HPS bulb life...

[sso]

...bud is dirtcheap if you grow it yourself.


money money money, lol...

hps bulbs can actually last for years.

my first hps was some 150w that probably had been going for 10 years (some lamps that were being replaced)

those bulbs still gave bigger buds than the 150w of t5´s i had and still did so probably 6 harvests down the road when last i saw those bulbs (gave them to a friend who got about 100g´s each time from each bulb...)


my 600w hps bulb is 2 years old (ive had better things to do with the money)

and still everything grows like in the tropics under it..

probably gonna get a new bulb next year,but it still grows beyond my needs, so im not in a great hurry.

but sure, if you are selling plantmaterial at the price of gold, every % is gonna matter.

rich rich rich

 

[caljim]

I change my flowering lamps after 2 crops. Heres why.....After 2 crops I have noticed that my yield starts to decline. Now even if I only pulled a 1/2 oz more per crop with a new lamp it has still more than payed for itself.

I'm in it to win it, not to save a penny to lose a pound.

 

[sso]

payed for itself.

thats only true if you think about buying or selling.,

im just growing weed.

the most expensive part for me, is the bulb.

free ferts and rather cheap electricity though

but, forgetting the black market entirely.

growing weed is dirt dirt cheap. (especially considering its true worth as medicine and recreation enhancer )

 

[sso]

sure,

if you are growing with 4+ lamps, you need to cool it down, massive ac, massive fans. plus the bulbs, plus the expensive commercial ferts, plus the veg rooms and clone rooms.

plus the expense of making all that paranoia up to yourself by buying expensive shit to soothe you lol.

then its expensive.

but for the small grower, personal grower, its dirt dirt cheap.

this guy i know, 150w hps, 100g of weed every 2 months and buys 20$ worth of ferts everyyear.

plus he got the lamps for free, old but good.

how´s that expensive?

sure, if i buy on the market, i would pay 1400$ every month.

but im not exactly sure how much i pay for my weed, the electricity bill is included in my rent, only a 600w anyway plus some fluo, i buy soil once inawhile..

the setup was the greatest cost, but it lasts years, some of it decades.

my ferts are organic and free.

but sure, if i think about it in cash terms (the market price on weed)

sure sure, im probably losing 100 bucks or 200 by not replacing my bulbs, but i still got more than enough and im not gonna bother with the safety risk involved for selling the g´s i got left over just for some cash.

see

growing my own, saved me so much frigging money by not buying weed, that i felt rich for a long time after.

i got all i need and can afford replacing it or saving for it.

 

[TokerAce]

SSO you made some very valid points. But the question asked was when should HID bulbs be replaced and if anyone had actually taken measurements! Not why you change your bulbs or should you change your bulbs! Bsafe

 

[mtbazz]

SSO you made some very valid points. But the question asked was when should HID bulbs be replaced and if anyone had actually taken measurements! Not why you change your bulbs or should you change your bulbs! Bsafe

lol...id still be interested in actual numbers of measurements taken if anyone has them (i.e. lumens on day 1, day 90, day 180, etc).

Anyway, ordered a new bulb and put it in last night. I don't know if its my imagination or not but the new seems alot brighter than the old one.

 

[Phillthy]

my bulbs are 1 year old and i just pulled .91 grams per watt.

 

[GreenMAX]

Sso mate from your angle its normal thing not to bother with yield drop.
But look at mine...I flower only 2 crops a year in winter(heat issues),and it never hurts to produce max amount that I can for the electricity that I pay for anyway....
I never sell my surpluses,I turn them into durable states and store long-term for rainy days

 

[TokerAce]

Mt give me a day or so and i will post some number gonna be busy for a little bit but will get those posted soon!

 

[nukklehead]

I grow 3 crops with one bulb,always have new ready,store old one when I change it until I order new spare...
First crop with new bulb,will be 20% better than 3 or 4th..
400 waters are dirt cheap anyway so its dumb not to change bulb after 3-4 crops!

i use 1 K the same way.. for the hps only, as i use a mh for 2 weeks of veg and 1st 2 weeks of flower then 5-7 weeks for hps, also replace the mh after 5-7 grows. Anyway, good maintanance cycle as above if you want to use the KISS method, ( without light meters etc.) I also tend to believe the lower wattage bulbs last a little longer then the bigger wattages. Kind of like changing your oil in your car. 2000, 3000, 5000, miles???
Who knows but we all know its a good thing to do.

