Who's Using Ceramic Metal Halide? 2013

[cubby]

I run 10 1K HPS lights Along with 10 400w CMH Bulbs.
Anyone else running Ceramic metal halide?
How are you using them?
Are you running them full 12/12?
Anyone know them vs hps?

I have mine hanging in between my 1k lights
if they get too tall, i move them to the side.
Any input or feedback is very appreciated

 

[Seamaiden]

I have not used them myself, but I have known others who swear by them, say they'll never go back to plain old HPS lighting. Your room looks pretty darn sweet!

 

[urbanfog]

love my 330 CMH for veg in a 4x4 hung vert with a cone style reflector and was thinking about going with the 830 for my flower tent, but the wife (dam sexy she is) got me 2 600 digis HPS/MH so for now I am only using in veg. Tight nodes, great spectrum of light! I have flowered with it and loved the results, just that being new and only having a few runs in I have nothing to base it on.

 

[Camdawg]

Did you effect the pic to make them look green and point them out or is that just what they look like? I've got a whole new subject to read up on

 

[cubby]

It was just a picture I had taken with Instagram. The bulbs are retro white which i can see blue.
I never work with them running.

They've been available for almost 17 years + now. The early issues were that when they failed - they failed catastrophically. (they blew up!) Only recently has Phillips been able to re-design them to be certified for use with out an enclosure. (Frag shield!) That's also why they're only available in 400 watt for so long.

To make the most from their spectrum (especially the non-visible uvb's) it's suggested that they not be used in a glass covered enclosure. (The glass actually blocks most of the usable light at these frequency's.) They are so efficient producing useable light - that they actually run cooler to the touch than other bulbs. (Instead of wasting watts on heat as a byproduct they are more efficient at creating actual usable light.)

They are mounting specific! Vert or horizontal ONLY! They cannot be used with a digital ballast - This bulb requires a Tranx, cap, starter, HPS ballast to produce it's superior light spectrum. This spectrum is very different than any HPS or MH bulb on the market. It produces white light and dips below the blue spectrum and goes above the red spectrum. Vertical bulbs actually have a greater PAR efficiency as well as a longer lifespan. Both in horizontal and vertical configurations they only lose 10% efficiency and light output over their lifetimes.

The most important info that chart gives you is where it shows the available, non-visable spectrum that replicates natural sunlight as best as any available bulb can.


They go for around $52 bucks. Dollar for watt(x PAR) they cannot be beat. Then there's still that whole "full spectrum" thing they have going for them too.

 

[leafmold]

Sure looks like those plants dont mind them.

 

[tweedy]

I have a couple of 430 watt ballasts that I was going to run them on when I get the spare cash to plunk down on some new bulbs. I have heard great things and remember one of the first V Scrogs I've ever seen and for fucking with a plants natural structure it looked supremely happy with the CMH in the middle.

 

[Seamaiden]

Damn, cubby, great, informative post. I am this close to stickying if I don't find any other threads here on CMH.

 

[urbanfog]

I always thought a multi cmh and LED grow would be a neat experiment

 

[cubby]

Thanks Seamaiden, Ive gone thru countless threads and posts anywhere i can find online. I have yet to see anyone using them in a larger room. (garage) I know i cant be the only one talking advantage of this.

 

[larebowm]

im using 400 cmh but phillips got rid of them so now im looking to upgrade to either 600w e papillon or gavita.

 

[larebowm]

ps they have a whole section devoted to cmh at icm

 

[cubby]

Thanks Larebowm, Ive read almost every post as it was started years ago, I havent seen anyone on any forums posting about cmh in while, thats why I thought there should be a 2013 thread.

 

[cubby]

Can I get a bump anyone? I know im not the only one using these

 

[legalnug]

I’m another one looking for information on the CMH lights……



Has anyone used both the 400w cmh AND the new 315w? If so, are the 315’s comparable to the 400’s? Are they worth the price difference?



I am setting up 4 separate flower rooms for a two week rotation. Each will have a 3x6 SCROG screen over a Water Farm 8pack. I am trying to decide between the 600hps, 400cmh and the new 315’s. My plan is two lights per screen. Any advice?

 

[OldLuck]

i have been running my 330 wat cmh in veg for a few yrs. also bloomed some smaller plants with it with awesome results.

 

[Dagwood]

I’m another one looking for information on the CMH lights……



I am setting up 4 separate flower rooms for a two week rotation. Each will have a 3x6 SCROG screen over a Water Farm 8pack. I am trying to decide between the 600hps, 400cmh and the new 315’s. My plan is two lights per screen. Any advice?

