I run a T5 eight bulb bank in my veg and I love it but I have not run from seed under my CMH bulbs so I do not know how well the CMH would veg.
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B
BrnCow
If you get the stuff from Advanced, ask them for a socket per kit...they gave me a couple for my sidewalk application
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I run a T5 eight bulb bank in my veg and I love it but I have not run from seed under my CMH bulbs so I do not know how well the CMH would veg.
That's the big plus of CMH in Vegetative. It seems to make
a lot of flower sites / branches.
10 gauge is more than enough. May actually be hard to work with. I recommend some SO/SJ cord 14gauge / 2conductor (+ground so 3 wires) sold by the foot at most places like home desperate and Lowes. Looks like black extension cord only heavier duty. If they have the SO in 600v rated that is technically the correct voltage rating.
Sockets MUST be 600V rated and 4 - 6kv Pulse rated porcelin(SP?) and you need to ground the ballast body and enclosure and ground the lamp cord to the ballast and the hood/reflector. Remember your ground is your most important connection. We want you to live a long time!!!!
Most cord is only 300v rated and the 'open' voltage on the secondary side (bulb side) will exceed that.
Safety first so you can puff tough later!!!
Best Regards,
Azeo
Sockets MUST be 600V rated and 4 - 6kv Pulse rated porcelin(SP?) and you need to ground the ballast body and enclosure and ground the lamp cord to the ballast and the hood/reflector. Remember your ground is your most important connection. We want you to live a long time!!!!
Most cord is only 300v rated and the 'open' voltage on the secondary side (bulb side) will exceed that.
Safety first so you can puff tough later!!!
Best Regards,
Azeo
You don't want to hang it by just the wires. You should try to use one of the socket mounting holes and some sort of small (inexpensive bracket) to give you a point to hang it from chain. Just make your ground connection to whatever bracket you use. The ground is for your safety.
And yes you can just cut off the OEM cord and rig it. Just don't leave out the ground. I have seen some scary wiring in my time and often wonder if folks realize that the ground is there for people's safety.
At any rate - Vertical Rocks. The best way to grow trees and really long, fat colas!
And yes you can just cut off the OEM cord and rig it. Just don't leave out the ground. I have seen some scary wiring in my time and often wonder if folks realize that the ground is there for people's safety.
At any rate - Vertical Rocks. The best way to grow trees and really long, fat colas!
FlyinHawaiian
Member
drymouth
Member
Man I'm juiced! I just hooked up my first foehunid! Rideon Azeotrope for the quick responds hours of reading and research, after doing this i feel the savings I saved by not buying a pre made one! Shots out to "Mess" for that nifty tin bread ballast "Good lookin" for the idea.
New grower here who is interested in pursuing this CMH approach. I've already purchased my 400 watt Philips cmh bulb, but I'm still shopping for the best ballast deal? I've already learned to avoid the digital/electronic ballasts, however - is there also a need to differentiate-avoid between the magnetic coil mh ballast vs the magnetic coil hps ballast?
I appreciate your input - continued luck
Tommasini
I appreciate your input - continued luck
Tommasini
You absolutely need an HPS magnetic coil ballast. MH will not work.
drymouth
Member
I was wondering if anybody knows if you could rig these 400 ballastes (advancetech. howard brand) up on 240? When I was doing the wiring I came across a few wires that read 240 on the wire itself..... Does that mean I could run this on a 240amp style breaker?
reason I ask is cuzz i've got to rig up 4 more ballastes, was going to run it on a "timer box/30amp dryer plug sub box" but the one that sunlight supply makes runs all 4 breakers on 240? can it be done? and if so would i have to upgrade my wire gauge?
reason I ask is cuzz i've got to rig up 4 more ballastes, was going to run it on a "timer box/30amp dryer plug sub box" but the one that sunlight supply makes runs all 4 breakers on 240? can it be done? and if so would i have to upgrade my wire gauge?
If you bought a multi-tap ballast you should have 240v as an option. Just cap off everything on the primary but the common and 240v. Hook up your 240v lines to them and of course the ground to the ballast body. I like to use a long machine threaded screw through one of the core's mounting holes in the corner for the ground.
No savings in KW usage but lower amperage.
No savings in KW usage but lower amperage.
Thanks for the information Hoosierdaddy. However - to clarify, would a 400 WATT SWITCHABLE BALLAST 400w HPS MH GROW LIGHT work sufficiently with a CMH bulb? I unsure whether this "switchable" title designates this ballast as being originally hps or mh in function... and how it would effect a CMH bulb???
If half of the ballast is for a 400HPS, then it can be used with the CMH. It is not more complicated than that. You simply cannot use metal halide ballasts on any sort of HPS bulb (so basically if you switch it over to MH with the CMH bulb in it, it will blow), and the thing about the CMH was that is was built with the sole purpose of replacing bulbs in lamps that are already hanging that are using 400watt HPS bulbs. This allowed places like factories, that have maybe hundreds of these things hanging, to be able to switch to a much bluer and brighter "metal halide looking" bulb, without the factory having to take on the huge expense of also changing out ballasts.
The confusion often lies in the fact that the smaller bulbs need a pulse start metal halide ballast to work. If you are using a 400, don't even concern yourself with the metal halide portion of the issue. It's a moot point, other than it is part of the name of the lamp.
The confusion often lies in the fact that the smaller bulbs need a pulse start metal halide ballast to work. If you are using a 400, don't even concern yourself with the metal halide portion of the issue. It's a moot point, other than it is part of the name of the lamp.
drymouth
Member
I bought the ballast off of advancetech I'm thinking it should say multi tap some where on the darn thing.... I actually blew my first ballast up today. I forgot to cap an exposed 240v line, when i test ran it last night i had the cover off so the wire was'nt touching the tin, so everything fired up just fine and stayed on for a good 30min when i put the tin lid on the wire was touching the tin when i went to plug it in i heard a muffled poof sound followed by smoke. Thats what the hell i get for tryna rig something up at 2 in the freakin morning!
Good thing you did not try to put the cover on when it was plugged in 
