When an HPS sits flat on the floor...

[MysticMorris]

Thought I should share these pics to show how much damage a 400w HPS light can do...this was a wake up call for me.

The light was lying flat on the carpet, was on for about 30min, in which time it melted through all the tent layers, the carpet, lastly turning my floorboard to carbon which crumbles when touched. Long story to it all - suffice to say it was my fault and I'm very lucky all i had to deal with was reppairing the carpet.

Be safe everyone...or this can happen in 30min.

 

[GanjaGod420000]

No doubt! They will sure burn the fuck outta yer skin too, if yer clumsy like I am, at times... Still have sum "battle scars" to remind me of it... Safety is paramount, especially with potential fire/burn/electrical hazards... I've had 1K's explode on me when doing service work in warehouses before... It wasn't even close to cool... Gotta watch oil from hands, and moisture even on lamps that aren't on, because they can still rupture when they do become energized... Not to mention the poisenous gases that will escape if the inner tubes break... But, at the same time, well-made lamps can take alot more abuse than we sometimes give them credit for...

 

[MysticMorris]

Well said, hps' are not to be taken lightly. And I've heard a street lamp bulb being smashed, it was a huge pop - wouldnt wana be near that.

I like how the cooltube protects the bulb from my careless fingers, infact that bulb continued to work after the carpet inccident.

 

[MuerteConPollo]

How'd the light get on the floor? Did it fall then go on by a timer, trip over the cord on the way out, etc?

I just got a 400 watter myself and I've been too paranoid to leave it on unless I'm home. Though I think I may give it a try sometime this week.

Speaking of, happy 4/20.

 

[MysticMorris]

How'd the light get on the floor? Did it fall then go on by a timer, trip over the cord on the way out, etc?

I just got a 400 watter myself and I've been too paranoid to leave it on unless I'm home. Though I think I may give it a try sometime this week.

Speaking of, happy 4/20.

Hi mate, i left the back story out because I had already posted this before the hacking (in which my thread was lost). It goes like this...

...I was just about to move flat and had to deconstruct my grow area so someone could come and view my room the next day. I was stoned and in a hurry so didnt do it properly. I used a grow tent so I had pancaked the tent onto the floor with my cooltube+fan still attached to the ceilling frame of the tent. I then threw a few things over the pancaked tent to hide it and left.

I forgot the friggin timer!!! It was all still plugged in and the light came on about 30mins after I left the flat. I had unplugged the fan from the cooltube to make matters worse. If It had not been for my flatmate smelling burning plastic im 100% that a fire would have started. Some seriously sobering shit.

The lesson I learnt is to not get stoned while dealing with things like that, I'm usually very carefull, but all it took was one clumsy day when I was in a hurry for work to slip. Your HPS will not suddenly explode while your away from the place. As long as it is securely attached to the ceilling and you are using a contactor with your timer to ignite the bulb, there should be no risk of fire.

You can invest in a thermostat with a kill-switch for the light to make absolute sure nothing can go wrong. They are actually not that expensive and will turn the light off if the temp gets too high - eg over 100deg.

happy 420, origional amnesia in the bowl

 

[zerran elar]

Yea man, Lucky it was only the carpet. Thank god you and ur family/ girls are alright.

 

[MysticMorris]

Yea man, Lucky it was only the carpet. Thank god you and ur family/ girls are alright.

I've only thanked God a few times in my life but that was one of em.

 

[Darwin Riddle]

Damn Mystic! I'm glad your place didn't burn down....I'd be thanking god and my flatmate!....oh and next time...unplug that shit first!

 

[MysticMorris]

Damn Mystic! I'm glad your place didn't burn down....I'd be thanking god and my flatmate!....oh and next time...unplug that shit first!

Thanks amigo, me too. Lost a few nights sleep over that one thats for sure. Its up there with the more careless things I'v ever done.

 

[GanjaGod420000]

Sometimes electricians are among the best and safest growers... Just sayin... Glad u or anyone else didnt get hurt... Electrical safety-#2, second ONLY to security!

 

[MuerteConPollo]

Well, thanks for assuaging some of my fears. I thought I'd done all my research, but I haven't even heard of a contactor before now. I don't know how I feel about having to wire one up but it doesn't seem like there is any other way, did you wire yours up or just go out and buy one all ready? I like the idea of a thermostat, thanks for that.

