Lumatek Ballast and the Super Lumens Setting / Hortilux bulbs?

I’ve been running the 600w electronic Lumatek with a 600w Hortilux EYE for 3 weeks now with no problems.

I’ve heard that these two were not a good combo by some on other sites. I’m wondering what you’ve heard about the two together and what my be the best bulb to run with the Lumatek ballast?

Also, what is this super lumen setting? A 10% increase in lumens when switched? Increasing the watts being pulled and my electricity? I’ve looked everywhere for some info on putting the setting to use, but notta. I think I’ma try keeping it on super lumens for the last 3 weeks or something… just play around with it. That is if my bulb doesn’t crap out!

Firstly i use a Sunmaster dual spectrum in my Lumatek.

The SUPER LUMENS switch is ONLY to be used after 2-3 harvests using the same bulb, as your lumen output diminishes over this time period so the SUPER LUMENS switch adds an extra 10% to your lamps lumen output to get longer from your lamps.

I personally use a 400w MH for some veg , 600w sunmaster dual spectrum for 6-8weeks of 12/12 and then dim it down to 400w for the final few weeks of 12/12 IMO the lower light levels help to ripen the buds. With my environment i try to re-inact nature as best i can with temperature differences and lower light intensity towards the end to simulate the lower light levels and temps we would see in the Autumn/Fall.



J

ithink i found the right thread. im thinking about getting a 400 hps/mh remote ballast for 5 plants max. i see a lumatek for $165 is that a good value

Hi one and all ... The best bulb I ve found to work on a Lumatek ballast is a Digi-Lux Dual-Spec! They both operate at the same frequency and give out a great quality of useable light I use the 'Super Lumen switch in the last 3 weeks of flowering ..

I run a 'Full Spectrum' lighting rig and also utilize different color spectrums to coincide with the plants stage of Growth

And now I also use a. UV-B for ultimate THC gains.. But any how that's getting off topic, Oh.. Hortilux are intended for use with Magnetic Ballasts if you use the on a digital ballast .. ie/ The Lumateks .. you'll shorten the lamps life and cause slight stress to your plant due to the flickery light output (unseen to the human eye)... use an HD Camcorder and film your light/s and growroom ...

However if you use a digital lamp on a digital ballast ie Digi-Lux bulb on a Lumatek ballast there will be no flicker )ensuring better bulb life and less plant stress
Hope that helps - STELTHY

That helps a lot Stelthy! Damn, now all I need is some more money lol! I felt like I did the right amount of homework when it comes to putting my system together. Even talking to the local hydro shop. Oh well…

What’s this UV-B for maximum THC all about? Those hot mercury lamps?

redfsh said:

ithink i found the right thread. im thinking about getting a 400 hps/mh remote ballast for 5 plants max. i see a lumatek for $165 is that a good value

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If you are thinking of getting a digital Lumatek 400W here is a great site with &#8216;em for $120 and 600w&#8217;s for $158 >Chyea<. How big of plants are you wanting to grow?

IntrepidTraveler420 said:

That helps a lot Stelthy! Damn, now all I need is some more money lol! I felt like I did the right amount of homework when it comes to putting my system together. Even talking to the local hydro shop. Oh well…

What’s this UV-B for maximum THC all about? Those hot mercury lamps?

Click to expand...

The UV-B lamps that I use are the 18/20W 10.0 Reptile Desert Lamps... they give off a white/blue/Purple, UV-A and more importantly UV-B out put...

The UV-B wavelengths trick the plant into thinking its gonna die! And in a final bid to get pollinated it gives out wave after wave of THC partly as self defence and partly to greaten the likelyness of it getting pollinated..

Of course so long as the UV tubes are not to close to the top of your canopy they will not harm your plants in the slightest .... but will give the buds a snow capped peak of fresh THC

I bought the actual UV tube for approx 25 quid ... but I bought a 10 quid fixture and bit of drain pipe and custom made my own reflector... since the proper fixture & reflectors were a tad pricey..

I ve been using UV B on my grow for almost a month already and not only can I see plenty of THC crystals...but she smells lovely too

I highly recommend getting a UV-B lamp they're pretty cheap and easy to install and everyone loves a THC Boost!!

Once again, I hope that's helpful to ya - STELTHY

IntrepidTraveler420 said:

If you are thinking of getting a digital Lumatek 400W here is a great site with &#8216;em for $120 and 600w&#8217;s for $158 >Chyea<. How big of plants are you wanting to grow?