 

[187020]

Digi ballasts are smokin my bulbs way quicker than their old counterparts... Opposite of what I expected ... After 8 mos on the lumatek my bare 600s are tinted like sunglasses and sometimes have powder inside the bottom of the bulb.

Oh and new bulb packaging is straight faggotry, badass bulb in a spandex condom, digilux in a foam coffin?? Too frilly...

Peace up homies

 

[sso]

SSO you made some very valid points. But the question asked was when should HID bulbs be replaced and if anyone had actually taken measurements! Not why you change your bulbs or should you change your bulbs! Bsafe

well, the general consensus has always been

6-12 months.

Sso mate from your angle its normal thing not to bother with yield drop.
But look at mine...I flower only 2 crops a year in winter(heat issues),and it never hurts to produce max amount that I can for the electricity that I pay for anyway....
I never sell my surpluses,I turn them into durable states and store long-term for rainy days

damnit im never writing in a pissy mood again

yeah, that was only my angle on this guys.

its not the only viewpoint nor the only valid one

mjeh, had a pretty lousy decade+ , werent for the wife, id have shot myself long ago lol

some of my posts are perhaps a "bit" ranty

but anyways, yeah, the original poster should follow his own thoughts on this.

we are just giving him our experiences and thoughts to help him with that decision.

though, if he decides to replace after only 6-12 months, id suggest not throwing away the bulbs, some last as much as 10 years and would make fine spares in emergencies for a day or 2.

 

[Iron_Lion]

Digi ballasts are smokin my bulbs way quicker than their old counterparts... Opposite of what I expected ... After 8 mos on the lumatek my bare 600s are tinted like sunglasses and sometimes have powder inside the bottom of the bulb

Electronic ballasts operate on a higher, steady frequency and voltage. Mag ballasts operate on a slightly lower frequency and voltage that is very inconsistent and cycles up and down. So in theory a bulb on an e ballast is being used harder, faster and at full potential all the time.

Some bulbs are specifically made to operate on an e ballast and some are not. This would be why some bulbs blacken and burn up and others don't.

 

[TokerAce]

MT here are those numbers you asked for! I use 1000 watts and measure at 15 inches!
I grabbed a couple random samples but did include the "new" bulb that was "defective"

#1 Hordi eye bulb NIB 3-9 5200
5-11 5100
7-6 5100
10-1 4800
12-10 4400 Changed out

#2 Hordi eye bulb nib 3-9 5200
5-11 5200
7-6 5000
10-1 4800
12-10 4500 changed


#1 Sunmaster nib 1-3 4900
3-2 4700
5-9 4600
7-1 4200 Changed out

#2 Sunmaster nib 1-3 3500 bs returning

#3 Sunmaster nib 1-4 5100
3-2 4900
5-9 4500
7-1 4200 Changed out

The longest I have had a bulb last is 14 months Hordi eye bulb for the win
The shortest life span was 2 months and it was a Phillips

Bsafe

 

[CannabisDog]

Good idea to test them for sure.

Many grow shop operators tend towards the scummy side, err, actually most of them in my experience...

Anyways, it has happened where the shop guys will run bulbs in their own setups for a cycle and then sell them as new.

Order direct from source if you're not friendly with a reputable shop.

I have had this happen on E-Bay. You can tell just by looking at them you got ripped off. They take used bulbs and sell them as new.

 

[mtbazz]

MT here are those numbers you asked for! I use 1000 watts and measure at 15 inches!
Bsafe

Awesome, thanks. Seeing actually data is always helpful. Looks like a 14-15% drop over 6 months is pretty std.

 

[Scrogerman]

Ive seen shop selling less than perfect lamps too, dimpled glass, bubbled, concaved glass, offset internal parts, obviously these lamps are seconds, if you can call them that, id say faulty. i always check carefully these days. dont be scared to ask to inspect hardware, remember its your money.