Conversion bulbs: Tell me everything I need to know

tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
First of all, I own several LED fixtures and I know everything (that I need to know) about LEDs. They're great. No argument. I use them and I like them a lot.

I have an old (80's era) magnetic MH ballast and it's in great shape and works fine. It was my main fixture for many years and produced some pretty respectable results. But I have been kicking around the idea to buy an HPS conversion bulb again. I did it a few times in the distant past, but the HPS bulbs I got seemed to not last very long and didn't seem as bright as they should be...

I'm looking for some input from people who have used a newer conversion bulb and see if I should try one of them or stick with the cheaper ones. The cheap ones are like $21 on Amazon and the expensive ones like Hortilux are like 5 times more expensive!

It's just an experiment, btw...for fun and education. I don't care about potential yield or electrical-efficiency and all that.

Thanks
 
OneHitDone

OneHitDone

Well-Known Member
Never used a HPS Conversion bulb but would assume it is the same as with other hid lamps - you get what you pay for.
Wouldn't it just be cheaper to pick up an hps ballast? Or, I know mag ballasts can be wired to fire either MH or HPS lamps with different igniter configurations or something like that.
Maybe look into changing to ballast wiring and you can run the much cheaper Super HPS lamp.
Just a thought
 
tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
CobKits said:
i would just go snag the proper mag ballast, people practically give them away on craigslist
Click to expand...
Yeah, but that would mean I'd have that much more junk around. I was looking for a decent option for just a bulb....but thanks to the link in this thread, I might look into the "warm spectrum" MH bulbs....didn't know there was such a thing! :)
 
OneHitDone

OneHitDone

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
Yeah, but that would mean I'd have that much more junk around. I was looking for a decent option for just a bulb....but thanks to the link in this thread, I might look into the "warm spectrum" MH bulbs....didn't know there was such a thing! :)
Click to expand...
The Blue MH is where it is at.
My heaviest single plant to date was grown under Blue MH and not hps.
They are pricey but it's like having the sun indoors :hump:
 
GreenHighlander

GreenHighlander

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
First of all, I own several LED fixtures and I know everything (that I need to know) about LEDs. They're great. No argument. I use them and I like them a lot.

I have an old (80's era) magnetic MH ballast and it's in great shape and works fine. It was my main fixture for many years and produced some pretty respectable results. But I have been kicking around the idea to buy an HPS conversion bulb again. I did it a few times in the distant past, but the HPS bulbs I got seemed to not last very long and didn't seem as bright as they should be...

I'm looking for some input from people who have used a newer conversion bulb and see if I should try one of them or stick with the cheaper ones. The cheap ones are like $21 on Amazon and the expensive ones like Hortilux are like 5 times more expensive!

It's just an experiment, btw...for fun and education. I don't care about potential yield or electrical-efficiency and all that.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Just go get the proper ballast. The absolute biggest waste of money, time, power, etc is running a MH ballast with an HPS conversion bulb.
I would even run a better wavelength MH bulb before wasting the money on an HPS conversion. You are paying way more for way less.
Cheers :)
 
GreenHighlander

GreenHighlander

Well-Known Member
A mag ballast that can run both MH and HPS with the flip of a switch can be had nowadays brand new for not much more then a MH to HPS conversion bulb.
Much better money spent.
Cheers :)
 
PSUAGRO.

PSUAGRO.

Well-Known Member
yes, switchable mag ballast moves the ignitor needed for hps and without it for probe/pulse start mh

anyways a fun experiment OP would be to buy a gavita 750w de flex and rock a 4x4:), just saying.........seriously though what wattage MH ballast? can look at the Philips allstart CMH line== run on 250w(205w), 400w(330w), 1000w(860w) mh mag ballasts
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
First of all, I own several LED fixtures and I know everything (that I need to know) about LEDs. They're great. No argument. I use them and I like them a lot.

I have an old (80's era) magnetic MH ballast and it's in great shape and works fine. It was my main fixture for many years and produced some pretty respectable results. But I have been kicking around the idea to buy an HPS conversion bulb again. I did it a few times in the distant past, but the HPS bulbs I got seemed to not last very long and didn't seem as bright as they should be...

I'm looking for some input from people who have used a newer conversion bulb and see if I should try one of them or stick with the cheaper ones. The cheap ones are like $21 on Amazon and the expensive ones like Hortilux are like 5 times more expensive!

It's just an experiment, btw...for fun and education. I don't care about potential yield or electrical-efficiency and all that.

Thanks
Click to expand...
I'm using a Hortilux conversion bulb with my 1000W MH mag ballast. Twice the price of a regular Hortilux Super HPS tho. Around $200CAN now but I got mine for $160 a couple years ago. Only used it for one grow so far but will be using it again any day now. Have a 1000W PlantMax - 7200K running now but switching to flower in a week or so. Don't much like it so will eventually get a better MH bulb.

Picked up a used 1000W switchable ballast at a hydro store in Kelowna last summer for $75 and a couple of cheaper Super HPS bulbs for $40 each. One Hortilux was $90 and the spectral chart on the cheaper ones looks almost exactly the same so now I have spares in case the big conversion bulb dies.

If you can find a cheaper conversion bulb then it would be worth it or just do as suggested and buy a cheap, used ballast and save on the bulb.

:peace:
 
tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
Thanks.

