HPS/MH fixture, need suggestions

I've got a 48"T*24"W*18"D dresser I'm converting to a stealth cabinet. I've been a cfl grower for the past 3 yrs but have realized I could get a whole bunch more light peritration for equal/less watts than my cfl's. I don't know a whole lot about HPS/MH lighting to know about their ballasts and whatever. The way I heard it was you need a different unit to use a MH than a HPS. I've heard of units that switch between both but I've only got about $100 to spend on the light and to finish sealing up the box.

I'm all about mixing spectrums and do plan on using a few cfls for lower growth and to boost lumens(if needed) but as I know HID has to be suspended 16"-24" above the canopy I figure I'll be using a 150W bulb so I don't burn my plants.

Please feel free to list brands, sites and any other info you think a person looking to switch lighting sources would need to know. Peace ya'll and happy growing

If it were me,,, I'd paint it out white. Grab a can of spray adhesive and a Space Blanket from Wally World and line the entire interior with the Space Blanket.
Then for lighting,,, I'd honestly would stay with CFLs.
4-6 up top totalling around 100 watts. Then droppers in the corners. You can add light as needed per stage of grow. I'd save the droppers for the flower cycle. With 48" heigth,, you'll loose about 18" when done for pot heigth and head space giving you essentially 20" of grow heigth.
HID I'd think you'd have more heat issues than you'd want to bother with. you'll still need air / exchange / etc. but for a small grow,, it's way easy to over kill and be plagued with issues.
I've done well with CFLs as mentioned in then smaller areas.

Normally I would chant HID all the way, but Canon makes a good case. As for short plants man once you've had 2 footers you never go back!

Having just harvested my largest amount with a plant around 3ft tall I was using 490 watts. Just thought I could do better for lumens(as well as PAR) with a low watt hps and a small amount of clf's placed down low in varying spectrums.

As for the conversion, I have 2qts of high gloss white paint, a 70cfm bathroom exhaust fan and a 50cfm for intake. I've even kept the drawers to pull the fronts off and mount to a panel to keep up appearances as a dresser lol. Full supply of socket adapters and Y splitters.

I've found a cool grow here where a guy DIYed a cool tube from a 40, sadly I won't be able to make 1 from my favorite 40 to drink, Mickey's

maariic said:

I don't know if anyone has tried this but i hope that I am the first one. I got the idea from thread where man was using glass cooking tube that can be ordered from E-bay. I decided to make my own glass tube from 2L beer bottle.
Stuff that was needed:
Bottle;
Wool string;
Acetone or some other fast burning liquid;
Lighter;
Bucket with cold water;
Camera;
Gloves;
Aluminum tape;
ventilation tubes
metal connector for ventilation tubes;
socket for your HPS and some metal plate where you can attach it.

To start you have to roll the wool string around the bottle at the place where you want to cut it. Then pour the acetone to the string that it gets wet. Light it up and turn the lighting part up that the rest of the bottle doesn't heat from the flames. As the liquid has burned up put the bottle immediately in cold water. Heated part will fall off. Make the same process with the other end of the bottle. Now you have nice glass tube. The edges are quite sharp. Be careful.
Attach the bulb socket to the metal plate and put it in the place in metal tube connector. I used wood screws to fix it in the place. Now you can tape the whole thing to your glass tube. Don't forget to connect the wire for your bulb. Later tape the ventilation tubes to your cool tube and put the whole thing in you cab. Some reflector wouldn't harm as well. I cut off piece from the big one and taped it to the tube. I attached one carbon filter and bathroom fan to the end but it looks too weak. I will need some more powerful fan to blow through those filters and cool the HPS. But the idea is clear. Homemade cool tube is ready and works.
Stunt was made by baked professional. Don't try this at home
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Wow lol that link i tried to post didn't go right at all, I must be too high lol.

Thanks for the reply's Papa and Canon, so you both suggest sticking with CFL's. With this new setup I was looking at a high output T5 setup but its housing is 3/4" too wide to fit inside. Though have looked at simpler under counter T5's anywhere from 12-36" and mounting them in the corners and making an adjustable CFL rig.

