1000w hps EXPLODED. w/ pics

[sedate]

So I walk into the grow room to check the grow. I search the room with an LED flashlight - instantly alerted to the ashen white burned flakey stuff covering EVERY plant. A new fungus! Super Powerdery Mildew!? What is this strange white ashen shit?

Oh. My. Fucking. God. It. Is. Ash.

That's a homebuilt reflector behind what used to be the bulb. It's a 2x3 titanium white parabolic curve - it works *really* well. It was about 4 inches away from the bulb.

So we all know not to buy PlantMax bulbs.

Look at the way the shell burned down around the filament!

Let me be clear about that homemade reflector. That is half-inch MDF behind 1/8 inch particle board. Fucking incinerated.

Wow. Just wow. I'm sort of in shock my house didn't catch fire or something.

I've never even heard of this happening.

And no - nothing was touching the bulb and I keep my bulbs *very* clean.

I'm spooked.

 

[hiboy]

If you handled your lamp without gloves or didnt clean it after installation, its possible you left hot spots on it.
THis is from sweat or whatever u were touching before. Four inches isnt very far away for anything either, even nonflammable material. You were def. lucky thats all that happened. IT doesnt mean anything is wrong with your ballast, ive replaced numerous blown lamps before and the ballast was fine
h

 

[sedate]

If you handled your lamp without gloves or didnt clean it after installation, its possible you left hot spots on it

Oh no. I actually have a dedicated microfiber rag and computer screen-cleaner I use everytime I handle a bulb or touch one. And that particular bulb hadn't been touched in awhile. This is *really* random.

Four inches isnt very far away for anything either, even nonflammable material.

It doesn't get hot. I've been using that thing for years and there is a fan directly under the bulbs.

No noob mistakes. I'm sort of chalking it up to some sort of catastrophic bulb failure. The ballast is fine - I checked every plug for further damage - any kind of electrical burn from resistance or something. Everything else in the room appears to be in order.

A few more - fuck this must have been violent:

Never duck in there without eye protection again! Wow!

 

[Illmind]

when u find out what happened let us kno. i don want thatto happen to me.

 

[baba G]

Wow, guess that could part of the reason to avoid the cheapy 40$ bulbs...is it made in china? Never seen a bulb do that in over 13years...good thing your room is alright!
Have you heard back from the store you bought the bulb at or did you inquire with Plantmax??

baba G

 

[symbiote420]

I won't blame it on the brand, may have just been a bad bulb or grower era somehow, I've bought EYEs that have blown on me before too. I love my Plantmax bulb so far, After seeing my homie's grow and the price comparisons, I made the switch! Sorry bout the incident bro, you're a lucky guy that could have gone really bad.

 

[motherlode]

whew could have been really bad there...

wow fucking crazy - Im glad it wasnt worse bro

was that a vert bulb and it burned through your wall? bit hard to see whats going on

never heard or seen anything like that

 

[RELOADER212]

Man that is crazy, i am glad your house didnt burn. I have never used Plantmax, but they are pretty popular. I wonder if it was caused by the bulb getting too hot? Will be interested if you can find out why this happpened.

 

[sedate]

A guy sent me a PM - suggested maybe a fan blew the chain in the 2nd pic/2nd post into the bulb - this is actually the best guess I have yet - but I from the burn on the chain I just can't figure it.

Like I would think that burn on the chain would be in a different spot - like it seems to be it came off the wood not the bulb.

But I really have no idea. I've hung chains like that next to vertical bulbs so many times I just imagine..

was that a vert bulb and it burned through your wall? bit hard to see whats going on

It's a homemade reflector that was sitting a few inches behind the bulb. It's a good 5/8 of pressed particle board pretty the fuck much incinerated.

Maybe the chain. I just don't know.

I'm stumped.

I'm spooked.

 

[hiboy]

Ya know i remember hearing that some bulbs cant be hung vertically, this was new to me but the guy at the shop said fo sho.
h

 

[hiboy]

Nevermind just checked them out and they say vertically and horiz.
h

 

[sedate]

Ya know i remember hearing that some bulbs cant be hung vertically,

That particular bulb has seen a couple thousand hours just like that already for sure.

I was actually going to replace all the bulbs in the room after this run.

Whew I'm spooked.

 

[Nobodynobody]

WOW. When You talk about lamp exploding. I was not thinking it did damage to a house. Like hiboy was talking about. Some lamps can only be ran one way not both angles. Think could be vary bad like a big fire.

I like to know what other people on the farm have to say what has been done for fire safty?

 

[sedate]

See I just don't think it is the chain b/c of where the end of it is in relation to where the bulb's outer shell was apparently breached...

Like if it was the chain getting blown into the bulb - then the bulb would have exploded much higher on the glass - like parallel to where the chain is hanging - in my 1st post/2nd pic.

I just don't know.

 

[sedate]

I like to know what other people on the farm have to say what has been done for fire safty?

Getting a pair of these for sure:

 

[baba G]

In your 1st post, 2nd & 3rd pics it really looks like the chain is at the perfect spot to have made the break actually. Might just be the pics but has the chain always been hanging like that?

 

[calbunn]

I know this is a phenomenon that can occur in MH lamps but I've not seen it in a HPS before. As the lamp ages increased resistance between the arc tube electrodes requires more voltage to keep the lamp from cycling on and off. This increased voltage raises the pressure inside the lamp envelope and it can lead to a violent explosion of the outer envelope.

It is rare but you can google this information from multiple references. Also be careful of any remaining mercury amalgam that gets left in the environment after an exploded or broken lamp occurrence. Depending on the lamp and the amount of Hg within that lamp (some MH lamps have up to 1000mg in a single lamp which is also a disposal issue but that's another story) it can be toxic to plants and humans with a complete hazmat style clean up of the area to be safe. Not sure what amount you're dealing with but HPS usually runs around 50mg of Mercury which is still well above safe limits of contact or ingestion.

For more information on cleanup here's some links;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_poisoning

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/pages/definitions.htm

 

[FLB]

Not trying to be a dick or anything but it is very obvious that the bulb heated up the mdf/particle board to the point of ignition. The combined heat from the charred wood and the heat of the bulb itself is what broke it. A bulb exploding will not char wood like that, especially particle/ mdf. You can see the charcoal type burns on the mdf, it didn't ever get hot enough to fully ignite. Mdf is harder than wood to burn due to it's density. You are very lucky you didn't burn you place down. My suggestion is go get a proper hood. Next time you might not be so lucky.

 

[calbunn]

You may be right on the cause but I was also trying to point out cleanup of the plants, soil and surrounding areas since if large amounts of mercury are laying on the topsoil water will push it into the roots.

 

[green punk]

Perhaps it was condescension?