marlboro2388
Member
i was looking at these lights at walmart for growing plants i was wondering if those can work or do i need something else
Walmart????
- Thread starter marlboro2388
- Start date
wilsoncr17
Well-Known Member
They work but you need a ton of them to get any decent yields. Florescent light doesn't penetrate so it won't give you dense buds. Spend the money for an HPS for flowering, but the other lights are fine for veg.
marlboro2388
Member
were can i get hps lights
wilsoncr17
Well-Known Member
you get can get up to 150 at Home Depot if youre willing to convert a security light, or the cheapest online are HTGsupply.com
marlboro2388
Member
soory but whats a security light
Dan Halen
Active Member
They're those lights you see on the outsides of houses that turn on either when some one walks by or when it gets dark.
If you're looking for hps lights, just check around on the internet for systems or if you can, convert regular lights to hps. It's cheaper and more discrete but there's also the chance you may electricute yourself or burn your house down so I would only suggest converting if you know what you're doing with wiring and electrical equipment and you feel comfortable working with electrical equipment.
Overall, it's not difficult to make you're own hps, but you gotta be careful, and I can't stress that enough. But you can find out everything you need to know on the internet and if you do decide to make your own and have any questions or problems you can always ask me and I'll help you get set up.
marlboro2388
Member
thanx a lot
lighthouse
Active Member
how do you convert a security light into a hps light? I can't afford to buy one right now.
Dan Halen
Active Member
It's pretty simple. All you really have to do, (depending on the model you get it may be a little more difficult, but not much), is remove the eye or motion sensor, connect the wires that went in and out of the eye keeping white to white, black to black and so on. Buy a male plug for your outlet, (I reccomend a three prong heavy duty it's about $1 or so), and an extention cord if need be, making sure to put the green wire on the bottom prong, and white and black on either side and not crossing the two, or you can just buy an exstension cord, cut the female end off, (the end without prongs), and tie like colors together (white to white, black to black, etc.). Pick up some wire nuts for your connections, making sure to properly connect and tape all your connections with the nuts and electrical tape. Size 12 wire nuts should work best. And that's the easiest way to do it, provided you have sufficient room for that size of a fixture. Also, you'll want to plug it into a surge protector to prevent any further mishaps, and make sure you know the amperage of the light because you could blow a fuse/breaker. Most outlets in your home are 15 or 20 amps and should accomodate one or more of these fixtures without any problems. Just keep an eye, make sure it has adequate airflow due to the high temperature of these fixtures. And naturally, make sure there are no sparks. keep an eye of the acutal bulb temp and keep it away from anything flamable, HPS get VERY hot, especially the outdoor models. You will also want to remove the outer lens from the light. If you don't have room for that suze of fixture, you can convert another light by wiring everything together in that socket. If you need pointer on this, I can send you a diagram, but hopefully you have room for the bigger model. I have seen people use up to four HPS bulbs as I have described here successfully in a 4' x 4' room. Any fruther questions, you know where to reach me. Just post over here again and I'll help ya out best that I can. Best of luck!
jonboy30
Well-Known Member
very well said...
and you can always check out the 150watt Hps Inspirational Source thread on here on RIU...great stuff in there!
That's where I started!
StreetRider
Active Member
Make sure that the security light you are looking at is HPS or MH not just"HID" or Halogen. You can get a cheap light off of e-bay for less then $100 new.
you can also use all cfls there is a thread under indoor growing the only thing is you will need a few lights and they work the best in small spaces i use 9 52w cfls for 5 plants in a closet and it works out well for me but thats just because i am too poor to buy nice lights and dont want to kill myself trying to rewire shit. best of luck to you
jonboy30
Well-Known Member
www.htgsupply.com is wicked cheap and has some good shit for on a budget...start small and upgrade after your first sucessful harvest...
StreetRider
Active Member
Second that HTGsupply has great prices, and they are a good bunch of guys to deal with.
Dan Halen
Active Member
very well said...
Thanks.
Dan Halen
Active Member
Ok. Here you go.
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View attachment 558167
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You gotta remember that there are two types of hps, those with capacitors and those without. And you gotta have all one or the other parts. Unfortunately you can't just mix-n-match ballasts or ignitors, however you can use any everyday light socket as long as you stay with in the with in the wattage limit, and you can use any electrical cord you can find again keeping in mind the limits of the cord, i.e. the amps the cord can handle, the distance the cord, the drop of the cord, (the longer the cord runs the less amps it can handle due to the heat and friction of passing electrons), and the number of volts the cord can handle.
If you guys have any questions just let me know.
lonleysmoka
Active Member
I would also say HTG is a great spot for the grower on a budget. I am getting a 400w set-up for about 200 bucks! Keep your fingers crossed that it comes in today!
Good luck with the grow. Oh and dont kill yourself.
Good luck with the grow. Oh and dont kill yourself.