Again I'm just looking to improve upon prior grows and use of electricity for equal or greater yield

If you're sure about the 150-watt being the highest HID light you would use, and you are trying to stay as close to the amount you have to spend. You would need to purchase a MH conversion bulb for vegging, and it can be hard to find them in 6500K, you can usually get close enough to it that for the rest of what the light gives you it's a good value. You go with SCROG to keep things low but keeping up yields and you'll get more for your money than going with CFLs.

HID lighting produces more grams per watts used, and to match it's light you would need roughly 250 actual watts of CFLs, even people will say you wouldn't need that to equal a 150-watt HID.

Neither of these are ultra modern highly sophisticated systems, but they are not the lowest line light systems that are out there either. The company is good, totally reliable and normally has prices that are hard to beat if you're comparnig other light systems of equal quality. Both have magnetic ballasts, which is not at all a big negative in this case given the budget and how much light you could get for it, and how without it bending a budget more than just a bit you could be even better off with the higher wattage second option.

It gives you something to compare and consider.



HTGSupply 150 watt High Pressure Sodium Grow Light
Product Number: GL-HTG150HPS




150 watt HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM (HPS) GROW LIGHT:

100% BRAND NEW - No reused parts

Hands down the BEST deal EVER offered for any complete GROW LIGHT system!

Comes complete and READY TO GROW!

Includes the ballast, lamp (bulb) and reflector!

Plugs into standard household outlet!

NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED!

Just take it out of the box, screw in the bulb, plug it in & GROW !

PERFECT FOR SMALL HOBBY GARDENS!

For gardens up to 3’ x 3’ ( 9 square feet )

System includes:

· Brand New REMOTE 150 watt HPS BALLAST and Components
· Brand New HORIZONTAL REFLECTOR with 10’ cord
· Brand New HIGH OUTPUT 150w HPS Bulb (16,000 lumens!)

Ready, Set.......GROW!

If you are in the market for a BRAND NEW HIGH OUTPUT GROW LIGHT, you have found what you are looking for!

About the system:

BALLAST & HOUSING:

Dimensions: 9" Long x 4" Wide x 5.5" Tall


This premium HTG SUPPLY GROW LIGHT ballast and components are housed in an ULTRA-EFFICIENT OPEN AIR BALLAST HOUSING. Unlike other enclosures that house their ballasts inside a metal box - causing heat build up and lowering component life and performance - the HTG SUPPLY GROW LIGHT ballast housing incorporates an OPEN AIR type enclosure. The housing is actually built around the copper coil ballast allowing for the heat generated by the ballast to dissipate quickly and efficiently. The #1 killer of electrical components (like the ignitor and capacitor) is excessive heat. Components such as the ignitor and capacitor are housed away from the ballast inside their own small enclosure, thus keeping them cool and away from the heat generated by the ballast itself. This ballast enclosure design is time tested in industrial / commercial H.I.D. applications worldwide, but THE HTG SUPPLY GROW LIGHT is the ONLY GROW LIGHT to incorporate this intelligent, simple, and efficient design. The OPEN AIR design of the HTG SUPPLY GROW LIGHT keeps the components cooler than any other system on the market today! The remote ballast design is far superior to other designs found on eBay and other sites.

Includes 10’ grounded power cord that plugs into a STANDARD HOUSEHOLD OUTLET!

HORIZONTAL REFLECTOR:

This top of the line HORIZONTAL REFLECTOR is made from the HIGHEST QUALITY MATERIALS available! Specifically designed for growing plants, this reflector incorporates a steel socket/reflector bracket, 5kv Pulse Rated Mogul Based socket and highly reflective polished aluminum reflector. The highly polished aluminum reflector has a mirror-like finish rated at 95% reflectivity for MAXIMUM LIGHT OUTPUT. This super reflective surface provides more raw light output than dimpled reflectors, and is far superior in reflective qualities than cheap white painted reflectors which discolor over time. Polished Aluminum will NOT RUST, CHIP, or CORRODE like inferior chrome reflectors do under the intense heat of a high intensity discharge (H.I.D.) bulb like the High Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulb that comes with this system. This reflector is built to last a lifetime, and can easily be cleaned with common household window cleaner. Horizontal lamp configuration design allows for the greatest light coverage over the top of your garden area while providing the highest light intensity levels possible. It is widely recognized that the BEST design for horticultural reflectors is the HORIZONTAL REFLECTOR design incorporated with this reflector. The reflector comes with two heavy duty steel hangers to hang your reflector from, and the cord from the reflector to the ballast housing measures 10’.