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4ft max have limited space

stelthy said:

The UV-B wavelengths trick the plant into thinking its gonna die! And in a final bid to get pollinated it gives out wave after wave of THC partly as self defence and partly to greaten the likelyness of it getting pollinated..

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I hadn't heard of the plant thinking it's going to die, and I thought I heard 'em all .

I have been using a brand new lumitek 600w digital and dimmable in the 400w setting with a hortilux blue mh 400w everything was working well then yesterday it shut off . I was running 20/4 with some clones now I'm in trouble. I tried my new hortilux super hps 600 and it worked for 1 day and did the same thing so something must be wrong with my ballast.

motocycoplumber said:

I have been using a brand new lumitek 600w digital and dimmable in the 400w setting with a hortilux blue mh 400w everything was working well then yesterday it shut off . I was running 20/4 with some clones now I'm in trouble. I tried my new hortilux super hps 600 and it worked for 1 day and did the same thing so something must be wrong with my ballast.

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400w bulb with a 600w ballast?

Zombie Smoke said:

400w bulb with a 600w ballast?

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Yes you can use the Lumateks dim feature to run a 400w MH in them as recommended by the manufacturer of the lumateks.




J

I just went outside and tried again with the new hortilux 600 hps and nothing happened. I can hear a click inside the ballast but that's all . I'm really disappointed in Lumitek so far .

imo its not your ballast. but the two,both ballast and bulb dont like each other,lets leave it at that. i run ushio hilux gro super with no problems..anyone else runninng these with good results.

I recently polled the major makers of ballasts and lamps. Their tech people have mixed opinions on the dim feature. Especially the lamp makers. The lamp guys are not into dimable ballasts.

IntrepidTraveler420 said:

I’ve been running the 600w electronic Lumatek with a 600w Hortilux EYE for 3 weeks now with no problems.

I’ve heard that these two were not a good combo by some on other sites. I’m wondering what you’ve heard about the two together and what my be the best bulb to run with the Lumatek ballast?

Also, what is this super lumen setting? A 10% increase in lumens when switched? Increasing the watts being pulled and my electricity? I’ve looked everywhere for some info on putting the setting to use, but notta. I think I’ma try keeping it on super lumens for the last 3 weeks or something… just play around with it. That is if my bulb doesn’t crap out!

Click to expand...

Some time back Hortilux and most other bulb makers addressed the issue using electronic(high frequency)ballasts with their bulbs so your cool there. As far as the Super Lumen setting goes you can use it whenever you want. But I have metered a bulb on both settings and the actual difference is almost un measurable so I never use it. And I run my Hortilux bulbs 2 yrs or so before replacing them. Dont fall into the trap of replacing your bulb every six months, forum myth and a waste of money. Yes bulbs do degrade over time, but not enough in six months to make a difference.

stelthy said:

Hi one and all ... The best bulb I ve found to work on a Lumatek ballast is a Digi-Lux Dual-Spec! They both operate at the same frequency and give out a great quality of useable light I use the 'Super Lumen switch in the last 3 weeks of flowering ..

I run a 'Full Spectrum' lighting rig and also utilize different color spectrums to coincide with the plants stage of Growth

And now I also use a. UV-B for ultimate THC gains.. But any how that's getting off topic, Oh.. Hortilux are intended for use with Magnetic Ballasts if you use the on a digital ballast .. ie/ The Lumateks .. you'll shorten the lamps life and cause slight stress to your plant due to the flickery light output

Click to expand...

No longer true. Hortilux has rated their bulbs compatible with Lumatek ballasts for some time now. And I have a 600 in the socket right now with over 18months of service, both 12/12 and 18/6, still growing strong....

Rrog said:

I recently polled the major makers of ballasts and lamps. Their tech people have mixed opinions on the dim feature. Especially the lamp makers. The lamp guys are not into dimable ballasts.

Click to expand...

Thats because the dim feature is not meant to be used like you dim a light in the house, no matter what the advertising says. Its meant to be used to match, or very closely match, the output wattage of the ballast to match the bulb being fired.........
Because of the shady advertising many folks are using the multi setting electronic ballasts improperly and giving them an undeserved bad name.......

Hortilux is releasing their new non-dimable ballast soon. They do not like dim settings. Neither does Ushio. Lumatek says it's fine, as does Quantum and Solis Tek. So who / what do you believe? What pairing of lamp / ballast works, and which don't? Which combos affect lamp life? Which combos / dim settings keep the light spectrum intact?

There are a lot of unknowns yet

You DO NOT dim an HID bulb. You set the ballast ouput setting to match the bulb currently in the socket to be fired..........