ballast or no ballast?

[cycloneare1]

Ok so i bought an hps for my new plants and realized i had no reflector and nothing to plug the lamp into. So, i got on the internet and bought the "Sun Systems 4 Glass" reflector thing with a socket for an hps bulb (URL- http://www.kalyx.com/store/proddetail.cfm/ItemID/767771.0/CategoryID/12000.0/SubCatID/2675.0/file.htm). can i simply plug this into a wall socket or do i need to buy one of those ballast things? if i can simply get by with the wall socket then im good with that but i need to as soon as possible! Thanks for your help!

 

[massproducer]

Do you have any pics of what you bought initially, because I am not really understanding

 

[KADE]

All that is, is a reflector. You need a ballast... and you need to wire that socket up to the ballast. Your ballast would normally plug into the wall.

 

[massproducer]

yeah that link is actually only for the glass that goes in the reflector, it is not even for the reflector

 

[cycloneare1]

ah, damn i knew it was too good to be true...ok then i definately dont have the supplies needed or the money to get them so for a plant in early vegetative state is there and incandescent light i can use that would get me through? right now i have a little 60 watt bulb that i was using untill my shipment arrived but since it is useless idk what im gonna do...i just need something that will allow me to grow my first 2 plants or untill i get the money for the ballist...anything at all that will allow my plants to get adequate amounts of light...i hear i can use a cfl but i dont really know what that is. if that is my best option out of a regular light socket what wattage do i need?

 

[massproducer]

just go to walmart and pick up a couple of compact flouro's, they will not be the best but they will more then work fine, especially for vegging

 

[cycloneare1]

ah, thanks dude, i can do that! what wattage should i be looking at (2 plants in a grow box 2' by 3' by 4' tall)? P.S. i managed to find a ballast on the web in my price range and i just bought it, so the flouro will only have to last a week or so! my other question is can i plug a regular light socket with a regular 2 prong plug into the ballast or do i have to buy a special light socket and wire?

 

[massproducer]

Okay so basically you will need a ballast and mogul socket for HID's ( http://www.1000bulbs.com/HID-Sockets/995/ )

The ballast will have all the wiring if you bought it pre wired, which most are then you will have two cord coming out of the ballast. 1 is for connecting your mogul socket and screwing in your bulb...and the other is the power cord that gets plugged right into the wall, but will more then likely be a heavy duty 3 pronged cord.

As for your CFL's, I like atleast 25 watts per square foot ffor veg and atleast 50 watts for flowering. So that would mean getting about 3 or 4 - 40 watt cfls. If possible try to get CFL's with a colour rating in the 6000k range for veg and around 3000k for flowering.

 

[cycloneare1]

ha! thats the same site i found the ballast on! http://www.1000bulbs.com/Ballasts/H...m=shopping+site&utm_campaign=Froogle+datafeed
is that one pre-wired? im pretty good with electronics, im a web site designer and all but im completely new to lighting so i need some pointers, i appreciate all the help!

 

[massproducer]

no I don't think that that ballast is wired, i actually do not think that it has a ballast box which is not a real big problem

 

[cycloneare1]

what does that mean, ballast box? can i still use it for my 100W hps?

 

[massproducer]

yes you will just have to house it in a place safe or buy a ballast box. A ballast box is a metal box that holds all of your ballasts electrical components

 

[SkSMaN]

ha! thats the same site i found the ballast on! http://www.1000bulbs.com/Ballasts/High_Pressure_Sodium_Ballast/100_Watt_High_Pressure_Sodium/604/?&utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=shopping+site&utm_campaign=Froogle+datafeed
is that one pre-wired? im pretty good with electronics, im a web site designer and all but im completely new to lighting so i need some pointers, i appreciate all the help!

If you look at the link you provided there is a pdf of the ballast data sheet, complete with wiring diagram.