Anyone use shop type lighting ?

Hey just a quick question, I got a 400W light that hangs vertically from work, had a huge plastic defuser that I took off, so I just hooked it up aside with my other 400W metal halide and I think the lighting is perfect in the area with this light so I want to use it...

just curious if anyones used these vertical shop type lights on here and if there was anything I should think about ... its wired for 120 so I think im safe on that... it has a sticker chart on the side of the ballast saying it can take sodium bulbs etc... the only negative part is that I dont have a reflector so its just hanging.. I know not to get any water on it, but anything else u guys think I should be thinkin about ?

I would look into making it a remote ballast,,,,All ya have to do is separate the mogul socket from the ballast,,,then get some heavy duty exstension cord wire, and use that between the ballast and the box for the socket. Its pretty easy if ya know anything about electricity.....Hope this helps

Hydro#1

Ya I think I do know what you mean, so realistically I could make this into a ballast seperated from the light socket and make some kind of hood for it possibly.. and use it horizontally right ?

Why separate the ballast and the bulb? Not being critical as my ballast and bulb are separated. Just curious for the rationale.

I don't see any reason to seperate the two. I used a shop light but that was years ago. When you can afford good lights invest.

Ya so I had quite the scare last night waking up to a intense burning smell, I jump outta bed instantly and see that the corner of my pandafilm came undone and was laying against my bulb I had dangling there slowly burning the film... glad I woke up coulda been a disaster i'd say.. my bulb got coated in the melting plastic film... probably could have exploded... I guess that shows my need to create a reflector for this.

I would definitly seperate and get a reflector, saves the light, cool that bulb down and try to clean it.... dont run ti with that on there, it could blow and it WILL stink.. i doubt plastic in the air is good for plants either.

let the bulb cool all the way down, clean it with alcohol and dont let any fingerprints on it because the oil from your prints can also heat up causing the bulb to burst also I dont know your set up but can you hang the light down in the middle of all the plants? that way you wouldnt need a hood, like on that video "ready set grow" by high times you can look it up on youtube its good info as well.

Alright well I changed my whole setup, I opened it up a lot bigger and now im going to be hanging it in the middle of the room, it puts out amazing light that fills the lower part of the plants realllly well. but anyways haha I am sure that plastic in the air wasn't good for them, luckily I wokeup right away it wasn't goin on for long... im going to build a board with a hole in it and hang the light accross my shelves so i can get the bulb in a more prime area... i'll post up some pics when im done with this, i'm havin fun