPPY GROWING

Yea I'm going to give it shot see what I can create from one, my 400 watt should cover 4' ft to 6' foot square area from about 4' to 6' ft above should cover up to 12 plants with CFL's in the mix also, shit asit is I have to where sunglass when I open and go in the tent

Right now I have 3 clones 1 at 4" and 1 at 6.5" and one that I just got for my bd today that's 4" also, and 1 sprout about an 1", should I stay with the cfl's till there bigger, what's the norm to start using the 400wtt hps once there over 6" inches a foot what's the normal time to begine using or it's okay to use it just don't heat the the plants Right.

As a side note:

I was at a aquarium shop then Petsmart and was looking at the fluorscent tube lighting and found there T5 flluorescent tubes with spectrum reading on the side! and looks like they are good to use in grows, but they are a bit pricey. for a 48" tube around $25.98, but they are geared for the right growing spectrums, blue, red, orange so forth meant mostly for salt water tanks, there is a graef chart on the side with spectrum read out of the fluorscents, arunning at 40 watt and 18,000k Flora-Glo.