A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Question about HPS fixtures

Does anyone know if this type of fixture needs a ballast, and would they have a mogul, or medium base? I can't tell by the tag, but can pick them up for $40.00 ea.

0 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by john tramell on January 12, 2013 at 4:53pm

the ballast is built into the light its the box on top,do they come with a bulb,if not they could be pricey

Permalink Reply by Matt T. on January 12, 2013 at 7:30pm

Bulbs included.

Permalink Reply by Vlad Jovanovic on January 13, 2013 at 12:08pm

Yeah, I'm betting if you open up those white boxes you'll find a capacitor, ignitor and an inductor coil...So there's your ballast. My guess is that they use a mogul base.

400 Watt HPS bulbs really aren't that expensive. Even if they came with bulbs I'd toss them and put new ones in.

Here are similar 400 Watt HPS fixtures for $25 bucks each (the seller is in WI).

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bfs/3533331836.html

Permalink Reply by Matt T. on January 13, 2013 at 3:55pm

I picked up 5 of the low bay fixtures at $35 each. They are suited for wet locations. Milwaukee is only 15 minutes away from me. Oh well. Hind site is always 20/20. Ha ha! The company I work for actually replaced all they're HPS lights with T5's several years ago, but I wasn't in the market then. I still need to design a greenhouse yet, and want to go with 8 mil. twinwall polycarbonate as it gets cold here. They business I bought the lights from has some used high and low tunnel frames for sale that I may concider for ground crops too. One is 30' wide, by 96' long. He's asking $800.00. I may want to go smaller to start with at this point. I guess this is going to be my retirement job seeing that all I've added to social security is being used up, and all the Door Greeter jobs at Walmart have a long waiting list in front off me. Lol!

Thanks You guy's. I really do appreciate all the help I get from this wonderful site.

Permalink Reply by Jon Parr on January 15, 2013 at 8:09am

HPS bulbs are very very cheap, for the record. The local HD has 400 W HPS on the shelf for $21 each. Comparatively, T-5 bulbs are around $10 each ($5-20 depending on spectrum) for 54 watts, totaling about $80 for the same output as a single 400 HPS, T-8 bulbs are about $5 ($3-10...) at 32 watts each, totaling about $60 for 400 W

I can't imagine comparing T-5's to any HID, all things considered, and not be disappointed.

Great price on the tunnel frames, though. I've been considering the 8mm triple wall found here,

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/polycarbonate-panel-8mm-...

at about $2 per square foot. The hardware to connect the multi-wall panels is insane. I have a hard time justifying the cost of that hardware, and it seems like I could fashion something similar out of wood for a much less. I'll have to play with that before I break the bank ordering the panels.

Permalink Reply by Jesse Hull on January 27, 2013 at 12:26pm

I used vertical positioned lights a lot long ago. The hydro/lighting industry pushed horizontal bulbs for so long and are now advertising the 'new' vertical bulb reflectors. Always interesting to see the latest advancements...

You lose light when the bulb is positioned vertically, but you gain a more uniform spread (depending on the reflector). You do get rid of the 'hot spot' which would otherwise be directly underneath a horizontal bulb, but you will trade for a 'dim spot' directly under a vertical one. How much of a dim spot depends to some extent on the reflector, but mostly on the distance from the bulb/reflector to the illuminated surface.

If you choose to use the lamps pictured above, you should replace the reflectors. Actually, what is on them now looks to be plastic light diffusers, not reflectors. These were not designed for horticultural use, but that doesn't mean that they can't be made to function well.

And yep, the box on the top is the ballast and HPS bulbs are definitely cheap, much cheaper than replacing fluorescent T5s. On that note, if you're unsure of how old the bulbs are and don't have a light meter to check the output, I'd just go ahead and replace them. You lose a tremendous amount of light production long before the bulb actually gives out.

