Industrial HID?

HotPursuit · Nov 10, 2013

I searched all over the place but couldn't find an answer to my question. I'm getting ready to start some seeds in the next few weeks and am trying to get my lighting figured out on a tight budget. I came across this light on craigslist:
http://www.cooperindustries.com/content/public/en/lighting/products/highbay_lowbay_industrials/hid/_125566.html
It's $30 and looks to be in good condition. I was thinking I could solder up a cord and plug so it'd plug right in to my wall. I'm just not sure if the lens/reflector is the right type for growing. I'd want to mount it no more than three feet above my plants. I plan on growing 8-10 plants for about three months before plantout.

queequeg152 · Nov 10, 2013

its better than nothing right?

make sure its a multi tap ballast... its most likely wired for 3 phase power ATM being its probably from some old warehouse thats been shutdown or what have you. you will need to rewire it to 120v.
you can get all manner of tool cord from HD or lowes for like... a buck a foot. its real nice and flexable stranded wire with a good pliable rubber insulation.
you would need atleast a 16 gauge cord for a 400w-600w. probably want a 14 gauge cord for 1000w light.

if you want something more... optimal. you should consider buying one of those 30 dollar cheap wing relfectors and adapting it to your old light.

do you have a real multimeter? you should check the cap on this old beast, because a old cruddy cap can be replaced for like 10 bucks and will noticably improve the efficiency of your fixture.

pepperdan · Nov 10, 2013

those are flooded on craigs list, i used one alike in the 80's , very heavy with thick glass lense and ballast mounted together, most are muli-vapor ballast and will shorten the life of you bulb dramatically, so check and make sure it is bt-37 compatable

the other negatives are the hood makes very hot, hot spots, and i doubt you get a warranty, if you have to wire it then it may or may not even work, you will be out a bulb and 30 bucks

i wold check c-list everyday, i found my current 1,000 ballast and vented hood local for 100 bucks, it was 3 months old, switchable to hps or mh , i purchased a 400 watt switchable for 55

queequeg152 · Nov 10, 2013

never heard of a multi vapor ballast? is this the same as a MH hps switchable ballast?

never seen a switchable high bay type light either usually they are either MH or HPS im my experiance. how does one change the bulb configuration? re wireing?

willard3 · Nov 11, 2013

Luminaires are not wired for three-phase, motors are wired for three phase. Check that the voltage can be set for 120 or 240 volts.

The reflector on this light is designed to be mounted at 10-15' and will not cover much area if mounted lower. If you remove the lens, distribution may improve..

HotPursuit · Nov 11, 2013

queequeg152 said:
its better than nothing right?

make sure its a multi tap ballast... its most likely wired for 3 phase power ATM being its probably from some old warehouse thats been shutdown or what have you. you will need to rewire it to 120v.
you can get all manner of tool cord from HD or lowes for like... a buck a foot. its real nice and flexable stranded wire with a good pliable rubber insulation.
you would need atleast a 16 gauge cord for a 400w-600w. probably want a 14 gauge cord for 1000w light.

if you want something more... optimal. you should consider buying one of those 30 dollar cheap wing relfectors and adapting it to your old light.

do you have a real multimeter? you should check the cap on this old beast, because a old cruddy cap can be replaced for like 10 bucks and will noticably improve the efficiency of your fixture.

Honestly, I'm very new to this and don't really understand much of the terminology. It's my first time getting a grow light and I only started researching a couple weeks ago. I'm looking at the ad on craigslist, and he gives a picture of the label on the light. Under voltage, it says "120/208/240/277." The max wattage for the bulb is 400W, and it apparently has the option of running mh, hps, or hg bulbs. Here's a link to the ad, if that helps: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/for/4140666092.html

pepperdan said:
those are flooded on craigs list, i used one alike in the 80's , very heavy with thick glass lense and ballast mounted together, most are muli-vapor ballast and will shorten the life of you bulb dramatically, so check and make sure it is bt-37 compatable

the other negatives are the hood makes very hot, hot spots, and i doubt you get a warranty, if you have to wire it then it may or may not even work, you will be out a bulb and 30 bucks

i wold check c-list everyday, i found my current 1,000 ballast and vented hood local for 100 bucks, it was 3 months old, switchable to hps or mh , i purchased a 400 watt switchable for 55

When you used one of these lights for your grow, how high did you mount it above your plants? I may just end up holding out until I find an actual grow light. I know the basics of electrical work and have some experience wiring, but I know very little about lighting. I had to look up bt-37 to find out what it is, but have no idea how to see if that light is compatible. Google turned up nothing. If this ends up not working out, I'll hunt for a 400W grow light for around $50.

willard3 said:
Luminaires are not wired for three-phase, motors are wired for three phase. Check that the voltage can be set for 120 or 240 volts.

The reflector on this light is designed to be mounted at 10-15' and will not cover much area if mounted lower. If you remove the lens, distribution may improve..

It appears that voltage can be set for 120. I know that you can't possibly answer this question without seeing the light, but how high would you guess I'd have to mount it to cover a 4' X 2' area?

pepperdan · Nov 11, 2013

queequeg152 said:
never heard of a multi vapor ballast? is this the same as a MH hps switchable ballast?

never seen a switchable high bay type light either usually they are either MH or HPS im my experiance. how does one change the bulb configuration? re wireing?

look up mercury vapor ballast, it will take a multi vapor bulb

iirc {sorry it had to have been 25 years ago} but i only used it for a very short period, i remember i had to start it with a mercury vapor bulb, as soon as it turned on i would swap the bulb out with a MH

here is a ggogle for images, as you can see most are frosted bulbs, some can look like a clear MH but are not, and do not have the intesity of MH

https://www.google.com/search?q=mercury+vapor+ballast&newwindow=1&rlz=1T4GGNI_enUS550US550&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=7p6BUrucOMKbygHQp4HYDQ&ved=0CG4QsAQ&biw=1188&bih=431
i hung those heavy sob's with chain from floor joist, but as i said it wasnt for long till i figured out it wasnt going to work

Vegas_Chili · Nov 12, 2013

Hey man! If you're needing the light just to start seedlings that would be too much trouble to try and wire it up and not know the specs of the light.

I'm looking for one too, and there's one now on craigslist for $40 and it's a 250W Metal halide and another one for 70. Both are said to work fine. I already have T5's but I want to get a metal halide around 200W or so.

I might sell my T5's idk yet. I already have LEDs for seedlings but I have mature plants that would need more light.

-Walter

HotPursuit · Nov 12, 2013

Vegas_Chili said:
Hey man! If you're needing the light just to start seedlings that would be too much trouble to try and wire it up and not know the specs of the light.

I'm looking for one too, and there's one now on craigslist for $40 and it's a 250W Metal halide and another one for 70. Both are said to work fine. I already have T5's but I want to get a metal halide around 200W or so.

I might sell my T5's idk yet. I already have LEDs for seedlings but I have mature plants that would need more light.

-Walter

What's up Walter? Im starting to think that you're right about that. I think I need to go with a more simple set up especially since I don't really know what I'm doing yet. Are you thinking about getting that mh for $40? I found the ad but if you're interested in it, obviously I won't try to get it. I've still got plenty of time to find one and craigslist is loaded with them.

By the way, I haven't forgotten about your offer to come trade seeds and what not. I'll be getting ahold of you when I have a little free time. Juggling work and college and the home life has left me without enough time to even get a good night's sleep lately :crazy: