Initial HPS / MH bulb break in

[anti]

Hey there great site I love it! This is my first grow and I have two 1k hps/mh lights brand new out of the box and I want to turn them on tomorrow because I am picking up my keys and my understanding is to establish a high/steady electric bill right away. the thing is my ballasts are dimmable 50/75/100% and I am not sure with brand new bulbs if I should break them in at 1k or if its ok to dim right away?

 

[hiboy]

Shouldnt be an issue whichever way you choose, imo, they arent motors etc. that might be affected by half or full demand factor.
hiboy

 

[ganjherbsmoke]

Ya there's no break in factor to a bulb lol just wearing over time the fresher the better bro

 

[MIway]

Actually it takes a while for a new bulb to burn into it's brightest point... and running a 1000 at a reduced rate, on face value, isn't how a bulb was built to run, so...?

 

[dorjewright]

and bulbs are not meant to be dimmed. Dimmable ballasts means you can run different wattage bulbs!

 

[motherlode]

im pretty sure running a 1 k dimmed is going to shorten the peak life of the bulb

 

[anti]

learn something new every day :) Thought the dimming feature was meant for any bulb =x the dimming is only at 50 and 75% so if I put a 600w bulb in there I could only run it at 500 or 750?

 

[budboy299]

dorjewright has it correct, the ballast is dimmable (meaning it can be set to take different wattage bulbs.

Works nice too, to keep a consistant power use.
Veg I run my 400 watt bulbs for 18hrs =7200
Bud I run my 600 watt bulb for 12 hrs = 7200

this keep the total elec usage the same

Using the same ballasts, but set to the 400 watt setting for veg and 600 for bud

 

[Papa]

"New Dial-A-Watt Feature: More than a dimmable ballast, the new Dial-A-Watt Lumatek™ ballasts allow you to power a multitude of different wattage lamps on the same ballast, giving gardeners total control of their light. The 5th generation Lumatek™ ballasts were designed to give gardeners the ability to tailor their light output to their particular needs and to control the amount of electricity they use. Both the input and output power of the ballast is changed when you select different settings. Example: When you set the dial to 400W on a 600W Dial-A-Watt Lumatek™, the ballast performs exactly the same as a regular 400W Lumatek™ ballast. This a great feature for gardeners that want to use a 400W MH lamp for the vegetative phase of growth and then switch over to a 600W HPS lamp when its time to bloom.Now Dimmable: The new Dial-A-Watt Lumatek™s are also capable of dimming. Dimming your lamps can be a great way to deal with heat issues in your garden and to help control your electricity bill."



check the specs of the specific ballast you have.





Papa

 

[anti]

well if I got a 600w lamp and ran it at 50% it would only be 500w and at 75% (750w) it would be too much powa ?

 

[robz]

dorjewright has it correct, the ballast is dimmable (meaning it can be set to take different wattage bulbs.

Works nice too, to keep a consistant power use.
Veg I run my 400 watt bulbs for 18hrs =7200
Bud I run my 600 watt bulb for 12 hrs = 7200

this keep the total elec usage the same

Using the same ballasts, but set to the 400 watt setting for veg and 600 for bud

Or better yet run a 600 for veg @ 18 hrs. and 2000 watts for bud :) that's what I do & I ain't goin back. I've flowered under 600s enough to know that 1000 is bumping compared to 600. Way better penetration! 147000 lumens times two? Yeah baby!