I just received my first HID light and I'm afraid to turn it on...

I am the kind of person you don't have to tell to be careful. Ever. I think of every bad situation there is to imagine. I've been shocked quite a few times doing stupid things as a kid, and I'm hesitant to use things I don't understand. So I have a few questions...

Is it alright to turn the light on with the hood on the ground, just to test it? I know you can't leave it there, but I don't know if it's harmful to test it. I figured the hood, facing towards the ceiling, turned on for a few moments to make sure everything was in working order would be fine, but I want to make sure.

Is there a certain length of time the light needs to be turned on/off for? Can I just flip it on for a test then turn it back off, or does it need time to warm up before it's turned off?

I have two bulbs to test, do I need to wait a certain amount of time between testing the two? I was going to give it at least 10 minutes just to make sure the previous bulb is cooled off. Is this long enough?

I'm imagining large explosions in all of these scenarios, I don't know why... Please don't belittle me, I know this is irrational. I may seem silly, but I'd rather be safe than ruin a piece of expensive equipment or harm myself.

Thanks for any help!

1 yes you can test it like that no problem

2 avoid switching it on and off on and off , leave it on for a few minuites then it should be fine to switch off , then give the bulb a few minuites to cool down before switching it back on again .
3 yeah give it a few minuites to cool down before unscrewing it from the holder and avoid handling the bulb with bare hands use a clean dry cloth

its unlikely to explode unless u drip water on the bulb or use the wrong bulb for the ballast or something stupid , they are pretty safe as long as you are carefull

ThE sAtIvA hIgH said:

1 yes you can test it like that no problem

2 avoid switching it on and off on and off , leave it on for a few minuites then it should be fine to switch off , then give the bulb a few minuites to cool down before switching it back on again .
3 yeah give it a few minuites to cool down before unscrewing it from the holder and avoid handling the bulb with bare hands use a clean dry cloth

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Thank you so much I feel like such a goofus! I have some kevlar gloves I don't use for anything, they're now my dedicated bulb handling gloves.

no probs , it takes few minuites for the bulb to get to its full brightness anyway , and i forgot to mention , its not good for your eyes to look directly at hid ,some people wear sunglasses when working around them .

Hey, Hid lights are a big investment. I remember my first set was a very stress filled process of getting all set up.
you have electric or magnetic ballast?
if its a large hood definitely find a helper when you go to hang. Recently i was changing bulbs and most of my hoods have the hinges so the glass swings open but my last XXl hood has the stupid glass that comes out completely. I was inches from shattering the plate and really ruining my day. Would have been nice to have a spotter that day.
good luck it will all work fine, and good choice with HID!!

relax, it's just a big light bulb.

Lol

lotsa good advice above. after you're all set-up and ready to roll, you may notice the ballast generates a good bit of heat. i place a small muffin fan to blow on the ballast to cool it. even the digital ballasts can get pretty hot. with the small fan on my ballasts, it is cool to the touch. this will help to prolong it's life...

green_machine_two9er said:

Hey, Hid lights are a big investment. I remember my first set was a very stress filled process of getting all set up.
you have electric or magnetic ballast?
if its a large hood definitely find a helper when you go to hang. Recently i was changing bulbs and most of my hoods have the hinges so the glass swings open but my last XXl hood has the stupid glass that comes out completely. I was inches from shattering the plate and really ruining my day. Would have been nice to have a spotter that day.
good luck it will all work fine, and good choice with HID!!

Click to expand...

Oh gosh yes, I definitely could not imagine trying to move this thing around by myself! Luckily the significant other lives with me. The only bad part is I trust no one so he's going to get mad when I tell him exactly what to do and when to do it. He should be used to that by now, in my opinion! I'm laughing right now, but this first set up does have me sweating bullets a little haha. I can't wait to think back on all of it three months from now.

AirAnt said:

relax, it's just a big light bulb.

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"relax" they said, "it's just a light bulb." Then it blows up in my face! lol

Hey lemon LIly once your all tested and relaxed and nothing has blown up... I do have a few great tips for hanging/ducting that will make life easy down the road depending on the specs of your room.

green_machine_two9er said:

Hey, Hid lights are a big investment. I remember my first set was a very stress filled process of getting all set up.
you have electric or magnetic ballast?
if its a large hood definitely find a helper when you go to hang. Recently i was changing bulbs and most of my hoods have the hinges so the glass swings open but my last XXl hood has the stupid glass that comes out completely. I was inches from shattering the plate and really ruining my day. Would have been nice to have a spotter that day.
good luck it will all work fine, and good choice with HID!!

Click to expand...

I forgot to mention, it is an electric ballast. I got a cheaper 400w system to start.
I've read apollo horticulture is crap, but I've heard really good things about them too. I change my mind a lot, so cheap is a must for me at this point.

green_machine_two9er said:

Hey lemon LIly once your all tested and relaxed and nothing has blown up... I do have a few great tips for hanging/ducting that will make life easy down the road depending on the specs of your room.

Click to expand...

That'd be great! I'ma follow you. I should start cutting holes for exhaust here in a few days. I'll have to take some measurements after I get the light up. I still need to get some strong hooks.