Ganja Guerilla
Member
I was just wondering if anyone has found a good price for 150w pulse start MH ballast kits, everything I have seen so far has them about twice the price of the HTG 400w HPS kits...
GG
GG
-
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SEAttown206
Member
Big thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread, esp. Azetrope and Simba.............
Simba, some more questions, if ya don't mind
Found a store here in Seattle area (not the one suggesting using 400 in a 600). I was thinking about going with a Sunlight Supply ballast, but the guy there claims that even they are using "cut" copper from China in theirs (says mixed with aluminum alloy). He is kinda pushing me on ballasts that are put together locally here in Seattle, using Venture components--he claims they use a heavy-duty igniter, too.
They sell 400w setup--ballast, hood, and bulb, $259.95.
He actually has a CMH Phillips retro 400 in stock
Sells it for $60, and would include it in the package, me pay difference between the normal HPS bulb in deal, which is around $40...............
The hood they include is cheapo, sells for like $40---Looks like a batwing made out of a CMEMORY spectral aluminum, with ends made outta white metal attached to it............
He said he can order me the Super Sun 1, showed me his catolog, MRSP is $114.95 (his catolog also lists his cost, too, but I won't list that here
) and, again, credit me the price of the cheapo hood towards the SS1. He has some Sunlight Supply hoods in stock, just not SS1. Simba, you mentioned, if I understood correctly, trying to get smooth aluminum insert, instead of the "spectral German" one that catalog shows that it comes with? Did I understand your recommendation correctly, and if so, why? I remember you saying something them using the German stuff "cuz that is what customers want" I think? If I am having him order the fixture right from Sunlight Supply in Vancouver, WA, thinking maybe I could special order the smooth aluummy insert, if it would give me better results..... 
Thanks again, everyone!
Simba, some more questions, if ya don't mind
Found a store here in Seattle area (not the one suggesting using 400 in a 600). I was thinking about going with a Sunlight Supply ballast, but the guy there claims that even they are using "cut" copper from China in theirs (says mixed with aluminum alloy). He is kinda pushing me on ballasts that are put together locally here in Seattle, using Venture components--he claims they use a heavy-duty igniter, too.
They sell 400w setup--ballast, hood, and bulb, $259.95.
He actually has a CMH Phillips retro 400 in stock
Sells it for $60, and would include it in the package, me pay difference between the normal HPS bulb in deal, which is around $40...............The hood they include is cheapo, sells for like $40---Looks like a batwing made out of a CMEMORY spectral aluminum, with ends made outta white metal attached to it............
He said he can order me the Super Sun 1, showed me his catolog, MRSP is $114.95 (his catolog also lists his cost, too, but I won't list that here
) and, again, credit me the price of the cheapo hood towards the SS1. He has some Sunlight Supply hoods in stock, just not SS1. Simba, you mentioned, if I understood correctly, trying to get smooth aluminum insert, instead of the "spectral German" one that catalog shows that it comes with? Did I understand your recommendation correctly, and if so, why? I remember you saying something them using the German stuff "cuz that is what customers want" I think? If I am having him order the fixture right from Sunlight Supply in Vancouver, WA, thinking maybe I could special order the smooth aluummy insert, if it would give me better results..... Thanks again, everyone!
Ganja Guerilla
Member
Thank you simba! 
jdubz206
Member
SEAttown206 said:Found a store here in Seattle area (not the one suggesting using 400 in a 600). I was thinking about going with a Sunlight Supply ballast, but the guy there claims that even they are using "cut" copper from China in theirs (says mixed with aluminum alloy). He is kinda pushing me on ballasts that are put together locally here in Seattle, using Venture components--he claims they use a heavy-duty igniter, too.
They sell 400w setup--ballast, hood, and bulb, $259.95.
He actually has a CMH Phillips retro 400 in stock
The hood they include is cheapo, sells for like $40---Looks like a batwing made out of a CMEMORY spectral aluminum, with ends made outta white metal attached to it............
