Should I replace/ditch this old school dome hood on my 250-400W HPS?

brownbearclan

brownbearclan

Active Member
So I got this 250W HPS used (was supposed to be a 400W, which it turned out was a 250W with a 400W bulb stuck in it) and I haven't seen pics of anyone using these old school dome reflectors anymore. So my two options are 1- just ditch it completely and lower it down into my plants more and do a semi-vertical type grow or 2- I was thinking of just building a new reflector where the bulb lays sideways instead of up and down. My plants all seem to lean in towards the center of the bulb.

IMG_2241.jpg

(The clamp is just on there to balance the light.)

Thanks! =)
 
brownbearclan

brownbearclan

Active Member
Haha well good to see everyone else is as unsure as I am. I guess I could just experiment till I find what works best. =)
 
D

drew21close

Member
That makes a lot of us confused now. I have also tried to do an experiment for self to see what is the best. But if you have come up on something will you please let us know and I'll share my insights to.
 
brownbearclan

brownbearclan

Active Member
Right on, I think I'm going to try and build soemthing simple out of a sheet of aluminum so the bulb lays horizontal and then maybe paint it white. I'll post whatever I end up doing. =)
 
S

SwiftGrow

Active Member
save up a some cash and get a better hood imo lighting is very important and if your hood sucks your wasting valuable lumens.

any hood will work but air cooled etc can be closer to plants resulting in better lighting and better yield.

HTG supply has a cheap hood that would work for like 39.95$ the max wing reflector

Even better save up and get a cooltube :D best of luck

http://www.htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=5
 
M

metrognome

Member
I would put just a little bit of cash into building your own reflector. Go to the DIY forum and get some ideas. 20 bucks can buy you a rivet gun, rivets, sheet metal shears from harbor freight, and a sheet of sheet metal from lowes.
 
brownbearclan

brownbearclan

Active Member
Cool that Maxwing looks perfect. $56 with shipping, still not bad and I won't open my head up on it if I bump it. Are they fairly discreet with their shipping? I live in a really lame area lol. =)
 
Medi 1

Medi 1

Well-Known Member
ditch it. those dont help with hid ligthts...the most light comes off thew sides of the bulb and hardly any at then ends. they way that is its sending the end of the bulb towards the plants with the least amount of light it outputs...needs to be on its side. those style are more for cfl
run your hand around the bulb and feel the heat. where its hotter is where the light is more emitting out
 
TruenoAE86coupe

TruenoAE86coupe

Moderator
Most good hydro store carry some really really cheap hoods, i have seen them from $15. Steal your Mogul (i assume its a mogul, the base you stick the bulb in) and remount it in the cheapest hood you can find. Craigslist is always a thought too, but people always want too much for hoods. If you were in colorado i have an old hood i could toss you.
 
brownbearclan

brownbearclan

Active Member
^^^ Right on wish I were closer! I'm one state over from ya lol. I think what I'm gonna do is rig up a bat-wing type hood out of a sheet of free salvaged aluminum for now then order a $50ish hood when I get some more cash. =)
 
brownbearclan

brownbearclan

Active Member
Small update, got a free giant ass sheet of aluminum. (Like 3 foot by 6 foot lol.) Now I just need a pop rivot tool and I'm thinking some white paint for the inside. I dunno though this aluminum is pretty damn shiny and reflective on one side. What do you think, paint the inside white or leave it shiny aluminum? I'll post pics of my Frakenhood when it's done. =)
 
brownbearclan

brownbearclan

Active Member
Made a new hood in the shape I wanted...I dunno if I'm really gonna use it or not. I'll post pics later.

And for anyone thinking of making your own hood, put that stupid idea out of your mind right now lol....it's so not worth the $30ish you might save. =P
 
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