When I was first on the market for a HID system I chose the 400w CMH for its spectrum and lower heat emitted. So I can't compare because that's all I've used. I have a 6' x 3' table holding three 2' x 3' flood and drain tubs (from Lowe's, $15 each) in a perpetual grow. It's a personal use grow and in my situation I have to watch the electricity. Even though I have three lights, most often I've used only two. Even though I do it, the coverage of 6' x 3' with two horizontal lights is a bit inadequate. The plants on the periphery are getting cheated, even being against a reflective white wall.

Plant tops are happy about eight inches from the bulb. Being only 400 watts, the penetration isn't magnificent. There is a vertical zone of about ten inches in which the bud development is decent. Below that zone is larf. My plants are trained down around the rims of one gallon pots to keep bud growth packed within this light zone. SCROG would work good for the same reason. Running all three lights over this space would probably provide a greater density of photons to increase the vertical zone of bud light. I've only used the third light though if I end up with too many plants and have to extend the table to hold them all.

These lights emit significant UV and I don't work around them without protective eye wear. The heat emitted is low enough that I can place my hand on the hoods without getting burned. They cannot be used with digital ballasts. You must use a HPS magnetic ballast. Yes, the word is that these Phillips MasterColor Retro White Lamps have been discontinued, though I've read of other models of different wattage. Rives the electrician at IC Mag considers the newer 315w lights to be most efficient. I'll probably stock up on some 400w bulbs to keep the investment in my ballasts. I am looking at 600 watts though for the penetration, especially if I choose to try hanging vertical bulbs inside a doughnut of plants.

 

[Ever after]

one of my grow op in washington i put a alot of 400w cmh bulbs but i DO NOT USE ANY GLASS I USE ADJUST A WINGS SMALLS OR MEDIUMS BECAUSE THE UV LIGHTS GET CUT OUT WITH THE GLASS SO I HAVE ABOUT 40 400w CMH LIGHTS WITH ADJUSTAWINGS UNDER 1 PLANT EACH USING ABOUT 10 gallons per plant I dug about 5 feet deep hole and its about 7 feet by 7 feet and i build a shed abould the hole its about 9x9 or 10x0 and it has some great fox farm ocean forest 20% and 5% coco and 75% 707 mix i set up the system but im going to turn the fans on and see how the light temps are and then take all the 40 ballasts and hoods out and put them in storage till march 2014 so the freezing temps kill all the bad shit pests in the soil and after i do many spider mite bombs and im going to put my best of my 50 plants im growing and they are at 9 months old now so once they are 1 year and 3 months im going to trans plant them in to the earth and then i will have huge trees i got my co2 tanks ready got 10 of them so they will be best free after the freeze over i put a co2 tubing grid on the ceiling of the grow room so the co2 falls down on the plants and then flys around the then gets sucked out im going to do about a screen of green because it will help with the fact the 400w cmh lights do not get down that deep in the plants so i feel i screen of green will be perfect because the plants will be trees growing in the ground with HUGE tree like trunks days after they get transplanted and are all weaved in to the screen of green they are pretty cool the led's like advanced LED's ARC is pretty awesome and i think the sun is better than the CMH lights and ARC advanced LED lamps are about as good as the sun.... but for right now mixing a few small leds or uvb pet lights and some HPS hid lights get you the same kind of high the sun gives you but you never get the tree size plants unless you use the sun or unless you use the earth and put fresh soil in deep holes deeper than 3 feet deep try light movers and adjsutawings they are fucking dope but IN MY OPINION YOU SHOULD DITCH THE CMH LIGHTS AND USE APTCHE LED t8 bubls 6500k or any nice led the ARC LED's that are hopefully going to be made if advanced led's engi gets enough donations to start making them on a big scale we will see cheap ass bud thats primo as fuck theres alot of ways to go i use cmh bulbs for veg so i think you should use LED lights on movers instead of your hanging cmh bulbs if you want to get your moneys worth on the cmh bulbs buy adjust a wings a use high quality light movers and maybe put 2 cmh lights per mover if you get the high quality movers have nooooooooooo maintence problems

 

[Ever after]

id go with all cmh bulbs but thats just me or parabolic moving 400w cmh lights wouldnt be so hood go with the adjusta wings if you want

 

[stutter]

CMH for me all the way. i have a few small rooms. my favourite by far i my 1m x 1m running a dual lamp hood with 2 x 400w CMH in it. great results in that room time and time again

i also have a 1.2 x 1.2m room with a 1000w HPS and i would give it up for another dual 400 CMH at a moments notice