150w HPS Club and Resource Guide......

[BongDaddy]

I'll defer on the ignitor location. IMO it's a very interesting idea.

The thing with that is that I'd have to run more wires. No big deal I guess. But in the interest of lowering the PITA factor, I'll likely do it the "standard" way. It has a lit ON/OFF switch that I'd have to figure out how to bypass as well. It has 4 different wires attached to it. Not really into that right now. If all of that can be avoided by moving the whole ballast assembly together, I'll do that.

I have a 400w remote ballast buried in the garage somewhere that I could possibly use the case from, not sure why I didn't think of that sooner.

 

[BlueGrassToker]

The case for the old 400 will work fine. Keep in mind that the life of a ballast is dependent on what the ambient temperature the ignitor sees while in operation. The hotter it gets in it's life, the less time it will live. So no matter what enclosure you use, be sure to insulate the ignitor from the heat the coil gives off. Cooling the box is a great idea if you can do it..although for smaller ballasts it may not be economically sound when considering the energy and costs to run even a small PC fan.

And yes, by remote placement of the ignitor alone close to the light will help to keep the ballast alive longer (simply because you would have the ignitor away from the heat source), but due to the fact that one leg ties into the coil I don't think that placing the ignitor closer to the lamp will help with the BTL length. After all the mfg's rate it as Ballast To Lamp distance and not Ignitor To Lamp distance.

 

[jpizle]

I work at an electrical supply and used a metal junction box to mount my 150 ballast in. I used a 6x6x4" but a 8x8x4 would give you much more room to work in. Make sure you ask for one with pre-made knock outs(where you mount your cord connectors). Lowes/Home Depot should have these if you dont have a local electrical supply store. Most of them also have 4 holes punched in the back which you can put bolts/nuts in to make legs for it to stand off the floor. They work great to disperse(sp) heat since they are all metal. Drill a few holes in the flat cover that comes with it, a few in the bottom right under where you bolt the ballast and knock out a few KOs other than the ones you make your connections in and when done it should be just warm to the touch. Not hot. Heat is what kills ballasts and pretty much all electrical components IMO.

You can cut up a regular extention cord(3 prong grounded) and it will be fine as 150W draw like 7 amps at the most. I wouldnt go smaller than 18 guage though incase anything happened and the wire burned up before the breaker(most likely 15amp=14 guage) trips.

Also I have about 12' of cord between my ignitor and lamp with no problems. Not an expert though and if I'm wrong please dont hesitate to say so since its late and I'm kinda drunk lol.

Hope this helps

 

[Chomp]

FWIW I am an electrician and I've always remote ballasted regular commercially sold wall packs and outdoor type HID's with 12 gauge extension cords or SO cord without an issue. I've never had one fail on me or anyone else I've done the work for no matter the rating length. With larger gauge wire you get less voltage drop...that's electricity 101

Chomp

 

[BongDaddy]

Thanks a lot everyone for all this great info. I'm confident now that I can do this mod without a hitch. I'll be working on it today so I'll report back and let you know how it went.

 

[BlueGrassToker]

http://www.csgnetwork.com/voltagedropcalc.html

 

[AtMos1]

hello all, i have a 150w hps converted security light & there i a slight clicking sound coming from the ballast, at first i thought it was my fan but turns out it was the ballast...any1 have any idea why & how to fix it?...oops wait never mind it wasn't the ballast at all
Thanks!

 

[J23]

Nirvana's fem NL coco one plant scrog

Nirvana's fem NL coco one plant scrog

Hi guys. It's been 3 weeks into flower. here she is...


As fas as my clone, it's still alive. As you may remember, my first clone died within 20 hrs. This time I have put it under a dome and that made all the difference. I keep the coco moist and spray the plant/inside walls of the dome with water. Dome is a must!

 

[jpizle]

Hey J23 how often you misting the clone/dome? Daily? You got it under a flouro or the 150 with your NL? Gatherin ideas for when I attempt to clone(soon). Thanks man

 

[polipaja]

I`ve posted photos of my setup few days before. Here are some from harvest day if 150w - vert highly recomended

 

[BudToker]

Hey polipaja, I like your little bushes!! what strain is it?

-BT

 

[polipaja]

Hi BudToker
it is skunk47 (skunk x ak47) - it almost didn`t stretch after switch..
PoliP

 

[thinkin]

Dome is key for quick rooting clones!
For first time ever, roots in 7 days!
finding out that floral spays are great for clones! thrive b1 red rocks! spray LIGHTLY every day. literally cover the leaves thats it. literally, half a squirt per clone.

polip- noticed same non-stretch with my Skunks. nice looking girls! congrats on harvest! did you hand water those everyday! wow!

 

[polipaja]

did you hand water those everyday! wow!

blumats

 

[basspirate]

poli those are some nice shrubs you're growin there man, if i get that with my /250/ i'd be thrilled. you've obviously got some skillz bro. cheers.

 

[J23]

jpizle: I keep the clone under 2 x 23 cfls. I spray it twice a day or when I see the moisture from inside of the dome walls is gone. There is no grow so far, but I'm guessing it's because I took the clone at a week into flowering and it's gotta be a huge stress. Now I think I'd be better off with starting from seed. I'll see how it goes...

 

[polipaja]

poli those are some nice shrubs you're growin there man, if i get that with my /250/ i'd be thrilled. you've obviously got some skillz bro. cheers.

Hi
in fact, I can`t tell that about my skill - there is still alot to learn used Rezdog`s 6/9 recipe and seems it rocks

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

polipaja, do you use koolbloom powder?

 

[polipaja]

DiscoBiscuit: No, we don`t have it on european market. I use grotek monsterbloom(1g per 1,5ltr) - it is quite similar (0-50-30) however, i`m gonna buy KH2PO4 and mix it with MgSO4 (98:2) because according to safety list these chemicals are general components of it.

 

[thinkin]

Peek inside the Cabinet

Peek inside the Cabinet



Rezdog madness! Its a solid bush from side of cabinet to cooltube! (right side of pic)
Skunks are doing wonderfully too. Big stalks with developing colas

Yeah, that little orange glow is the only light escaping the HPS.

Skunks have begun to bulk up.
Rezdog is just at beginning of bulking stage.

Think i killed the gnats! hopefully the mealy bugs too! baked playground sand on top of my hydroton.

Qualitity- Seriously considering, swapping about the regular t8s for some 2.0% reptile bulbs. Cause i want more uvb. (probably buy one 2.0% bulb and swap sides everyday.) Anyone have any experience? Dont flame the UVB. It works.

Taste- working on it.. maybe a small experiment is due. Tried some buds with blueberry flush. Was ok. Maybe vanilla? Any ideas?
Also, working on enhancing natural taste. Any ideas?

Yield- who knows! Hopefully no disasters! 5.5 Zs keeps creeping into my head. (last runs had only 1 layer of buds to cooltube which was 4 Zs per 50% of cabinet. This time, there are multiple layers and 2 more plants.)

When to cut- i like to know too.. guessing ~3 weeks

Definitely determined: Emptying reserviors before cut. Cut will be at end of night cycle. But any recommendations on when to empty? 24 hours? 12 hours? 36? more?