ttyystikk I've run my MH veg lights on the dimmer settings from time to time.......Everything seemed OK....maybe it wasn't and I just didn't know......lolI was told it's hard on the bulbs and shortens their lifespan ,but that's not really a concern to me, as they're changed out every 9-12 months anywayAre their other pertinent reasons to run MH's at full power ?just curious
The pertinent issue is premature degradation of the bulb, which manifests in several important ways;
1. Lumens fall faster over time if the bulb is dimmed, this effect is much worse the more the bulb is dimmed.
2. Spectrum suffers as the mix of gases in the envelope operate at less than their optimum temperature
3. Lumens per watt efficiency suffers, as dimming to 85% will get less than 78% of the lumens, and so on.
4. Lifespan of the bulb suffers, often drastically, as a result of dimming.
5. Since MH bulbs have a shorter effective lifespan than HPS and in addition they're typically run 24/7, they need to be replaced at intervals no longer than 6 months. Going longer risks catastrophic failure.
6. ...which is when the bulb pops, spewing the materials inside all over your plants. One of these components in MH bulbs is mercury. Mercury is very poisonous, and if a bulb pops on plants, they can't be given to humans afterwards due to the contamination.