lighting worry

[KerMit]

i finally bought my Son T aggro 400 watter a few days ago and plugged it in last night to test it. It didnt look strong at first but started to glow brighter and brighter and the globe turned orange. I was kinda worried it was gonna blow up or something, maybe it just looked bad coz i was stoned heh does that sound normal for one of those lights? i just wanna make sure before i set all up.

also would they be too strong to germ under, its just that it will keep the seeds warm, the others i tried in water didnt germ probably due to the water getting cold i spose?

[jaikai]

hi kermit...got a light, grouse. son t is a hps, great flowering bulb, yes they do glow a yellow-orange colour, bit like the autumn sun see...by all means, germ your seeds under it, might as well if its turned on...keep em a fair way (couple feet) away til they come through then bring it down gently.

heres a tip...while theyre in there sprouting, get in there and get a feel for temp, etc. check for light leaks, etc, think happy thoughts...you knoow what to do. any more you need to know is bound to be here somewhere...

 

all the best kermit

 

JAIKAI

[Guest Wilderbud]

Nice choice of HPS.

 

You should be able to sit and watch it change colour every 15 minutes if its the same as what I use. I germ/grow under flouros but Id do it under this light as long as it was a few feet away and if its heat was removed from the room.

[Mr Nice Guy]

My HPS makes a buzzing noise when I first turn it on

[Guest weekprik]

sont agro is a perfect start to finish light.

 

my 400 is a sontagro, its actually not 400 its actually 423 approx, because the sont is a 400 with added blue(i think) colour to make it a better all rounder,

 

My 600s are not sontagros though

 

IMO HPS is no good for germing as its far to strong a light, but if you use it to germ make sure its 1 metre from your light,

I also use and reccomend you buy and use a light diffuser, its just a triangle shaped thing that goes on your light, it seems to allow me to get my light closer,

 

But then you can also get a aircooled light cover which will also help with your heat in summer. especially if its in an a/c area or fresh air is being drawn from your a/c room.

 

Your ballast should be put in your grow room in cold weather and taken out in summer.

 

all my HPS lights do what yours did, its seems pretty normal.

MAKE SURE that you do NOT plug it in after having it powered up, as they wont start up but make banging noises instead.

 

When ever your light is hot and then turned off it must be left for 15 minutes to cool down before it will work correctly,

 

I havent noticed mine changing colours every 15 minutes?? but then I didnt know they did that so maybe I might watch to see if it does it.

 

umm another tip never allow water drops to touch your hot bulb or it WILL go BANG!!!, ie- foliar spray after the light goes off and be very careful.

 

I would recomend you germ, clone or whatever under a compact fluro, these are the same as normal fluros but smaller and generally stronger, also running your HPS is a waste of money in germ and cloning,

[KerMit]

thanks everyone, i finally got it set up, i wished i ordered clones now since its taken about the same time for me to get my shit togethor with this grow as it would to wait for clones

anyway i have the fan blowing into the open BIR,but it does kinda smell hot, i mean the fan is blowing on it but the air isnt going thru the other side, i figured it would disperse the heat into the air, maybe i will have to install an actual exhaust fan but id rather not. I might get one of those aircooled light covers come closer to warmer weather, approx how much are they?

 

Anyway i have also stuck a smoke detector in the room to put my mind at ease a bit. so all being well i will have a nice batch soon....

[Guest Wilderbud]

For $15 and 5 mins digging with a chisel and grinding [i have no jigsaw] got my cupboard upgraded with a Ringgrip exhaust fan from Bunnings [they had ones for $13 but they were 250mm and I got a 200mm instead so I didnt have to remove too much plywood which would have made the roof weak] and I dont know how my plants survived without it [i mean plant - maybe].

 

Fresh air is one of the basics of a indoor garden and $15 isnt a lot of money to move all the used air out of your cupboard.

 

weekprik - the buzz you hear when the light starts is the same buzz I hear when the lights colour changes and it changes within a few seconds so close your eyes about 15 mins when it buzzes and you might see colour change [blue-red and vice-versa]. I used to love getting high in the growroom and seeing everything changing hues all the time.

[pipeman]

hey wilderbud, thems good fans I reckon. I got one in each of my cupboards, been going strong for about 8 months without a problem. They're pretty quiet too.

[Luke Skywalker]

Never, ever, ever, and need I say it once more, ever keep your ballast or any other powerful electrics in the grow... The ballast should be at the very least in a well ventilated spot on top of the grow, with plenty of air movement. If you can move it a little bit further, the better, but not too far because you don't want connecting cords to get too long.

 

I don't know why you suggest such things weekprik...

 

By the way, a tip to cut down on the buzzing whilst powering up is to place the whole ballast on a section of growool, this acts as an excellent insulatory device, (that's what it's also used for incidentally) and keeps the ballast cool and quiet.

 

One more, monseuir Wilderbud, can I make a small suggestion? Does that little fan you picked up for $15 have "Rated for continuous use" on the side? I doubt it does for $15. The decent extractors cost a bit for a reason. They're designed to go on for long periods, whereas those fans you refer to are designed for spurt use in bathrooms. Be careful, and if you can afford it in the near future, upgrade. Just a tip, I may be mistaken in your case, but I have a feeling that won't be really all that suitable in the long run.

[Guest Wilderbud]

Im keeping my eye on it - I know a $15 fan is dodgy and thats why its not on 24/7 but goes on|off every 15 mins. Its the same sort of fan our old cheap house was built with 15 years ago thats still kicking along for every shower. The $10 timer I got was a 10 amp HPM so its good enough for the fan.