40 watt fluros

[kingbuds102]

hello all just a quick one! i am recently started 2 plants a week ago and just now started to get a room together. its a rather large room/closet 8x15 10 foot ceilings i bought two 4 ft. shop lights with 12 inch reflecters with instant-on electronic ballast with 2 40 watt soft white 3300 lums and two 40w plant/aquarium lights 1600 lums .... the shop light holds two lights so i put one and one in and lowered the light to within a few inchs i just have the one lamp set up now.

now for the question i am trying to up the wattage and go with a 110 w vho cool white tube.. the light housing says to only put at max 40 w bulbs can i put in the 110 and use it or will i just blow the ballast and ruin my ****" thanks guys!:holysheep:

 

[Growdude]

You can only use the bulb thats meant for your ballast.

 

[kingbuds102]

thank you growdude now could i re wire the ballast to meet my requirments? the shop light is a genteric 48' from home depot if i buy a new electronic ballast??

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

You are talking about running 440W of fluoro tubes--IMO, you should be looking at a 400W HPS instead. What is the lumen rating of the bulbs you are talking about? What is the color? How much is it going to cost for 4 bulbs and 2 electronic ballasts?

 

[Growdude]

thank you growdude now could i re wire the ballast to meet my requirments? the shop light is a genteric 48' from home depot if i buy a new electronic ballast??

Sure you can replace the ballast, but your probably need new bulb sockets, The VHO bulbs take a different socket than standard.

 

[kingbuds102]

the lights i was looking at were the 110 w cool white with i believe 7600 lums per. i only have two plants right now just a week or so old i am in the process of making a room so i am trying to grow / build by myself of course.. and not much knowlege of what the hell i am doing besides the wonderfull help here. i am not very electricly inclined so i am all thumbs with terms.. when i got to home depot the only thing i remembered was lumes lumes lumes from what i have scanned through on here so i got the bulbs listed above.. i have a weird set up right now.. i think... at first i just used one of my shop lights to light the two plants which i think the babys were getting 4600 lumes.. "then a briliant idea" while smoking a bowl of course! lol why not hang the two shop lights with two bulbs each above them. i think it would = around 9200 lumes? i had an extra shop light so why not right!! so here what i dont know.. if i angle both the lights inward as shown below more efective or less effective? the reflecter things i have on the lights are windsheild covers for the sun lol its only temp till the mylar arrives.. and i plan on getting a 400hps when its flowering time just no funds right now for that.. thanks guys and girls!!

 

[kingbuds102]

And thank you again growdude you would think it would be easyer to get a different housing but i dont know how to hard wire **** so i got what i could.. i think i could figure out how to rewire a ballast and sockets with what i allready have thank you !

 

[smithgrown]

hello KB. your setup is exactly what i had when i started. Are those t12s or t8s? IMHO your setup is just fine for now. i would recommend getting rid of those grow lights untill u start to flower. they are more in the red light spec and not that great for veg. look for bulbs with the highest kelvin temp. they are the best for veg, 6500k for example sometimes sold as cool white. as far as what you u were talking about with switching ballast and bulbs is alot of work and makes your lights less reliable. as you get more into growing you will find the pros and cons to all lighting and be able to choose whats best for you. may i suggest CFL's. cheap and available anywhere.