He said he can order me the Super Sun 1, showed me his catolog, MRSP is $114.95 (his catolog also lists his cost, too, but I won't list that here
Thanks again, everyone!
hey brother, we're both 206
the store you are talking about is hydro-tech and that was the store that was recommending a 600 for a 400. i am not knocking them as they are the only place in wa state that you can find a cmh bulb. the only sunlight supply ballasts that i know of that use the aluminum core are the econogro models. the system 1 uses copper. the guy uses venture parts and blah blah blah, that's his sales pitch. he manufactures his ballasts there and they are very high quality. there is nothing wrong with them except they look a little bit ghetto. his reflectors, in my opinion, are horrible. one of them is simply a piece of sheet metal spray painted flat white that can be bent in a very slight curve. they normally sell them just flat. you could make the same thing for about $10. the other reflector they make looks to me like the inside of a typical street lamp. i think sunlight's reflector are waaaaaaaaaaaay better. in more ways than one. none of hydro tech's are air cooled. how much is he trying to sell you on that for? probably around 300-400? honestly, i would go to Eco Enterprise http://www.ecogrow.com in Shoreline. get a 400 watt system for cheap. they'll give you an extra 10% off if you ask. then go and get the cmh bulb from kevin @ hydro tech for $65 with tax.hope this helps.
simba
Sleeping Dragon
sea,,
ya you wont be able to special order the SS1 Orig with Smooth insert.. adv tech have tried and they want a large order WTF.. with there branding..
and ya thats quoting there head reflector lighting guy..
as you will notice the orig SS1 has the Backing of the Lighting sci of AZ not the all dimpled one.. no way would they have there name on that..
but i will say the ver 2 ss1 aint the worsted option and for the aircooling it can provide its the better options but not best....
i personally have issues with life light blah..
1. recommending 600 watt ballast 400 watt bulb.. NO WAY>> i think they know just enough to be dangerous.. thats so not cool to risk.. I went NUTZ when i heard someone using a 430W son agro with philips CMH 400.. was scary..IMPHO.. ballast was 30 Degrees Hoter than Should been
2. over priced for the Philips cmh and the GE ultramax.
3. for as much info as he gives on CMH SPD, etc no info on the Lamps and ballast IE kinda hiding the partnumbers and IE a way to find the item elsewhere.. IE a lock on the product no fair to customer..
4. i could go on but 1. saftey that kills any respect i had.. just does..
want some HEROIN..phhh.. .
as much as i dislike Sunlight supply personaly i SO recomend there SS1 over any thing from lifelight.. they show you HEat imaging WTF who cares.. we know there not a heat issue like hps.. thats sales gimicks at its best..
BE HONEST youll make more money...(to the stores and MFRs)
Dr Green WTF, call email the seller get a new one.. they have 1 year MFR warranty and if your shop is cool they will Honor the warranty themselfs..
as far as it being used or new, i cant say unless you got it from adv tech.. if so .they are new. fact..
also a way to tell is when you get them.. if the ends of the arc tubes are clean and even a bit of yellow bits.. and if used it will be darkened ends..
ill post a pic of a NEW cmh and a 100 Hour CMH and you will see what you got was New. theres no point in selling used.
ya you wont be able to special order the SS1 Orig with Smooth insert.. adv tech have tried and they want a large order WTF.. with there branding..
and ya thats quoting there head reflector lighting guy..
as you will notice the orig SS1 has the Backing of the Lighting sci of AZ not the all dimpled one.. no way would they have there name on that..
but i will say the ver 2 ss1 aint the worsted option and for the aircooling it can provide its the better options but not best....
i personally have issues with life light blah..
1. recommending 600 watt ballast 400 watt bulb.. NO WAY>> i think they know just enough to be dangerous.. thats so not cool to risk.. I went NUTZ when i heard someone using a 430W son agro with philips CMH 400.. was scary..IMPHO.. ballast was 30 Degrees Hoter than Should been
2. over priced for the Philips cmh and the GE ultramax.
3. for as much info as he gives on CMH SPD, etc no info on the Lamps and ballast IE kinda hiding the partnumbers and IE a way to find the item elsewhere.. IE a lock on the product no fair to customer..
4. i could go on but 1. saftey that kills any respect i had.. just does..
want some HEROIN..phhh.. .
as much as i dislike Sunlight supply personaly i SO recomend there SS1 over any thing from lifelight.. they show you HEat imaging WTF who cares.. we know there not a heat issue like hps.. thats sales gimicks at its best..
BE HONEST youll make more money...(to the stores and MFRs)
Dr Green WTF, call email the seller get a new one.. they have 1 year MFR warranty and if your shop is cool they will Honor the warranty themselfs..
as far as it being used or new, i cant say unless you got it from adv tech.. if so .they are new. fact..
also a way to tell is when you get them.. if the ends of the arc tubes are clean and even a bit of yellow bits.. and if used it will be darkened ends..
ill post a pic of a NEW cmh and a 100 Hour CMH and you will see what you got was New. theres no point in selling used.
