Any way to tell how old ups bulb is?

[COflower]

Hey all, i recently bought a few 1000w ups bulbs from a guy i know. He told me that he only used them for maybe a month before having to close down his shop. Is there any way to tell if the bulb is too old to use? Both ends of the arc tubes about 1/2 an inch long grayish/black.

 

[Dr. Who]

No.
If he used them for 1 month. You run them for 11 more then change. Some swap out at 8 months, but I find that to be a tad fast as my light meter says they show drop off at around 1 year of use.

 

[NorthofEngland]

He may be telling the truth but, in my experience, all used bulbs are sold with the story that they were only used for a very short time.

I'm a cynical, disbelieving type so I tend to assume that they're probably well past their prime
and the seller is just attempting to make some cash out of items that would otherwise just be thrown out.

The same applies to used carbon filters.

Unless someone has a damn good (and verifiable) story to explain why they are selling
assume they are liars attempting to swindle you.

 

[Dr. Who]

NorthofEngland *LIKE*

 

[ilyaas123]

He may be telling the truth but, in my experience, all used bulbs are sold with the story that they were only used for a very short time.

I'm a cynical, disbelieving type so I tend to assume that they're probably well past their prime
and the seller is just attempting to make some cash out of items that would otherwise just be thrown out.

The same applies to used carbon filters.

Unless someone has a damn good (and verifiable) story to explain why they are selling
assume they are liars attempting to swindle you.

So true especially on eBay!

 

[COflower]

Thanks guys. I just went out and bought the Sun System Light meter that goes up to 40000 lux. I want to compare the lumens of a new bulb to the lumens of an old bulb. Does anyone know how to use this thing. I am not sure about the difference between lux and lumens and what my HPS should be putting off.

Really appreciate the help folks