Kyle Keen Green
Active Member
Can you do that? I dont really need 600watts for veg, can you for example use a different type bulb (Mh) at a lower wattage or would I have to change the ballast? Thanks Guys
Ive bought a 600watt hps set up with a 600 ballast, Can I use a 450 for veg?
- Thread starter Kyle Keen Green
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madprofessor
New Member
yes you can run anything up to but not over 600 watts
NO, I would not advise this.
You should be able to put a higher W bulb onto a lower W ballast, but not the other way around.
The ballast controls the electric use, not just the bulb (if you were thinking of this to save money)
Also I heard something about being able to put MH bulbs onto a HPS ballast but I would look more into that before attempting it.
You should be able to put a higher W bulb onto a lower W ballast, but not the other way around.
The ballast controls the electric use, not just the bulb (if you were thinking of this to save money)
Also I heard something about being able to put MH bulbs onto a HPS ballast but I would look more into that before attempting it.
How sure are you? Cause as someone who plays with electricity every day. In like every case, hooking up a lower W thing to a high Watt input will just blow up/burn out the lower W component (unless resistance is used).
madprofessor
New Member
"You should be able to put a higher W bulb onto a lower W ballast, but not the other way around."
UMMMM WTF ,dude what are you basing that on
you wanna confirm my advise google it..
so your saying you could run a 600 watt bulb with a 250 watt ballast ,sorry but other way around
UMMMM WTF ,dude what are you basing that on
you wanna confirm my advise google it..
so your saying you could run a 600 watt bulb with a 250 watt ballast ,sorry but other way around
madprofessor
New Member
let me make this clear, the ballast provides the power which the bulb needs
if a bulb is a 600 watt bulb,how is a 250 watt ballast going to power it?
it can't
But a 600 watt ballast has the power to power a 250 watt...
i really hope your just stoned and confused..other wise i fear for your safety
if a bulb is a 600 watt bulb,how is a 250 watt ballast going to power it?
it can't
But a 600 watt ballast has the power to power a 250 watt...
i really hope your just stoned and confused..other wise i fear for your safety
Kyle Keen Green
Active Member
So if I use the 600 watt ballast and a 250 bulb, I would still be using 600 watts?
209 Cali closet grower
Well-Known Member
I use a 400mh in a 600w db with no problems.
well, as I stated before "AS SOMEONE WHO PLAYS WITH ELECTRICITY EVERY DAY" (like as a job!!!) I know that hooking up High watt current to a low watt draw component WILL cause the component to overheat/burnout/eventually catch on fire/explode. Unless resistance is used to stop that full Wattage from going into that low watt component.
And no I would not expect a 250 W ballast to power a 600W bulb correctly. However in theory it should light up, just it would not be at full brightness. And I say in theory cause I really don't know anyone dumb enough to buy a 600W bulb for 250w ballast (talk about a waist of money).
I know that I could be wrong, I don't use HID's that much and there is always flux in what you can hook up to what. But you go ahead and stick a clf into a high voltage socket and tell me what happens.
Kyle Keen Green
Active Member
Is resisting the power possible, Is there a cheap alternative? I should probs just buy a Few CFL's for my Vegging, right? or wrong?
The ballast is just a fancy capacitor, it will draw 600w to fill the capacitor but after it did, it would run under 600w but would still draw more current than a 250 ballast would (maybe 300 and some change).
I would recommend it, it would be the most efficient cause your seedlin's don't need full strength light. If you can find like a 3 bulb fixture that would be plenty of light.
madprofessor
New Member
you did however state that you COULD run a higher watt bulb on a lower watt ballast ,which is absolute B>S ,so i really doubt your credibility as an electrician.