Reflector Measures Approx: 16" Long x 13" Wide x 6" Deep

HIGH OUTPUT 150w HPS BULB:

Brand new HIGH OUTPUT 150 watt High Pressure Sodium bulb is rated at 16,000 lumens! Life expectancy is 24,000 hours. 22 CRI. The 150 watt HPS bulb is a very popular bulb used by the indoor hobbyist grower today. The 150 watt HPS is more efficient in producing light than its Metal Halide counterpart and also features very little lumen loss over its lifetime compared to Metal Halide bulbs. You can expect only a 10% decrease in lumens over a bulb’s 3 year (24/7) lifetime. Compare that to Metal Halide, where there is as much as a 50% decrease in lumen output over its shorter lifetime and initially lower light output than HPS, and it is clear to see why the HPS is so popular. It is believed the HPS bulb’s bright "yellowish" spectrum mimics that of the "harvest sun", triggering plants to develop flowers rapidly and abundantly. You can expect excellent results using this HPS bulb, and it is good for ALL STAGES of PLANT GROWTH!

Remember - HIGHER LUMEN OUTPUT equates into MORE PLANT GROWTH and HIGHER TOTAL YIELDS.

WARRANTY:

Warranty for this system is 2 years on the ballast and components and 1 year for the bulb. Remember, this is simply the warranty. This system should provide ten, even twenty or more years of reliable service.


Customize your product
Bulb:

Reflector:

Add Reflector Hangers?:

Add a Timer?:

Optional Extended Warranty?:

Yeah...............he's right too. I guess i wasn't trying to talk you out of the HID. Either way it's going to be cool. Where does the ballast fit?

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/502258-250-hps-question.html#post6923855

I was wondering basically the same, heres a link to thread that has some diagrams on safe light distance based on wattage/lumens of bulb...
Definitely helps. The 150 would prolly be perfect for the space...

Thanks keifcake that does help.

As it is today I bought 2 24" t8 under cabinet lights(3000k) to run in the corners that I'll be mounting vertically. After reading up on some grow light sites I began to wonder...of course I know there are varying qualities and spectrums HPS comes in, but most if not all HPS are gonna be in the 2000K range right? Which would be useful regardless right?

I was looking at Home Depot and they have these 75, 100 and 150 hps security fixture, can I use 1 of them or do the "pro grow bulb" have longer lasting ballasts? And they range from about $40-80 and can get them today, I like that over waiting for an online order you know. But if these security fixtures aren't recommended then I'll

I could listen to this guy all night long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t528TWaa8oY&feature=related

Antyime..

Yea, its in the flowering spectrum. And a combo with those lights should cover the hieght being to much for the optimal distance of a 150 hps. Ill have about 6 more inches than the 150 can do good, so im going with a cooltube 250w. I thought about getting 2 of the 150w to put in, but figured heat would be better with a single cool tube 250. Im not sure how good the security boxes would work..
I have a pc box that i ordered, it came with a 50w HPS, i use for veg( i know its not the best, but i dont wanna mod it and it get the job done) Im not sure if thats what it started out as or what( meaning a security light) You could go ahead with that fixture maybe, and then order a better bulb for it. Im planning to get a better bulb myself when i order it.

Made a trip to my local hydro shop and they also suggested sticking with cfl's too. So I went to home depot for 3x68W (300w equivalent)2700K, 4200 lumens each. 2x17W 24" plant lights that to my surprise are 7800K. Useful mostly in veg but I'm a firm believer in mixing spectrums(as mentioned earlier) as the sun does everyday lol. Since I'll have at least 20000 lumens in 27k and about 6400 in 65k so I feel I'm covered for this next plant to flower in a new cab.

Thanks everybody for your feedback

Far out .............Party on!