what happens when an hps bulb reaches the end of its life?

soo
if a bulb got wet it?
if a bulb just reaches the end of its rated hours and dies it ?
if a bulb gets bumped and cracked somehow while its on it?

i never really put thought into this lol most of us change our bulbs wayyyyy before they actually burn out.







everyone makes it seem like a bombs gonna go off or something lol so im curious.

It breaks like any other bulb dude. If you swing it around right after you turned it off, it's gonna break real easy.

the amount of lumens they put off decreases with time.

a little tidbit.....HID bulbs should be treated like a halogen bulb, that means do not touch them with your bare hands, you can cause 'em to blow.

thats what i assumed man but ive heard stories of cooltubes turnin into flame throwers , hot sodium melting through floors just dont know if any of it is true lol

Robert Paulson said:

the amount of lumens they put off decreases with time.

a little tidbit.....HID bulbs should be treated like a halogen bulb, that means do not touch them with your bare hands, you can cause 'em to blow.

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oh fer sure , I wont even touch the bulb while screwin it in i use a cotton clothe dont want greasy finger prints on bulb

they start to loose lumens then they stop firing

I had 1 die once and it just kept tripping the breaker until I changed it. Wouldn't fire, just immediately poped the breaker it was on.

You can touch your hid bulb with your bare hands it wont ruin it. But it is always a good idea to wipe it clean before use just to make sure nothing that was on your hands can block any of the light.

kbo ca said:

You can touch your hid bulb with your bare hands it wont ruin it. But it is always a good idea to wipe it clean before use just to make sure nothing that was on your hands can block any of the light.

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you can get a hot spot that way

Ever use one of these?
http://www.amazon.com/System-Equalizer-Grow-Light-Diffuser/dp/B004Q2IUT6

if it dies then it will detatch from the socket and blow ur house up... true story... be afraid... be verrrrrryyyyy afraiddd

the hps bulb cannot be damaged by touching the outer glass globe like a halogen as there is no gas inside it, only a vacuum, the hps bulb is inside the large glass globe to protect it.
getting the outer globe dirty stops full light getting through.
the hps bulb is the long thin white part inside which is filled with a very high pressure gas, if it were to explode when it was switched on it would be like a small grenade going off, (a metal halide bulb has a short stubby globe inside).
it could blind you or even kill you if it exploded, at best it will set your growroom on fire, all public hps lamps are protected by unbreakable glass (streetlights, warehouse lights etc).
if you spill water on it when it is hot the outer globe will shatter, whether or not the inner hps lamp will break is questionable, if the water touched it, it will explode.
after 10,000 hours the lumens are dead and the lamp will now look a very bright white colour instead of a soft orangy/yellow/sunny glow which diminishes with time.
it is best to change them after a few thousand hours if you want upmost lumens, and if you can get the lamps cheap enough.
when using them in your growroom use reputable protective metal and glass units like the magnum xxxl or smaller.
but dont panic only a couple have ever exploded since they were first used.

aint no grenades goin off, dude.

Nubby Tubbs said:

aint no grenades goin off, dude.

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ok so you think you are right !!!

tell you what,

turn your hps lamp on and wait 15 minutes, now take an air rifle and shoot through the large globe at the small white lamp on the inside.
or spray it with cold water or drop the lamp into a bath of cold water when still switched on.
if you shoot a normal incandescent lamp it will only give off a small bang. it will implode as there is no air or gas inside.

you are in for a very, very big shock my friend.


BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG !!!!!!!

kinda like you were saying plants breathe in oxygen during the dark cycle a few months ago. GTFO wee gogs.

from wikipedia - As a lamp gets older, the maintaining voltage for the arc eventually rises to exceed the maximum voltage output by the electrical ballast. As the lamp heats to this point, the arc fails and the lamp goes out. Eventually, with the arc extinguished, the lamp cools down again, the gas pressure in the arc tube is reduced, and the ballast can once again cause the arc to strike. The effect of this is that the lamp glows for a while and then goes out, repeatedly.


ps. a wee gogs dont mean shit to me.

Nubby Tubbs said:

from wikipedia - As a lamp gets older, the maintaining voltage for the arc eventually rises to exceed the maximum voltage output by the electrical ballast. As the lamp heats to this point, the arc fails and the lamp goes out. Eventually, with the arc extinguished, the lamp cools down again, the gas pressure in the arc tube is reduced, and the ballast can once again cause the arc to strike. The effect of this is that the lamp glows for a while and then goes out, repeatedly.


ps. a wee gogs dont mean shit to me.

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nubby tubs i take it your a fat bastard, and the lamps can explode.

p.s. exploding lamp link : http://www.thcfarmer.com/forums/f6/exploding-hps-5092/

Nubby Tubbs said:

kinda like you were saying plants breathe in oxygen during the dark cycle a few months ago. GTFO wee gogs.

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they breathe in air at night the word is respire you fucking twat.

i had a bulb explode on me too, luckily it exploded inside the lamp unit so no harm done, although i must stress the steel case had some very heavy marks and scars inside it afterwards and the toughened glass was also marked although unbroken the inner reflective shield has cuts and holes in it.

i just changed the bulb and its been fine ever since.

Nubby Tubbs said:

from wikipedia - As a lamp gets older, the maintaining voltage for the arc eventually rises to exceed the maximum voltage output by the electrical ballast. As the lamp heats to this point, the arc fails and the lamp goes out. Eventually, with the arc extinguished, the lamp cools down again, the gas pressure in the arc tube is reduced, and the ballast can once again cause the arc to strike. The effect of this is that the lamp glows for a while and then goes out, repeatedly.


ps. a wee gogs dont mean shit to me.

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funny we have hps bulbs that have been running for four years in my fathers garage, he buys repairs and sells cars there are three electric ramps in there.

so for the lamps to cut out would take a long time, but the lumens would have been useless for growing in the first year. i dont see them changing street lamp bulbs in the street constantly, do you?
i must stress that the ballasts that are in the light units in the garage are very noisy buzzing at switch on but quieten after about 30 seconds , but they all still work.