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SEAttown206
Member
Hello fellow 206'er Naw, wasn't Hydrotech store I went to -- I talkin' about a store in Renton............... I went into Hydrotech once a few years back, when it was still on north-side of Aurora bridge -- I haven't been in it since it moved to where it is now just south of the bridge. I have driven by it many times, but the parking situation doesn't look all that promising, being it's basically in some old house on the the side of Queene Anne hill 
The store in Renton, same deal, I'd been in it a year or two back...... Went there yesterday, same as it was last time I was there, same older dude, who said his son, or sons?? actually own the place, he just fillin' in both times I been in
....... This store reminds me a lot of the time I went into the old Hydrotech store -- small, kinda disorganized, not as well set-up as say the Ecogarden store in Shoreline that you mentioned. They push Canna nutes big-time, have a big rack of it, along with a few other nutes, but def. want you to use the Canna. The ballast is put together by someone in Edmonds, think the label is like S and M ??? Maybe J and M ??? Anyways, said guy uses all Venture parts, and they use just basic sheetmetal case instead of fancier aluminum case to help cut cost, guy at store said. One potential prob with it, though, is the guy also said he not sure how much longer they be able to get these ballasts. That doesn't bode well for warranty service, I suppose.............
Simba, thanks for the advice........I will go ahead and get the SuperSun 1 hood, just sucks that can't even pay extra and get the better smooth aluummy insert.
Looking at Sunlight Supply website, they actually are pushing aluminum in the ballast as a good thing, quote: "Now features our Alumapro™ aluminum core ballast for optimum performance." This is for their GroPro ballast series -- they have a straight 400w HPS for MSRP $177.95, or a switchable for $187.95............now, normally I'd just think pay the xtra 10 bucks and get the switchable, but after reading this thread, think it may be better to just go with the straight, avoid the switchable?
Think I'll get one Sunlight ballast, with 5 year warranty, and then get one of the Venture kits from Advanced, so I can run IT while the Sunlight one is in the shop
Actually eventual plan is to build a growtent and use 2 400's on one of those agramover lightmovers off of ebay in it, wanna go ahead and get one of the 400 set-ups now to start veggies with, though 
http://www.businesslights.com/pulse-start-metal-halide-ballast-c-62.htmlGanja Guerilla said:
$40 for Reactor pulse start ballast.
$45 for CWA pulse start ballast.
What's a "Reactor" or CWA"? Got no clue but, apparently they're different so you should find out.
G
Guest
I just got a hydrofarm 400watt hps ballast and it works fine.
speedracer-x
Member
Is it the ballast or is it the bulb?
Is it the ballast or is it the bulb?
I have just received a replacement bulb and am still having the same issue. I should start by saying that I have an insidesun refurbished ballast that is over a year old.
I turn off the ballast and wait only about a minute before unscrewing the old HPS bulb. I put the new CMH in its place and plug the ballast in. Within seconds, the new CMH is proudly shining. The problem comes when it's time to restart the bulb, about 5 hours later. The ballast makes a buzzing noise and the bulb simply keeps arcing. This happened exactly the same way with both bulbs. I am wondering why would the ballast fire the bulb with no problem after the ballast has been running, but not fire the bulb after the ballast cools down?
Also, is the venture 250w hps "kit" good for lighting these bulbs?
Is it the ballast or is it the bulb?
I have just received a replacement bulb and am still having the same issue. I should start by saying that I have an insidesun refurbished ballast that is over a year old.
I turn off the ballast and wait only about a minute before unscrewing the old HPS bulb. I put the new CMH in its place and plug the ballast in. Within seconds, the new CMH is proudly shining. The problem comes when it's time to restart the bulb, about 5 hours later. The ballast makes a buzzing noise and the bulb simply keeps arcing. This happened exactly the same way with both bulbs. I am wondering why would the ballast fire the bulb with no problem after the ballast has been running, but not fire the bulb after the ballast cools down?
Also, is the venture 250w hps "kit" good for lighting these bulbs?
simba
Sleeping Dragon
speed call your shop who u go the bulb from.. sounds like something screwy with ballast if 2nd bulb doing the same thing.. ...
if thats your 2nd bulb.. something else aint right..
Prob a weak ignitor..
do me a favor.. open the ballast case if you can and just check to make sure all the wires are tightly together.. with the wire nuts
also dont overscrew but make sure the bulb is tight in there..
Dielectric Grease is a great on the base of the bulb.. makes it super easy to screw in and get it nice and tight without overdoing it..
if thats your 2nd bulb.. something else aint right..
Prob a weak ignitor..
do me a favor.. open the ballast case if you can and just check to make sure all the wires are tightly together.. with the wire nuts
also dont overscrew but make sure the bulb is tight in there..
Dielectric Grease is a great on the base of the bulb.. makes it super easy to screw in and get it nice and tight without overdoing it..