Permalink Reply by Matt T. on January 29, 2013 at 5:25pm

These lights probably weren't my best business investment deal, but they were cheap, or so I thought. Any idea on where I can find the vertical reflectors. Maybe I can turn the old ones into humidity domes, or mini greenhouses for outdoor garden? The bulbs will be replaced, as these have a white coating, besides being old. They did come from a nursery, but I think more for room lighting, which they replaced with T5"s.

Permalink Reply by Matt T. on January 29, 2013 at 5:44pm

Jon. That stufff does get pricey. www.Growerssupply.com has some options for wood greenhouse hardware. Cedar holds up to moisture fairly well, buy is a soft wood, so not sure about how well it would support the roof area. I've been kicking around the same idea myself. The big cost with polycarbonate lies in the shipping and handling. They have to ship via carrier, and add protection between each sheet. I myself would collect some pre-used packaging material from work, rent a covered trailer then pick it up myself. I'd still like to find a second hand unit somebody is looking to have removed, but the clock is ticking, and I'm not getting any younger.

Jon Parr said:

HPS bulbs are very very cheap, for the record. The local HD has 400 W HPS on the shelf for $21 each. Comparatively, T-5 bulbs are around $10 each ($5-20 depending on spectrum) for 54 watts, totaling about $80 for the same output as a single 400 HPS, T-8 bulbs are about $5 ($3-10...) at 32 watts each, totaling about $60 for 400 W

I can't imagine comparing T-5's to any HID, all things considered, and not be disappointed.

Great price on the tunnel frames, though. I've been considering the 8mm triple wall found here,

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/polycarbonate-panel-8mm-...

at about $2 per square foot. The hardware to connect the multi-wall panels is insane. I have a hard time justifying the cost of that hardware, and it seems like I could fashion something similar out of wood for a much less. I'll have to play with that before I break the bank ordering the panels.

Permalink Reply by Matt T. on January 29, 2013 at 8:16pm

That sounds interesting Randall. Are you using them horizontally, or is it that this is dependent on the bulb purchased?

Permalink Reply by Jon Parr on January 29, 2013 at 9:57pm

Thanks Matt, and you're right about the shipping. I have since found a supplier in Oregon that is much cheaper, and close enough I can make the drive to pick it up.

Now, did you say white coating on your bulbs? You, sir, do not have HPS fixture! Those are MH, as in Metal Halide. I'm glad I caught that, hopefully before you buy bulbs. I checked the lamp numbers on the ballast in the picture, and sure enough, MH. So, do not buy HPS bulbs, or CMH bulbs, they won't work (at least not for any length of time). The good news is that MH bulbs produce great light, but they are not quite as efficient or long lasting as HPS or CMH. And, BTW, they are a fine value. Any HID, including MH, are way better than any fluorescents, IMO.

For cheap reflectors, try painting one of the plastic ones with a suitable primer, then a flat white paint with as much titanium oxide added as you can get. "Artists white" paint is high in titanium. If the reflector pattern is good (even spread, no hot-spots), then paint them all and you're golden (actually more bluish, technically :) )

Permalink Reply by Jon Parr on January 29, 2013 at 10:02pm

BTW, if the ballasts used are universal (most are), then you can rewire these MH into HPS by adding an igniter (about $15 each) to the loop. It's fairly easy, just open one up and post a picture of the ballast terminals. We can walk you through it. Personally, I like CMH bulbs the best, which require the igniter, and IMO it is worth it to rewire these things. My local hydro stores and commercial lighting stores have igniters and capacitors on the shelf (of course I do live in Weedville).

Permalink Reply by Jon Parr on January 30, 2013 at 8:43am

Not always, Randall. Most HPS are universal, yes, but not all, and it does matter. CMH bulbs are definately labeled H or V, so check the bulbs.

Randall Wimbish said:

You can use the same bulb horizontally or vertically. My local Hp,Ap organic shop has used stuff and usually lots of batwing fixtures for next to nothing. Lowes and Home Depot have the 400 watt bulbs for both hps and mh.

Matt T. said:

That sounds interesting Randall. Are you using them horizontally, or is it that this is dependent on the bulb purchased?