Bulb question

epbadger · Apr 22, 2019

These bulbs were used for 1 grow about 8 years ago. Then stored in an attic crawl space. Really cold in winter and hot as fuck in the summer. Can they be used again? I am assuming they are not good due to storage.... I used them in a 4x4 tent, was that a good choice?...
8 years later really need advice on my best lighting options for a 4x4 tent. Also gonna show the ballast I used. stored in same conditions. Is it still useable?

Airwalker16 · Apr 22, 2019

epbadger said:
These bulbs were used for 1 grow about 8 years ago. Then stored in an attic crawl space. Really cold in winter and hot as fuck in the summer. Can they be used again? I am assuming they are not good due to storage.... I used them in a 4x4 tent, was that a good choice?...
8 years later really need advice on my best lighting options for a 4x4 tent. Also gonna show the ballast I used. stored in same conditions. Is it still useable?

Yah no.....
Go ahead and buy a newer LED. Those aren't gonna flower for shit.
Maybe consider one of the HortiBloom lights for $179 shipped

gearshift · Apr 22, 2019

I can't suggest what you should do. I don't know if you have the money to upgrade.
I can tell you what I do. I live alone in a four bedroom house. One of the upstairs bedroom is a clone/ vegging room. One is a flowering room. I grow from early April until around the end of November depending on the strains. I do not like to heat the upstairs unless I have to for the plants. (Air conditioning is bad enough!)
My electronic ballasts go through 32 degree C ( 90 F) down to -13C (-11F) without any apparent problems.
Try the ballasts and lamps out. They should all be good to go. You may need to replace a lamp/bulb.
Edit: I keep my mothers down stairs in my heated/ air conditioned utility room and set up a 4x4 or a 2x4 tent to experiment in my downstairs master bedroom in my off season. I guess what I am saying is you have to sometimes adapt things to what you have money and room for.

epbadger · Apr 23, 2019

gearshift said:
I can't suggest what you should do. I don't know if you have the money to upgrade.
I can tell you what I do. I live alone in a four bedroom house. One of the upstairs bedroom is a clone/ vegging room. One is a flowering room. I grow from early April until around the end of November depending on the strains. I do not like to heat the upstairs unless I have to for the plants. (Air conditioning is bad enough!)
My electronic ballasts go through 32 degree C ( 90 F) down to -13C (-11F) without any apparent problems.
Try the ballasts and lamps out. They should all be good to go. You may need to replace a lamp/bulb.
Edit: I keep my mothers down stairs in my heated/ air conditioned utility room and set up a 4x4 or a 2x4 tent to experiment in my downstairs master bedroom in my off season. I guess what I am saying is you have to sometimes adapt things to what you have money and room for.

Money has been set aside so that's not really an issue....I did hook up both the lights they do work. I was just wondering due to age and storage conditions if they would work as they should

epbadger · Apr 23, 2019

Airwalker16 said:
Yah no.....
Go ahead and buy a newer LED. Those aren't gonna flower for shit.
Maybe consider one of the HortiBloom lights for $179 shipped

wont flower because of the age and or where I stored them? will look into Hortibloom also thanks

coreywebster · Apr 23, 2019

epbadger said:
Money has been set aside so that's not really an issue....I did hook up both the lights they do work. I was just wondering due to age and storage conditions if they would work as they should

If they work, they work. Bulbs degrade over hours ran not over hours stored. Get a hps bulb for flowering, they don't cost much. Those metal halides are quality bulbs but for vegging.

epbadger · Apr 23, 2019

coreywebster said:
If they work, they work. Bulbs degrade over hours ran not over hours stored. Get a hps bulb for flowering, they don't cost much. Those metal halides are quality bulbs but for vegging.

That was the bulb I used for Flowering for my 1st and only grow 8 years ago. I was surprised at how well it came out. 4 plants over 4 oz per plant in a 4x4 tent...appreciate the advice and will look into better bulb for flowering...So if I get a HPS will I need to get a new ballast or can I use the one I have?

coreywebster · Apr 23, 2019

epbadger said:
That was the bulb I used for Flowering for my 1st and only grow 8 years ago. I was surprised at how well it came out. 4 plants over 4 oz per plant in a 4x4 tent...appreciate the advice and will look into better bulb for flowering...So if I get a HPS will I need to get a new ballast or can I use the one I have?