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speedracer-x
Member
simba said:
I ordered the venture kit and was going to gut my ballast box and stuff the venture in there when I got it, but I will check the wire connections first. Is the Venture brand ballast kit strong enough to power this bulb? Bulb was definitely screwed in, actually before I put it in I noticed that it had a burnt circle on the brass threaded part that screws into the socket, however the element inside the glass was clean (maybe they tested the second one before sending it?).
simba
Sleeping Dragon
heya speed..
ya the venture kit should be good enough..
the thing about these bulbs there not desinged to go into New ballasts any ways.. so they should work on old ballasts..
the thing is most horti shops are skimping on the ignitors cause hps can get away with it.. dont read far into that..
as far as the black spot on the brass.. ya thats actually part of QC (more like a way to tell if they have been installed or not, when installed it gets all scratched up etc.. and its kinda chinsy to.. its supposed to be a big blotch of powder.. not just that sprat that you see..)
as far as them testing.. they been since jan 08..but they do admit the first preburns where done with a Remote Ignitor and not being remote.. IE the ignitor directly to bulb socket..
now they are using a "Cheap" igniter and using a 15' Cord to simulate worsted case scenario..
remember the few issues here are nothing compared to the total volume of CMH's out there..
ya the venture kit should be good enough..
the thing about these bulbs there not desinged to go into New ballasts any ways.. so they should work on old ballasts..
the thing is most horti shops are skimping on the ignitors cause hps can get away with it.. dont read far into that..
as far as the black spot on the brass.. ya thats actually part of QC (more like a way to tell if they have been installed or not, when installed it gets all scratched up etc.. and its kinda chinsy to.. its supposed to be a big blotch of powder.. not just that sprat that you see..)
as far as them testing.. they been since jan 08..but they do admit the first preburns where done with a Remote Ignitor and not being remote.. IE the ignitor directly to bulb socket..
now they are using a "Cheap" igniter and using a 15' Cord to simulate worsted case scenario..
remember the few issues here are nothing compared to the total volume of CMH's out there..
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greenisgold
Member
I talked with someone at advanced and they now pre-burn the bulbs before shipping out.
But in my case the first bulb would not fire, the second one did.
Venture makes some of the best ballast and parts for them.
But in my case the first bulb would not fire, the second one did.
Venture makes some of the best ballast and parts for them.
That's what I'm using. Works like a charm and I'm WAY over the 3' foot limit between ballast and bulb. Came pre-wired, too.speedracer-x said:
Ganja Guerilla
Member
FreezerBoy said:
Thanks, I had a look there but didn't find them the first time. Can't see how I could have missed them now that I've seen them on their site.
This is a quote from venture lighting...
Also clueless even after some reading... I do know that I'm after CWA though..
Cheers
GG
jdubz206
Member
SEAttown206 said:
The store in Renton, same deal, I'd been in it a year or two back...... Went there yesterday, same as it was last time I was there, same older dude, who said his son, or sons?? actually own the place, he just fillin' in both times I been in
The ballast is put together by someone in Edmonds, think the label is like S and M ??? Maybe J and M ??? Anyways, said guy uses all Venture parts, and they use just basic sheetmetal case instead of fancier aluminum case to help cut cost, guy at store said. One potential prob with it, though, is the guy also said he not sure how much longer they be able to get these ballasts. That doesn't bode well for warranty service, I suppose.............
my bad homie. that's so freakin weird tho. the dude in renton and kevin @ hydrotech honestly use the same exact sales pitch. I've seen those S&M silver ballasts a couple of times, they actually look a lot nicer than the ones at hydro tech. i'm sure they're good quality, but if there's no huge price break i'd stick with the major brands. it's good to know that there's another place in western wa that carries the philips cmh bulbs. i called around and checked a bunch of places, of all the places i called hydro tech was the only ones who carried that cmh bulbs. everyone else hadn't heard of them or tried selling me pulse start mh bulbs.
Seattown n' Jbudz
Are you talking DIY reflectors? Would either of these links be useful to you
http://www.sicmetalfab.com/servlet/the-Smooth-Mirror-Polished-Aluminum-.030/Categories
http://www.anomet.com/reflective_aluminum.html
Anomet doesn't list price but, they're talking 98% reflectivity. Seems there are a number of places selling 2x4 sheets in the $10-$20 range ...
Are you talking DIY reflectors? Would either of these links be useful to you
http://www.sicmetalfab.com/servlet/the-Smooth-Mirror-Polished-Aluminum-.030/Categories
http://www.anomet.com/reflective_aluminum.html
Anomet doesn't list price but, they're talking 98% reflectivity. Seems there are a number of places selling 2x4 sheets in the $10-$20 range ...
