What lights for a 2x4 flood tray?

Clown Baby

Clown Baby

Well-Known Member
stop turning this into a flame war and give me some advice.


from what I understand, a magnetic HPS ballast will only fire an HPS bulb, not a MH. But this is where CMH bulbs come into play.
CMH bulbs were designed to work with magnetic HPS ballasts.

Either way, I feel like a HPS should have a square footprint. like a 3x3 or 4x4. I feel like I'd be wasting light if I put an HPS over a 2x4 tray
 
Tym

Tym

Well-Known Member
Weird, I obviously don't own a digital ballast.. I just assumed that since some advertise switchable, and some don't, that some were switchable, and some weren't. Honest mistake :)
Thanks for letting me know..

Also my magnetic ballast doesn't have a switch, I just put in a HPS or a MH and it runs either one... I was told (by the guy at the hydro store) that HPS ballasts will run MH, but MH ballasts won't run HPS.
HPS ballasts have the ignitor, the MH ballasts don't. The MH bulbs have the ignitor in the bulb. So if you run a MH on a HPS ballast, it has it's own ignitor and the ballast has one, so the bulb will work.
But if you try to run a HPS in a MH ballast, there is no ignitor, so the HPS won't work in a MH ballast..

He said they are all like that cause the only difference is the ignitor.

Again, thanks for clearing that up for me.. Weird how some would advertise switchable and some wouldn't..
 
Shrubs First

Shrubs First

Well-Known Member
Tym said:
Weird, I obviously don't own a digital ballast.. I just assumed that since some advertise switchable, and some don't, that some were switchable, and some weren't. Honest mistake :)
Thanks for letting me know..

Also my magnetic ballast doesn't have a switch, I just put in a HPS or a MH and it runs either one... I was told (by the guy at the hydro store) that HPS ballasts will run MH, but MH ballasts won't run HPS.
HPS ballasts have the ignitor, the MH ballasts don't. The MH bulbs have the ignitor in the bulb. So if you run a MH on a HPS ballast, it has it's own ignitor and the ballast has one, so the bulb will work.
But if you try to run a HPS in a MH ballast, there is no ignitor, so the HPS won't work in a MH ballast..

He said they are all like that cause the only difference is the ignitor.

Again, thanks for clearing that up for me.. Weird how some would advertise switchable and some wouldn't..
Click to expand...
Didn't know that difference in ignitions either, dual education.
 
Shrubs First

Shrubs First

Well-Known Member
Clown Baby said:
stop turning this into a flame war and give me some advice.


from what I understand, a magnetic HPS ballast will only fire an HPS bulb, not a MH. But this is where CMH bulbs come into play.
CMH bulbs were designed to work with magnetic HPS ballasts.

Either way, I feel like a HPS should have a square footprint. like a 3x3 or 4x4. I feel like I'd be wasting light if I put an HPS over a 2x4 tray
Click to expand...
Didn't quite turn in to the flame war. We never made it to the name calling/belittling of each other
or each others grows.

Honestly, I'm using magnetics in my warehouse, and I have one go out on me every week or so. Its
a huge bitch to take care of 24,000 watts.. Especially when the ballasts are 25 feet off the ground and
weigh 45lbs. Never have that problem in my home grow where I use all digitals.

And like i said I use a 600Watt HID over my 2x4 foot prints. You can use the 2x4 tray and do whatever
you want with the canopy, 4x4, 3x3 whatever.
 
Tym

Tym

Well-Known Member
Clown Baby said:
stop turning this into a flame war and give me some advice.


from what I understand, a magnetic HPS ballast will only fire an HPS bulb, not a MH. But this is where CMH bulbs come into play.
CMH bulbs were designed to work with magnetic HPS ballasts.

Either way, I feel like a HPS should have a square footprint. like a 3x3 or 4x4. I feel like I'd be wasting light if I put an HPS over a 2x4 tray
Click to expand...
Not true, I have a magnetic HPS ballast less than 10 feet away from me right now running a MH bulb. A regular MH bulb.. There is not 1 switch on the ballast.
 
Tym

Tym

Well-Known Member
Shrubs First said:
Didn't quite turn in to the flame war. We never made it to the name calling/belittling of each other
or each others grows.

Honestly, I'm using magnetics in my warehouse, and I have one go out on me every week or so. Its
a huge bitch to take care of 24,000 watts.. Especially when the ballasts are 25 feet off the ground and
weigh 45lbs. Never have that problem in my home grow where I use all digitals.

And like i said I use a 600Watt HID over my 2x4 foot prints. You can use the 2x4 tray and do whatever
you want with the canopy, 4x4, 3x3 whatever.
Click to expand...
I love how when 2 people have a civil debate, other people think we're fighting :)
Lol, It's funny cause I love to be proven wrong. That way next time I'm not going to be wrong :)

I love the debates..
 
Clown Baby

Clown Baby

Well-Known Member
ok. got 2 2x4 trays.
gonna put them together to make a 4x4 and put a 1kw hps over that sucker.

thanks for the input friends
 
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