Looking at that ballast its a digital so you should be fine with a 600w hps. Don't go for mixed spectrum one.
Veg with the ones you have and swap em out week after flip or on flip if you want more stretch.

Airwalker16 · Apr 23, 2019

epbadger said:
wont flower because of the age and or where I stored them? will look into Hortibloom also thanks

I only saw the huge fluorescent. I was talking about that. But HID lights are shit.
Get lEDs

Herb & Suds · Apr 23, 2019

Ballast should be fine but I always use a new bulb in flower

epbadger · Apr 23, 2019

Airwalker16 said:
I only saw the huge fluorescent. I was talking about that. But HID lights are shit.
Get lEDs

I figured that. I used that for the beginning growth before I put the plants in tent....So in a 4x4x7 which LED would you suggest. concerned more with best light than price

Airwalker16 · Apr 23, 2019

epbadger said:
I figured that. I used that for the beginning growth before I put the plants in tent....So in a 4x4x7 which LED would you suggest. concerned more with best light than price

DIY strip builds or some of these Chinese replicas of Fluence Spydr.

OneHitDone · Apr 23, 2019

epbadger said:
These bulbs were used for 1 grow about 8 years ago. Then stored in an attic crawl space. Really cold in winter and hot as fuck in the summer. Can they be used again? I am assuming they are not good due to storage.... I used them in a 4x4 tent, was that a good choice?...
8 years later really need advice on my best lighting options for a 4x4 tent. Also gonna show the ballast I used. stored in same conditions. Is it still useable?

That HiLux Grow will grow fucking circles around anything @AirWalker is recommending.
Fire it up and maybe replace the lamp if it had substantial hours on it when last used.
I'd ditch those CFL's though :peace:

rkymtnman · Apr 23, 2019

epbadger said:
I am assuming they are not good due to storage

bulbs can handle way more temp extremes than an attic. and a german made bulb even more so.

epbadger · Apr 23, 2019

OneHitDone said:
That HiLux Grow will grow fucking circles around anything @AirWalker is recommending.
Fire it up and maybe replace the lamp if it had substantial hours on it when last used.
I'd ditch those CFL's though

How many hours is that bulb good for? The CFL I used in the beginning. Did about 25 seeds picked best 8 plants were then put in tent and eventually picked best looking 4....also used it for sexing...Is it not good for that. got a better option?

epbadger · Apr 23, 2019

rkymtnman said:
bulbs can handle way more temp extremes than an attic. and a german made bulb even more so.

Ha...see when in grow shop guy said that kind of storage for that long was not good...escaping gasses and some other bullshit....think he was trying to sell me something? lmao

rkymtnman · Apr 23, 2019

epbadger said:
escaping gasses

only out of his mouth. lol.

a conversion bulb like that (MH to HPS) won't burn as many hours as a normal MH but i'd think you should get 2 maybe 3 full grows out of it.

OneHitDone · Apr 23, 2019

epbadger said:
How many hours is that bulb good for? The CFL I used in the beginning. Did about 25 seeds picked best 8 plants were then put in tent and eventually picked best looking 4....also used it for sexing...Is it not good for that. got a better option?

I have ran a hortilux 600 Blue MH in veg for 2+ years but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
I'd say 2-3 grows like @rkymtnman suggested for optimal growth

epbadger · Apr 23, 2019

rkymtnman said:
only out of his mouth. lol.

a conversion bulb like that (MH to HPS) won't burn as many hours as a normal MH but i'd think you should get 2 maybe 3 full grows out of it.

So use it for veg only....then use different bulb for flowering as advised above

epbadger · Apr 23, 2019

OneHitDone said:
I have ran a hortilux 600 Blue MH in veg for 2+ years but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
I'd say 2-3 grows like @rkymtnman suggested for optimal growth

so what would you recommend....and why did u keep using it ...tight on $ or it was good enough?

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