Dimmable Ballasts
- Thread starter 6ohMax
- Start date
astronautrob
Well-Known Member
I'm an user of both a 600w & 400w dimmable ballasts. I don't usually dim mine, unless it gets hot in the tent then I'll dim the 400w since its open wing, because I've read/heard/somehow think I know that it changes the light spectrum so I don't like to do it
astronautrob
Well-Known Member
But I guess if I were veggin with one I'd maybe dim it when they were seedlings or smaller, other than that I'd pump that ish up to 100% all day
sixstring2112
Well-Known Member
i use em but not in veg.only time i dim any of mine is if a plant grows too close to one of the lights.i probably run them over 100% more than i dim them.
qwizoking
Well-Known Member
I use all Apollo products... so i am a little biased. Great company, Have had the opportunity to test alot of their new products. Good stuff
With that said. Its best not to dim, not only does it affect bulb life but yes the spectrum noticeably changes. It can be quite drastic. In general the hotter the bulb as well as more elec flow the more blue the spectrum. This is the same with all types of lights cfl mh etc.
What i use is Apollo purple reign.
It uses 4,6 and 1000 watt bulbs for a better spectrum with1050W / 1000W / 900W / 840W / 800W / 750W / 700W / 630W / 600W / 500W / 420W / 400W settings.
And some other cool features.
Good luck
With that said. Its best not to dim, not only does it affect bulb life but yes the spectrum noticeably changes. It can be quite drastic. In general the hotter the bulb as well as more elec flow the more blue the spectrum. This is the same with all types of lights cfl mh etc.
What i use is Apollo purple reign.
It uses 4,6 and 1000 watt bulbs for a better spectrum with1050W / 1000W / 900W / 840W / 800W / 750W / 700W / 630W / 600W / 500W / 420W / 400W settings.
And some other cool features.
Good luck
6ohMax
Well-Known Member
Yeah I saw that purple reign ballast. .looks nice. ...I really want is a galaxy ballast
Last edited:
6ohMax
Well-Known Member
I got that purple reign ballast , it's nice. .runs a little warm as opposed to the other Apollo horticulture ballast. I bought a Nebula ballast. .pretty cheap, works well, thousands have been sold on Ebay.
UncleBuck
Well-Known Member
how the fuck are you here but diabolical isn't?
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
I would say anyone interested that dimming lights is harder in them and they burn out quicker and different spectrum.
I would think a person would be better off with a switchable ballast that can run different bulbs.
Set it to 250 and run a 250 bulb, switch to 400 and run a 400 bulb.
They make different sizes so people can find the range they need.
You would of course have to buy more bulbs but when running lower wattage setting you ate still using the correct bulb at the correct power.
I would think a person would be better off with a switchable ballast that can run different bulbs.
Set it to 250 and run a 250 bulb, switch to 400 and run a 400 bulb.
They make different sizes so people can find the range they need.
You would of course have to buy more bulbs but when running lower wattage setting you ate still using the correct bulb at the correct power.
6ohMax
Well-Known Member
Thank you, that's what I've been reading up on too..the spectrum. .
I'll be getting some t5 soon.
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
What do you plan to do with the t5?
If for veg only or clones I would just use what ever bulb is cheap.
To augment hid I would get some singlebulb four footers and run agromax pur UV bulbs.
6ohMax
Well-Known Member
whitebb2727
Well-Known Member
They work. You can overdrive them to.
How To Build A Super Charged Fluorescent Grow Lig…:
MonkeyGrinder
Well-Known Member
Those ballasts work really well in tight spaces. Also if you aren't running a sealed off grow area. Like let's say a small walk in closet. You know something you'd manually have to shut the door on etc when it comes time for lights out. If you have somewhere to go or something to do you can just knock it down to 50% and shut the door on em and not worry about your plants baking. They're a nice little insurance policy. Also if you're prone to sleeping in you can just turn it down during the last 10 minutes or so during lights out.
Another big thing is when you're in there messing with you plants. Feeding, watering, rotating or whatever. Turn it down and you won't get hit in the eyes with nearly a much high intensity light. That's a HUGE factor for me anyways. Flash burn sucks like a mofo.
If you're running a scrog and starting it out from the middle. Just knock it down to 50% and put the light a close as you can. Raise light and adjust power accordingly as your plant or plants spread out. Just be sure to have it at 100% when you switch to 12/12.
T5's are awesome for veg. Low heat = not really having to worry about temps getting way out of hand. Grabbed a small 2x2-8 bulb fixture for mini moms. They do perfectly fine running only 4 bulbs in the back of a spare bedroom closet. Using Gas Lantern Routine for veg @ 96 watts that's a whole lot of bang for your buck. Especially when you can pack 16 little plants under it in 1 gallon containers and just trim em down every 2 weeks to almost nothing.
With 8 bulbs the little guy also works nicely for filling out a 3x3 net with one plant in the center. When it's outgrown the light just toss the 600 over it and flip. @ 192 watts and no need for cooling its' quite nice.
Another big thing is when you're in there messing with you plants. Feeding, watering, rotating or whatever. Turn it down and you won't get hit in the eyes with nearly a much high intensity light. That's a HUGE factor for me anyways. Flash burn sucks like a mofo.
If you're running a scrog and starting it out from the middle. Just knock it down to 50% and put the light a close as you can. Raise light and adjust power accordingly as your plant or plants spread out. Just be sure to have it at 100% when you switch to 12/12.
T5's are awesome for veg. Low heat = not really having to worry about temps getting way out of hand. Grabbed a small 2x2-8 bulb fixture for mini moms. They do perfectly fine running only 4 bulbs in the back of a spare bedroom closet. Using Gas Lantern Routine for veg @ 96 watts that's a whole lot of bang for your buck. Especially when you can pack 16 little plants under it in 1 gallon containers and just trim em down every 2 weeks to almost nothing.
With 8 bulbs the little guy also works nicely for filling out a 3x3 net with one plant in the center. When it's outgrown the light just toss the 600 over it and flip. @ 192 watts and no need for cooling its' quite nice.