Well I figured that IF I could find a bulb-only that would allow me to actually use some of the stuff that I already have sitting around taking up space and collecting dust, then it would be worthwhile, but I'm not really interested in buying more stuff just to grow under HID again. It's just that, when I used to grow under HID, it was a MH and not a HPS....How's that for a sentence?!?! :) I thought maybe good HPS conversion bulb might give me better results...but now Im rethinking that, too.

That Eye Hortilux Blue is a $90 bulb....I read some negative reviews when I was looking at it so I'm not sure if I want to take the plunge and invest that much....still debating about it, though. I mean, since I already have the ballast, it's not really that much of an investment for a grow, I suppose.....hmmmmm
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
Thanks.

Well I figured that IF I could find a bulb-only that would allow me to actually use some of the stuff that I already have sitting around taking up space and collecting dust, then it would be worthwhile, but I'm not really interested in buying more stuff just to grow under HID again. It's just that, when I used to grow under HID, it was a MH and not a HPS....How's that for a sentence?!?! :) I thought maybe good HPS conversion bulb might give me better results...but now Im rethinking that, too.

That Eye Hortilux Blue is a $90 bulb....I read some negative reviews when I was looking at it so I'm not sure if I want to take the plunge and invest that much....still debating about it, though. I mean, since I already have the ballast, it's not really that much of an investment for a grow, I suppose.....hmmmmm
Click to expand...
The Blue can supposedly flower well too so not much of an investment for grow. I'm still trying to find a source for some 400W GE ceramic metal halide bulbs that will work in my 3 - 400W HPS mags. Prefer to find an electrical store that sells them as they will be cheaper I hope tho I've seen them online from US stores for 40 - 60 US. Philips stopped making their 400 CMH and I should have got that case of 6 years back from a local outlet for $300. They didn't stock them but would order the case if I wanted it but was low on funds at the time. I have 4 HPS bulbs of various makes to use in the ballasts tho.

I forgot to mention that I have a 400W Hortilux conversion bulb that gives me MH light off of a 400 HPS mag. Been using it steady for 17 years. At least 6 months of each year at 18 hours/day and it still vegs fine, The tube inside is looking ugly and has a blister running it's full length but fires up and runs OK. About $125 when I bought it in '01 but I sure got my money's worth. :)

How many watts is your ballast?

:peace:
 
tstick

tstick

Well-Known Member
OldMedUser said:
The Blue can supposedly flower well too so not much of an investment for grow. I'm still trying to find a source for some 400W GE ceramic metal halide bulbs that will work in my 3 - 400W HPS mags. Prefer to find an electrical store that sells them as they will be cheaper I hope tho I've seen them online from US stores for 40 - 60 US. Philips stopped making their 400 CMH and I should have got that case of 6 years back from a local outlet for $300. They didn't stock them but would order the case if I wanted it but was low on funds at the time. I have 4 HPS bulbs of various makes to use in the ballasts tho.

I forgot to mention that I have a 400W Hortilux conversion bulb that gives me MH light off of a 400 HPS mag. Been using it steady for 17 years. At least 6 months of each year at 18 hours/day and it still vegs fine, The tube inside is looking ugly and has a blister running it's full length but fires up and runs OK. About $125 when I bought it in '01 but I sure got my money's worth. :)

How many watts is your ballast?

:peace:
Click to expand...
400 watt HydroFarm magnetic from ~83-84 era
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
And here is the bulb I am used to getting for it:

https://www.amazon.com/Sylvania-64490-Metal-Halide-Light/dp/B00OZVSI3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523490353&sr=8-1&keywords=sylvania+metalarc+400+watt+bulb
Click to expand...
Those MetalArc are just your basic stadium lighting bulb and you'd get lots better results from a proper horticultural light.

Stay away from PlantMax tho. I got a couple of them because they were cheap and you do get what you pay for. :) Just a regular bulb with Plant in the name I think. Got a 400 and a 1000W MH.

My old ballasts are from the 80s or so too. The one MH and two of the HPS are open. Just the parts mounted on steel backs.

That's the HPS there and the round grey thing is a 150W HPS explosion proof housing I took the socket out of so I could have the light remote from the ballast for side-lighting if I need it.

Ballasts01.jpg

This is the used 1000W I got last summer and one of the cheaper Super HPS bulbs. Much classier. :D

NewBallast04.jpg
My 1000W MH ballast with that monster conversion bub on top. Big as a football and barely fits in the reflectors I have. :)

1000WMH01.jpg

:peace:
 
OneHitDone

OneHitDone

Well-Known Member
tstick said:
Thanks.

Well I figured that IF I could find a bulb-only that would allow me to actually use some of the stuff that I already have sitting around taking up space and collecting dust, then it would be worthwhile, but I'm not really interested in buying more stuff just to grow under HID again. It's just that, when I used to grow under HID, it was a MH and not a HPS....How's that for a sentence?!?! :) I thought maybe good HPS conversion bulb might give me better results...but now Im rethinking that, too.

That Eye Hortilux Blue is a $90 bulb....I read some negative reviews when I was looking at it so I'm not sure if I want to take the plunge and invest that much....still debating about it, though. I mean, since I already have the ballast, it's not really that much of an investment for a grow, I suppose.....hmmmmm
Click to expand...
I can tell you first hand the Hortilux Blue will not disappoint.
Have a new 600W in route for my veg as we speak - 2 years on the current lamp in there and still vegging strong, I just feel like it has to be time for a new one :hump:
 
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