Lucky about your flatmate man, any one of a hundred things could have made that so much worse, gotta love luck sometimes.

 

[GanjaGod420000]

Man, u just haveta use common sense and be extremely meticulous about what is live, and what has the potential to become energized, even if u arent there, and where everything in the system is(like on the follr, or hanging safely above)... U dont haveta use a contractor to wire up anything, but all Im sayin, is if u r priveledged enough to be buddies with a cool, pot head electrician, then Id definately use resources like that, even if its only to ask about the wiring of whatever lighting kit, or controls u have... Usually, the lights come ready to be plugged in, depending on what kind of kit u get... If u r very confident in yourself and your craftsmanship, then u can get light kits alot cheaper in a multi-tap core and coil kit, and buy yer own mogul-based lamp holders, and reflectors if u choose... Luck does play a huge part, even with the most adept growers sometimes though, so Thank God Lady Luck, and the Good Lord was on this guy's side that time... Good lesson learned and shared though, I'd say...

 

[lighting]

many people tend to forget the power behind grow lights and what it can do
Good post, and i hope it wakes some people up on the fact of being safe ,
Here is a story that i read about and its true something similar happened but place caught on fire it also caught partial barn on fire as fire dept was putting it out they could smell pot so called police low and behold in the barn that partially caught on fire
was over 50 tons of MJ being prepared for HASH

 

[bowlfullofbliss]

Lucky for sure. This kind of stuff is why I don't tend my garden stoned. I forgot to plug my cloner back in once.......30 dead clones...oops.

 

[Dutchmast3r]

why would u think it wudnt burn the carpet? HID lights need to be cooled or vented for a reason there bud. glad to see u and ur home is ok tho man.

 

[MysticMorris]

BTW guys a contactor is a simple little divice you can buy for like £20,$40. This is the one I have.


It handles the powerload of igniting the bulb and is strongly advisable when using HID lights with a timer. Now I'm not all that sure it prevents fires but it does certainly prevent timer failure.

 

[IC3M4L3]

t was prtty silly now wsent it? for a start i wouldnt use a grow room with a crapet,ther a magnet for bugs and insects,
second why did u put it on the floor? side lighting? lol bet u wont do that again

annwyays glad u didnt burn your house down and ur safe mate
DONT DO IT AGAIN

 

[MysticMorris]

t was prtty silly now wsent it? for a start i wouldnt use a grow room with a crapet,ther a magnet for bugs and insects,
second why did u put it on the floor? side lighting? lol bet u wont do that again

annwyays glad u didnt burn your house down and ur safe mate
DONT DO IT AGAIN

Read my thread and you will see why it was on the floor. Bugs arent an issue where I am due to really cold weather, which is lucky cos i have no choice but to grow in my bedroom. Otherwise yes it might be a problem. Peace mate.

 

[MysticMorris]

Man, u just haveta use common sense and be extremely meticulous about what is live, and what has the potential to become energized, even if u arent there, and where everything in the system is(like on the follr, or hanging safely above)... U dont haveta use a contractor to wire up anything, but all Im sayin, is if u r priveledged enough to be buddies with a cool, pot head electrician, then Id definately use resources like that, even if its only to ask about the wiring of whatever lighting kit, or controls u have... Usually, the lights come ready to be plugged in, depending on what kind of kit u get... If u r very confident in yourself and your craftsmanship, then u can get light kits alot cheaper in a multi-tap core and coil kit, and buy yer own mogul-based lamp holders, and reflectors if u choose... Luck does play a huge part, even with the most adept growers sometimes though, so Thank God Lady Luck, and the Good Lord was on this guy's side that time... Good lesson learned and shared though, I'd say...

I agree that if you know anyone with electrician skills that you can trust, just ask them about your setup. A second opinion even. Good things to know are how much ampage your circuit can take, the circuit that the light is plugged into. I had to have someone show me.

 

[Harrekin]

Running a HPS light in a cool-tube with no fan attached its remarkably stupid, the heat cannot escape, it's why people dont run fully enclosed HPS lamps.

Youre EXTREMELY lucky considering the heat would've built up way more than even a bare bulb on the floor AND youd all that shit on top of it too?