ballast needed for 70w HPS?

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mrXgreenthumbX

Well-Known Member
i heard from a guy that u dont need a ballast for a 70w HPS.
he said just hook it up to those cheap $5 reflectors from home depot,:confused:


is this true??:peace:
 
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mrXgreenthumbX

Well-Known Member
I want a HPS lamp but cant find one under $50.
im trying to flower with just a small light for a hobby, but i cant find ANY
 
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mrXgreenthumbX

Well-Known Member
lol well my mom dont care, its my dad.
i kno kids who grow with a 400w HPS and it only goes up about $20 a month.
im looking for like a 150w or sumthing along those lines,
help a fellow grower out bro
 
chuckbane

chuckbane

New Member
i dont mean to be a dick,, i like to help ppl out... fyi 150 watt HPS is PLENTY for one plant.. you could even get away with two.. you just need to figure out how to configure tour op to your lighting... size means a lot... i use a 70 watt HPS in combination with flours ... if i used anymore than 70 watts i would have a helluva time cooling the room... i also live in an upper floor duplex with no ac... so it gets hot up here.. most of the time its cooler outside in the shade.. and its hard to keep the window open when the room glows... you have to know your limitations.. some ppl have to stay with CFL's because of circumstances.. make sure you are able to run HID lighting before you spend the money.. and when you spend the money for HID you will need to spend some money for extra ventilation... if you have the funds than go for it,, its not like you have to pay the electric bill
 
Ender07

Ender07

New Member
Home depot and Lowes have those HPS ballasts for outdoor night lighting, they run from $40 to $100... There is an article on here somewhere about converting one into a grow light. I was considering it at one point... but decided against it. That may be something to look into if you are really budget limited.
 
Ender07

Ender07

New Member
chuckbane said:
i dont mean to be a dick,, i like to help ppl out... fyi 150 watt HPS is PLENTY for one plant.. you could even get away with two.. you just need to figure out how to configure tour op to your lighting... size means a lot... i use a 70 watt HPS in combination with flours ... if i used anymore than 70 watts i would have a helluva time cooling the room... i also live in an upper floor duplex with no ac... so it gets hot up here.. most of the time its cooler outside in the shade.. and its hard to keep the window open when the room glows... you have to know your limitations.. some ppl have to stay with CFL's because of circumstances.. make sure you are able to run HID lighting before you spend the money.. and when you spend the money for HID you will need to spend some money for extra ventilation... if you have the funds than go for it,, its not like you have to pay the electric bill
Click to expand...

I agree... CFL's do work wonderfully! here is a month old white widow I grew under one 65 watt cfl on 20/4.
 

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mrXgreenthumbX

Well-Known Member
dang, well where can i find a complete 70w HPS i mean the reflector, cap, ingintor ballast and lamp????
i can only find seperate parts for them.
and would a 70w and like a couple CFLs be enough to flower one small plant?
 
M

mrXgreenthumbX

Well-Known Member
Ender07 said:
I agree... CFL's do work wonderfully! here is a month old white widow I grew under one 65 watt cfl on 20/4.
Click to expand...
DAMN i dont know about the heat concerns, where i live its about 90F.:-?
i dont want 4 or 5 reflectors all surronding my plants if i can help it, but im on about a $100 budget for this little grow,
i want to get a 70w HPS, but i cant find a complete one, its always parts for them. does anyone know where to find the whole lamp setup?
i plant on using a couple CFL's with it.:mrgreen:
 
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SmokingJohn

Active Member
You do need a ballast to operate it. You can buy the reflector at home depot but you could probably but it off craigslist cheaper. I bought my ballast and socket at ballastkit.com, they were the least expensive out of all the sites I checked out. Good luck!!
 
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mrXgreenthumbX

Well-Known Member
thanks chuck,
does anyone know if there will be heat problems with a 150 watter?
im in about a 3' x 3' area ( in a large shed )
ive got a iso. fan in the shed running 24/7
but its around 90 outside where i live :-S

will i heave some heat problems?
if so im going to go with 6 CFL's
 
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chuckbane

chuckbane

New Member
wow.... hmmmm okay,, how can i make this simpler..... there is a height, a width, and a depth.... unless you are growing on a piece of paper lmao
 
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