Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)

[habeeb]

can someone point me to the 50-150 pulse start ballasts where its all contained and ready to plug in. I don not want to mess with wires / housing.... I dont mind paying some money for a plug and play ballasts

I don't see any nicely packaged ballasts on the advanced lighting website.

thanks for any info as I did not know about this till yesterday !!

 

[DonkDBZ]

coverage

coverage

Whats the coverage of the 400watter for veg?

 

[FreezerBoy]

can someone point me to the 50-150 pulse start ballasts where its all contained and ready to plug in.

NOT a recommendation, example only http://www.atlaslightingsupply.com/elecMHBallast.html Note ANSI-LAMP TYPE towards the right? Every lamp and ballast has an ANSI code. Find the lamp you want and google it's ANSI code for a good price.

 

[simba]

hahbeeb,
when FB said
http://www.atlaslightingsupply.com/elecMHBallast.html
those are NOT FOR CMH only Standard Metal Halide Pulse Start Lamps..

ya, Adv Tech does not sell built ballasts yet, the demand isnt there as much as ballast kits..(most Commercial ops using 4+ will build a Ballast Rack.) and the price difference from guts to full case is high $$

smolesalot,
plants will be uniform with 2 cmh one 1 hps as the blue is even and not from one spot (plants will bend to the blue lamp)
cmh hps cmh
xxxxxx..........xxxxxx
xxxxxxxx...xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
plants = x

hps cmh hps
.......xxxxxxxx
.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
plants = x

that was a bad but good example..


i have been asked before and always hesitant on recommending a supplemental lamp to CMH however there are still many requests..

after 2 years of having Many people testing different lamps and combination i feel that adding more cmh provides better end results than adding a hps..
id realy like the white son as a supplement bulb but to low of wattage for large ops..
so in short id go with Red T5HOs not 3k but RED...if i where to supplement..
could hang them horizontally on the sides of the grow area.. (they provide almost 100% usable energy

 

[FreezerBoy]

hahbeeb,
when FB said
http://www.atlaslightingsupply.com/elecMHBallast.html
those are NOT FOR CMH only Standard Metal Halide Pulse Start Lamps..

As always, I'll bow to your superior knowledge but, I have to ask where I went wrong.



Because his example was 50-150, I selected the ED-17 which is clearly marked as CMH. Are they lying? Is not matching the ANSI codes of Lamp and Ballast the way to go?

 

[McSnappler]

I've read through this thread, well large chunks of it, and I'm convinced I should buy some CMH lamps.

I'm currently building a flower box, which is 27"W x 30"D x 41"H.. about 5.6ft² and 19.2ft³. I'm planning to run 2x150W HPS, which I already have, giving me around 53W/ft². I also have a 400W HPS lamp & ballast, but have avoided using that for this box due to heat.

Would I be better off buying two 150W CMH ballasts & lamps, for the same W/ft² ratio as before, or upping to the 400W for 71.2W/ft² of CMH lighting?

Would I have any issues cooling with the 400W CMH in my space, bearing in mind I've already planned ventilation for 300W total HPS light?

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[simba]

nope fb you got me infact..
I cant believe i totally skipped over the 142 rating all i saw was 102
I do apologize..
Can i get a break on wrong info this time.
1 wrong outta bazillion answers aint bad.. LOL

 

[FreezerBoy]

Can i get a break on wrong info this time.

Abso-FUCKING-lutely. I STILL bow to your superior knowledge. Everyone trips once in a while ... OW! that hurt!

 

[dogfish]

This may be a trivial question, but, I just purchased a ballast kit and 250W CMH and still need to get the mogul socket. I have seen both open rated and non-open rated sockets and was wondering if it matters which one to get. I know the bulb is open rated, but, I saw a troubleshooting guide that mentions the wrong type socket, so, wanted to be sure before ordering.

Thanks for any help!

 

[ddd]

I've been looking at new 400w hps systems. A lot of them come with a 15 foot cord. Would this be an issue with the CMH?

Can you recomend around 3 good systems for a 400 cmh?
This would really narrow my search down.

I like the Poot Light, but is the lamp cord too long (15ft).


second question: Would it be better to get 1 400 or 2 250's. They will be used for starting and growing veggies indoors.

 

[Headcase]

Got my 250 bulb today. It wouldn't fire at first, which made me worry. I figured it was due to my ballast being a million years old. I took it apart (during that time, my dumb ass forgot to unplug it, even though the timer was off. Caused a brownout) and then i put it back together. Screwed the bulb in nice and tight and she fired right up. What a beautiful light!

Thanks a lot simba for passing that website along.

 

[Neuronaut]

Would switching to a 400 cmh help bring down my temps any and would vegative growth be better or worse than with a standard mh?

