Can I use a 400 watt lamp with a 430 watt ballast? HPS + CMH?

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
So I got this used Hydrofarm HPS ballast for super cheap ($30 including the reflector). It's an old model - Super Grow Wing 430 watts. At the time I didn't really care if it worked or now, since I was just planning on using the hood with a different ballast. Today however, I had the ballast checked out at the local hydro shop, and it works!.. They said that they thought I could just use a 400 watt bulb, but they didn't seem totally sure.

So, does anyone know if it's safe to use a 400 watt HPS bulb in a 430 watt ballast? Also, I was thinking I would like to use this ballast for CMH. Anyone know about a 400 watt CMH lamp in a 430 watt HPS ballast? Please no guesses.
 
400/430 are the same bulb , one just has extra spectrum and wattage so you can use it in your 400/430 setup

you can only use a MH bulb if your ballast is digital....if its a magnetic hps than you have to use hps bulbs only
 
400/430 are the same bulb , one just has extra spectrum and wattage so you can use it in your 400/430 setup

you can only use a MH bulb if your ballast is digital....if its a magnetic hps than you have to use hps bulbs only

Thanks for that. I was wondering about ceramic metal halide too, which are supposed to work with magnetic HPS ballasts, but not in digital. I normally use digital, but this 430 is magnetic.
 
its an older design hydrofarm meant for 430w phillips son-(sun?)agro hps. the phillips cMh will probably work just fine and any 400w hps will work but i would go with son-agro or super hps hortilux
 
400/430 are the same bulb , one just has extra spectrum and wattage so you can use it in your 400/430 setup

you can only use a MH bulb if your ballast is digital....if its a magnetic hps than you have to use hps bulbs only

Digital ballasts can run MH or HPS
 
I am also wondering about this very thing. did this ever get determined or tested? I'd rather not burn out a bulb they dont even make anymore. Again this is the phillips CMH made to be a drop in replacement for 400w hps mag ballast
 
Using a bulb that is under the rated power of your output is almost always a terrible idea. The other way around is fine, but over powered bulbs can blow up, which I don't think is safe....


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400-420, 600-630, 1000-1040 are what the bulbs are rated for. U need a pulse start bulb for that magnetic ballast
 
I am also wondering about this very thing. did this ever get determined or tested? I'd rather not burn out a bulb they dont even make anymore. Again this is the phillips CMH made to be a drop in replacement for 400w hps mag ballast
Why worry about a bulb you can't get anymore? If you don't replace bulbs after every 2nd grow your losing a lot of lumens. Put a crowbar in that wallet man
 
I hear ya, but 20k hours is a lot of grows. what would you suggest instead? I havent seen anything that comes close that isnt super expensive.
 
Ok you have to buy Apollo and not gravida to get hid light at a reasonable cost. A digital vs magnetic ballast? Digital all the way. I deal with those heavy hot monsters at work-not worth it. A digital turnkey setup for $200 or less with bulbs on some. A year later their still 100%. Now I do understand the quality and do not discount the higher priced lights May last longer, I get that but can't afford the difference, well I can but I don't. All mine fire ushio enhanced hps and reg MH bulbs...that's where u spend your money. Others will disagree but I'm giving what will work.
 
yeah I actually decided to invest in double end hoods and lamps, since one of my ballasts was already double end capable, and I was able to get another for next to nothing. I am having trouble with bulb selection though. Every bulb I find seems to be the SON-T PIA green power 1000w/w00v EL. Which has an odd spectrum that includes a huge spike in green, and yellow, then a drop, and then the rest in above 600nm is where the rest is minus a small blue/green spike or 2. This is not have the same spectrum I remember finding on the greenpower. I remember a completely flat chart up to 575nm or so, NO Blues at all, and then ALL The way up to 100% and holding it til arou d 700nm and then slowly slopes down to about 40%maybe? through the rest of the deep reds fading into IR. Really impressive spectrum when paired with a MH or full spectrum bulb. I have looked into the Ushio Opti-red, but the spectrum didnt seem to compare to what I had remembered on the Philips greenpower. Like I said I am not tatalking about the SON-T PIA green power and I currently cannot find where I saw the original spectrum I am speaking of, So If anyone knows what I'm talking about, plase speak up. I have ballasts, hoods, all ready fto go except I dont know what bulbs to get!

I would like to get the new 2150 umol greenpower, but I want to make sure its the right spectrum, and AFAIK it is only sold in a gavita box. Is this the same MFG of bulb as Philips? they do say Philips on the package, but it is labaled Gavita as well. I know there was once some question of reliablilty of the genuine Philips vs the Gavita branded one. but others have told me this is no longer the case, and the 2150umol gavita box marked "EL" is of Philips manufacture.

I got a 600w DE capable ballast to accompany each 1000w since they will really be running at 1150w, almost double the 600 or 660 I will get depenign on which full spectrum bulb I end up using. I am currenly considering 2 600w sunmaster full nova, or 1 each of solis-tek 4k and 6k, or possibly Ushio opti-blue, but it seems to have a lot more spikes and less even across the spectrum than the other two. even though the solis-tek is bumpy, it still covers the whole spectrum at a decent rate. not like the full nova, which looks like a perfect pair to the all red Philips green power. If only they made a Double end version. what do you all think? I'm not interested in saving a few dollars, I already made the jump to double end when I got the ballasts. I am already buying new bulbs, I maight as well get the best. there is not much difference in price anyways.
 
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