HELP! with HPS W/O Ballast

i am broke as a joke ... i have very little money to spare . but am still trying to have a sucessfull grow. I Really want an HPS setup but $ is a bit of a problem these days

I was reading on here that you could use a HPS Bulb w/o a ballast as long as it is low wattage (70 watts)

So i ran to home depot

Spent some $21 on the bulb and a clamp light $13

Came home
Plugged it in ... but nothing
no flicker .. no spark ... no sign of light
Did i follow some BS info? or do I need a to return the one and get a bulb that works?

If i followed some BS
Thanks Douche bag for spreading ignorance and miss information and making me waste $ $34 i didn't have in the first place
if not than my apologies for calling you a douche bag
Can someone help me ?!?

No one ? thought this was an easy question ... hunh .... Bump

Hold up a sec, i'm looking into this....but pretty sure you're going to need that ballast...

yeah, HID bulbs need ballast to regulate flow of electricity to bulbs. HID bulbs have lesser tolerance in the variation of power. damn, lot o big words done

Yup, all HPS use a starter/ignitor to "start" the bulb and the ballasts also have a capacitor to regulate the voltage. The bulbs do run between 100-135 volts, so i can see where someone got the idea they could just hook it up to a wall outlet, but that won't work.

i agree with everyone else,you need a ballast for both hps and metal halide lights,you can order a ballast kit online for like 30-50 bucks,good luck

If your that tight on budget, return or exchange it for a higher wattage CFL (100+W) or see if they have a special on a multi pack of smaller watt ones and make yourself a little box or tent....That's be easier than a ballast for your needs at the moment I'm thinking. Depends on what your trying to do i guess

cdrippper2 said:

If your that tight on budget, return or exchange it for a higher wattage CFL (100+W) or see if they have a special on a multi pack of smaller watt ones and make yourself a little box or tent....That's be easier than a ballast for your needs at the moment I'm thinking. Depends on what your trying to do i guess

Click to expand...

im going for yeild of course =D lol
but would more cfl =More yeild
or is that just too much
i am really going for multi color garden cause i hear that is where it is at

i also heard HPS would work w/o ballast ..... lol

and to Litiljohn

how much work or effort would the kit be and how would i set it up

i would go research this

BUT
i am a solid mix of Drunk/Stoned
and am too lazy

A link would be nice =D

if any body had advice on what they did as improvements after their first grow would be nice ... Very Noob (hence the name on my profile) and Very BROKE

NO CASH!!!

hopefully things will change
but for now , still broke

PEACE

well my friend I under stand you from the poor point of view but you get out what you put in. I have done many grows. My first was with a shop-light worked but only got about a 1/4 dried after 12 weeks or flower. the point i am trying to make is if you don't buy the right equipment, you will not have a very good yield

damn...too bad econolight stopped having the $20 hps ballast and bulb deal....

and to Litiljohn

how much work or effort would the kit be and how would i set it up

just go to ebay or htgsupply and order it,you can wire it up in minutes and to be safe you need a metal box to put the ballast kit in,the box isnt required but recomended for fire safety.if you cant do this then i would get cfl's or some shop lights for now and later you can use the cfl's/shoplight for veg and use a hps for flower when you get one

greenjacketdude said:

well my friend I under stand you from the poor point of view but you get out what you put in. I have done many grows. My first was with a shop-light worked but only got about a 1/4 dried after 12 weeks or flower. the point i am trying to make is if you don't buy the right equipment, you will not have a very good yield

Click to expand...

I am very aware of this fact in anything really .... trying to find out what is best but am also taking into account that #1 dont want to be noticed in anyway so no onilne stores, cash only, and that ristricts me to local stores...home depot lowes and garden centers # 2 I am broke so i am trying to spend the least on stupid ventures like.... buying a bulb that doesn't work .. wasting my time and money i dont have in the first place ...

litljohn said:

and to Litiljohn

how much work or effort would the kit be and how would i set it up

just go to ebay or htgsupply and order it,you can wire it up in minutes and to be safe you need a metal box to put the ballast kit in,the box isnt required but recomended for fire safety.if you cant do this then i would get cfl's or some shop lights for now and later you can use the cfl's/shoplight for veg and use a hps for flower when you get one

Click to expand...

i was just saying "work" because i am very in experience with electrical
I am will to put in to the extent of my knowledge and ability =D
if it is easy then awesome ...