 

[greenisgold]

Would switching to a 400 cmh help bring down my temps any and would vegative growth be better or worse than with a standard mh?

In my experience, vegging is awesome under the cmh, much better then a standard MH. But I also thing vegging is even better under the eye blue, but they are way too expensive compared to the cmh. Remember that you need a hps ballast to run the cmh. Heat is also less when using the cmh.

 

[Wacky Tobacky]

wow things have changed since i left. new tech n shit. im definitely getting this when i start up again.

 

[ddd]

So these will work just fine with a Poot or a Sun System ballast that has a 15 ft cord?
(kind of a double post, but an order will be placed VERY soon-so I'd like to know if it's going to work.)
ddd

 

[Warpainted]

This has been asked a billion times, but what is an acceptable temp 6" below a 250? What temps should I keep the tips of the plants?

I placed a thermometer 6" below the light and it's reading high 80's, and I think it even hit 90 at one point.

I tried searching a little bit, but couldn't find the answer.

 

[CaptainStoner]

simba when you said you'd supplement with red t5hos.. Did you mean those coloured rare earth tubes?

edit: IE not a standard white fluoro with a coating, one of those really special true red tubes.. don't see em in many places.. different lumen o/p depending on colour?

 

[Unam]

cool CMH in tent

cool CMH in tent

I have a 400 CMH H bulb on its way, I am putting it in a 3*3*6 tent with a 4inch 174cfm can-fan, Do I need to cool the CMH bulb with a cool tube / air cooled hood, or can I getaway with placing some duct by the bulb /batwing hood and having the fan exhaust out?

Thank you
U

_____________________
EDIT:
the temps were OK with no cool tube/ hood, but the tent was no good, started to kill plants in two days.. will be building a flower room soon

U

 

[guanito]

just made a purchase from Advance - 250 bulb and ballast assembly.
bought a ballast box from BGH.

mov'in on up...

 

[simba]

Great Day to all,

Sorry sometimes i dont answer (ic doesn't reliably send me notifications) and other times im waiting for the community as in the broad veiw for setups its bound someone has your idea for your exact setup already done with cmh and can answer....


also has any noticed Great Pops by one of the Major National Garden Wholesalers
they have picked up the Philips CMH line of HPS Retro Whites..
I have to say for them to pick it up as "New" shows it Has True Demand from the Customers up...
Gotta Give it up to Philips CDM Series CMH no companies efforts did it rather CMH has Proven Itself World Wide..




Neuronaut, yes a cmh in same wattage vs hps or mh will bring down overall temps and will provide better veg growth than any MH out there Except Eye Blue (eye blue only for veg if super rich and money to throw away literely they even have said they have nothing comparable to Philips cmh but that thing doesn't give you enough extra to justify costs. Remember when using MH or CMH Or Eye blue for veg you need less time than when using HPS as the plant is getting more usable energy..where not talking a reduction of half the veg but close.. (some have reported shortened veg times by a week or 1.5 weeks depending on strain just from going from hps to cmh)


CaptainStoner, Ya supplementing CMH with t5s is recommended with the Philips Pure Phos Lamps they are not filtered lamps they are BLUE and RED and Green.. and Purple when you mix the red blue and White when you mix all 3.
the only thing i dont like but does go to its favor is its spd.
its close to HPS (the Better ones) (thats it negative impho)
but since the inv sqr law of light is in your favor now as the tube is accorss the whole grow it makes up for it..
the blues are pure blue range...
I cant believe these things aren't in horti world already..Adv tech usto sell the sylvania ones before they started selling the Philips ones..(soon im sure same as cmh)
I haven't Touted them as i don't want people thinking im promoting something else.. i have to here Adv tech has free shipping on Smart Pots i noticed tonight LOL.. they sell the good stuff... >>>

as far as why there is a huge difference in lumen output between the Blue, Red, Green (Green being the highest and blue the lowest)
one the efficiency of the phos from = energy in to tube in each color vs lumen output.
now heres where cmh will prove itselff with its lower lumen rate vs hps(higher lumen doesn't mean more energy for plant want 2,000 watts of green nothing will grow but MAD lumen output)
lumens are highest rated in green range and that's where the green is..
sorry had to diss on hps a lil..
(im not there yet but cmh is getting a challange from the pur phos t5's (as the setup can be formed around the lamp to be super effeciant)


Unam, get fan blowing on your plants and have the intake on the bottom and exasted out the top.. the natural air flow up will cool the lamp Great..

guanito, let us know how you like it.. Hows there Packaging, No one has ever really commented on it? Stealthy? Safely Packed?

remember from what i hear adv tech is the only company to preburn cmhs. they have a high initial failure rate. from the glue not being a good seal from factory.. (if they survive 12hoursx3cycles they will survive life) Read there cmh fact page that's the kinda failures just not that bad