How Often Do You Change Your Hps/mh Grow Bulbs ?

[Kingdiamond]

Ive heard many difference answers most say one year but ive seen a lot of different opinions whats your preference?

[shredder0911]

I was just watching some vids by this guy, and he seems to make sense about using a measuring device and discarding after about 50% degradation, but the meter he appears to be holding is not that cheap. I think I just found one on CL for $110.

[LansingAreaCaregiver]

Annually. Then donate your used bulbs to a low income patient to help them grow their own. They'd probably last a bit longer, but annually is easy to remember and good enough.

[Willy]

well I guess im special cause I change mine out at six months, all be it I use a lower cost bulb.. Plantmaster its only 39.00 and has the same spectrum as a 100. bulb. they work fine for me, but I think they go down hill after approx. six months. I also have a meter to test with, and if I can't see 45wpsf at 39in from the light I replace them..

[Highlander]

About a month ago I went to the local grow store to buy replacements for my 14+ month-old 1,000 HPS bulbs. I bought a light meter at the same time. I took readings, installed the new bulbs, took more readings, moved the new bulbs around between ballasts and after all that concluded that there was maybe a 5% increase in the amount of light with the new blubs.

[cristinew]

I have had my MH bulb in for 3 years 400 watt for vegging still seems to work fine,, I replace my High par HPS when the burn out

[Kingdiamond]

The reason i ask is i run two 1k hortilux eye bulbs and the recent harvested buds dont look like they came out as tight and uniformed as earlier harvests from this year i get my bulbs at a deep discount but still $90 a pop dont come easy in this economy.

[semicaregiver]

One of the arguments the ballast manufacturers made for electronic ballast was that the higher frequency of these units and softer starts would double the life of the bulbs. If the claims are correct and the old adage of changing bulbs once a year was correct, it would seem that we should be able to get two years out of a bulb.

 

I would love to hear more independent reports from users that measured their light performance over time as opposed to anecdotal reports.

[medicalmarijuanaman1234567890]

I have 2-1000w Hortilux. super blues I used for 1 year and 4 I purchased new. Turned all 6 on and there was a noticeable difference in light output. Especially in the blue color ranges. 2 older ones have more of a reddish orange tint. Plan on replacing next grow.

[phaquetoo]

i always have an extra one, so as long as my ladys dont look like they are needing something other than nutes or a few feeding changes, I keep the lites till they burn out, or once a yr, ive had em burn out in 3 months buying them online, so unless your getting them from a good source online, get em at your local hydro shop, if they expire before a yr they will replace them, at least mine will in arenac county!

 

I try and get most of my stuff from htg, those of you that live close to one have it made, ive found them to be very competetive and very quick delivery, always make sure you have extra bulbs if your growing hps or mh! ya dont want to have to put em in window if ya blow one!

 

Peace

Jim

 

edit = when my first hps burned out in 3 months I was kinda at a loss, I put an mh in it and ran to the store, the store put my bulb in one of there set ups and it worked, so We thought it was my digital ballast, I wound up buying an hps ballast for 199 and came home and the lite only stayed on for like 15 mins, back to hydro shop with my digital and old bulb, than it was determinded it was my bulb lol so one new ballast and 1 new bulb and 280 later I was up and running and I could have returned my magnetic hps 600 watt new ballast but figure i will be using that in budd in the near future and use my digital mh/hps 400/600 watt ballast in veg soon and replace my t-5's!

Edited September 22, 2012 by phaquetoo

[Willy]

i change out every 9 months, i pay 30. for a 1k bulb, but i run 5k in flower and 1k in veg.. I have a good contact on cheaper bulbs with the same spectrum as hortilux.. im sure no one will agree on the bulbs,, look up plantmax bulbs,, simple thing to do is to buy an inexpensive light meter,, this isn't a guessing game,, get it right, and not just think its good enough...

[phaquetoo]

i change out every 9 months, i pay 30. for a 1k bulb, but i run 5k in flower and 1k in veg.. I have a good contact on cheaper bulbs with the same spectrum as hortilux.. im sure no one will agree on the bulbs,, look up plantmax bulbs,, simple thing to do is to buy an inexpensive light meter,, this isn't a guessing game,, get it right, and not just think its good enough...

 

I hear ya willy! I found that in ebay trying to find a good deal on whole lite kits, you wind up with fake bulbs, it says all the same on it as what i bought from the hydro store, but this one has already gave me 6 months, so Idk if it was just a bad bulb to begin with or a fake, id like to think it was a fake, for 199, i got a dig ballast mh/hps 400/600 watt, cool tube and an hps and mh 600 watt bulbs was all in one package, pretty cheap considering i paid 79 for an hps 600 watt from my local hydro shop, Im thinkin they dont know schit about growing everything they have advised me to do was wrong so far lol! thank my higher power for sites like this and the grow bible free online!

 

Peace

Jim

[Birdman]

Every nine months for HPS on 12/12 schedule. Every six months for MH on 24/7. If I have to use cheap bulbs, about half that time.

[Faygo]

every 6 months is best or 3 harvest.

[The Digital Nomad]

8 months, no more than 12 months, they run all the time.

 

The new Samsung smart phone - the Galaxy - has a light meter, you just need to download a free app to read lumens.

You can baseline your new lightbulbs, read the lumens, write it down. And track it later.

The rule for lumens- distance was like 1/4 - so an 80,000 lumen bulb at 2 feet will be doing 1/4 - 20,000 lumens - and it was suggested that 10,000 lumens is minimum lumens needed for flowering.

 

With the 'smart phone' I can test the lumens at various distance and ensure my bulb is working fine.

 

Visually - yes, you can see a difference between a 12 month old bulb and a new one.

[The Digital Nomad]

oh - the lumatek bulbs are working just fine with the lumatek ballasts.

[phaquetoo]

8 months, no more than 12 months, they run all the time.

 

The new Samsung smart phone - the Galaxy - has a light meter, you just need to download a free app to read lumens.

You can baseline your new lightbulbs, read the lumens, write it down. And track it later.

The rule for lumens- distance was like 1/4 - so an 80,000 lumen bulb at 2 feet will be doing 1/4 - 20,000 lumens - and it was suggested that 10,000 lumens is minimum lumens needed for flowering.

 

With the 'smart phone' I can test the lumens at various distance and ensure my bulb is working fine.

 

Visually - yes, you can see a difference between a 12 month old bulb and a new one.

oh - the lumatek bulbs are working just fine with the lumatek ballasts.

 

wow! ok what ^^^He Says^^^

 

Ummm..

 

Peace

Jim