I know for a FACT that you can use a lower watt bulb in a higer ballast
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_put_lower_watt_bulbs_in_higher_watt_ballast
madprofessor
New Member
although as the link states you can do that
its maybe worth mentioning i use a digital ballast ,and you can definitly without question run smaller bulbs on the higer ballast as it was even on the product specification, whether or not this is as safe with normal ballasts i dont know,but as you can see from the link you can do it
its maybe worth mentioning i use a digital ballast ,and you can definitly without question run smaller bulbs on the higer ballast as it was even on the product specification, whether or not this is as safe with normal ballasts i dont know,but as you can see from the link you can do it
kvnbeach
Active Member
Hey brother, I am not sure you should run a lower wattage bulb thats why they make adjustable digital ballast. You can use a halide bulb on a HPS Ballast, but u cant use an HPS in a Halide Ballst. I have a 400w HPS Ballast that i use a halide to vegg with. Then I have a 600w HPS I flower with, so I use 2 rooms to speed this shit up. Here's the thing dude, when u use a halide bulb u use the same wattage but they distribute less lumens than an HPS.
My 600HPS bulb puts out 90,000 lumens a halide 70,000. My 400w halide puts out38,000lumens and my HPS bulb puts out 49,000, yet I vegg with the white light. You see where I am going here. I could use that HPS bulb to veg but they respond better to white light.
My 600HPS bulb puts out 90,000 lumens a halide 70,000. My 400w halide puts out38,000lumens and my HPS bulb puts out 49,000, yet I vegg with the white light. You see where I am going here. I could use that HPS bulb to veg but they respond better to white light.
woodsmaneh!
Well-Known Member
You all miss the point^^^^^^
The answer is you can run what ever you want but that does not make it right. So if you have a selectable ballast or varable ballast you need the right bulb at the right power or the bulb will not work right. How so you ask...
Bulbs are made to run at a spicific temperatur any thing but that and they do not work right. For example if you run a 1000w at say 600w the red and blue spectrums will not be there as the power to heat the bulb to the right tempature is not avalible. Check out EYE or any good light site and you will find this information.
The answer is you can run what ever you want but that does not make it right. So if you have a selectable ballast or varable ballast you need the right bulb at the right power or the bulb will not work right. How so you ask...
Bulbs are made to run at a spicific temperatur any thing but that and they do not work right. For example if you run a 1000w at say 600w the red and blue spectrums will not be there as the power to heat the bulb to the right tempature is not avalible. Check out EYE or any good light site and you will find this information.
woodsmaneh!
Well-Known Member
You all miss the point^^^^^^
The answer is you can run what ever you want but that does not make it right. So if you have a selectable ballast or varable ballast you need the right bulb at the right power or the bulb will not work right. How so you ask...
Bulbs are made to run at a spicific temperature anything but that and they do not work right. For example if you run a 1000w at say 600w the red and blue spectrums will not be there as the power to heat the bulb to the right tempature is not avalible. Check out EYE or any good light site and you will find this information.
The answer is you can run what ever you want but that does not make it right. So if you have a selectable ballast or varable ballast you need the right bulb at the right power or the bulb will not work right. How so you ask...
Bulbs are made to run at a spicific temperature anything but that and they do not work right. For example if you run a 1000w at say 600w the red and blue spectrums will not be there as the power to heat the bulb to the right tempature is not avalible. Check out EYE or any good light site and you will find this information.
And you use wiki answers , so I doubt your a professor...
Listen, I'm not here to start a flaming thread.
But yeah, i'm not an electrician. I build computers and robots for a living.
I don't manufacture HID bulbs, it is possible for them to have some sort of resistor inside. And when a sentence starts with "in theory" I would look for a test of that theory. A 250w ballast might not even provide enough to fire.
thank you for clearing this up.....instead of using wiki answers
woodsmaneh!
Well-Known Member
Glad to be of help, keep on growing
guanoman
Well-Known Member
I would use florescent lights for 3 or 4 weeks depending - you should have at least 5 or 6 sets of leaves and they should be just starting to really take off. Then put them under the full 600w. My plants veg awesome under a 600w HPS. I have a few pics in my White Widow grow album -they had been under the HPS for about 3-4 weeks and just getting ready to flower in a few of the shots. I put the seedlings under the HPS as soon as they were ready to transplant to bigger pots.