Tested 13month old 600w HPS blub vs NEW

ShroomDr · Apr 22, 2011

Both are Hortilux Super HPS
13 month old bulb = 812
New bulb = 1274

(The scale is Lux 10X.)

Tested with a Digital Light Meter (model 16LIT001-LX1330B).

Same ballast, same spot for measurements (about 4ft from bulb), both were turned on for 20 minutes before measurements.

Im shocked they were that much different, i couldn't visually see a difference.

Ive got two 1000w i can try too, gimme a few days. :tiphat:

MIway · Apr 22, 2011

Nice!

Curious to see what happens if you give it a full hour to warm up... maybe the older bulb takes longer to reach it's (lower) peak after the year...???

What kind of ballast?

budlover123 · Apr 22, 2011

Thanks for checking that out and sharing with us. That is a good point about seeing if a longer startup period would affect anything with age. Also, can you calculate how many hours that bulb has been burning about for? did you use it for flower or veg? how many days in veg and flower total? (18 hours a day or 12 hours a day times the amount of days) what total time is that bulb rated for? Are you, or have you used any of those overdrive, super lumens features on either of these bulbs?

has either bulb been left on 24 hours a day ever?

Hash Zeppelin · Apr 22, 2011

It is good to replace your bulbs every six months. at 13 months that bulbs would have horrid lumen loss.

budlover123 · Apr 22, 2011

I know Metal Halide drops off quick, but I thought HPS maintained at least 70% of it's original light until it died. My grower friend is planning on using his bulbs for half the rated hours, so the 24,000 hour HPS he's got, he plans on running it for at lest 12,000 hours, he keeps a log of the dates and hours per day so he can calculate the hours.

ShroomDr · Apr 22, 2011

It was an ELux ballast. It has only been used for flowering, so basically 12hours X ~395days.

I figured @ 20-25minutes the bulbs were at full strength. Im in the middle of a re-design, ill let the 1000w warm for an hour, but frankly i thought 20 minutes was enough to get to full power/warmed up.

sm0k4 · Apr 22, 2011

Hash Zeppelin said:
It is good to replace your bulbs every six months. at 13 months that bulbs would have horrid lumen loss.

Bingo. After 6 months test the next one. I bet its lost 20% already.

JGP · Apr 22, 2011

Intresting results, looks like I'll be replacing my bulb every six months from now on.

sm0k4 · Apr 22, 2011

OGmolton said:
I know Metal Halide drops off quick, but I thought HPS maintained at least 70% of it's original light until it died. My grower friend is planning on using his bulbs for half the rated hours, so the 24,000 hour HPS he's got, he plans on running it for at lest 12,000 hours, he keeps a log of the dates and hours per day so he can calculate the hours.

Depending on heat and other things, they don't hold their output as long as you'd like. 6 months is about right for 80%. I want to try out a GE Lucalox XO Superlife bulb.

simon · Apr 22, 2011

sm0k4 said:
I want to try out a GE Lucalox XO Superlife bulb.

I run these. I tested four 600HPS GEs used for four 12/12 cycles against four new GE lamps and saw an average of ~5% lumen loss.

Simon

ShroomDr · Apr 27, 2011

What the fuck is 'blub' LOL

So... take it for what its worth... it is the data i received...

My 13-14month old 1000w Hortilux Super HPS bulb was measured @ 1178 (10X Lux)
and a (supposed) brand new 1000w Hortilux Super HPS bulb measured @ 1180...

'New' bulb was purchased about a month ago, from the same store as the previous one, and both were tested with a magnetic sunleaves switchable ballast (13-14months old too), after running for exactly 2 hours.

i cant explain it, but thats the data. I didnt even remove the light meter from tent (aka it sat in the exact same spot/orientation; the lowest spot on a 2x2 botanicare flood table).

These two 1000w are/were mounted (and tested) in a 6" cooltube, cooled with a Stanley Blower.
The 'old' 600w HPS was mounted (for most of its life) in an 8" 'suntube' with a 600w MH conversion bulb, cooled with a Stanley Blower. However both 600w HPS were tested without an enclosure.

Bobby Stainless · Apr 27, 2011

Ain't that some shit^

MIway · Apr 27, 2011

I've kinda noticed that the bulbs tend to take a while longer to fully 'brighten' as they age... would use a par meter & measure in mMols... 1180 or so when new, down to 1120 or after 3 full crops.

When I'd run digi's on a side-by-side... those would drop down to 1030 after 3 full crops, but measured the same 1180-1190 when brand new... same as the c&c's.

Horti's ran great on em both, so did the Ushio's... but comparable results to your's...?

ShroomDr · Apr 27, 2011

Bobby Stainless said:
Ain't that some shit^

Ya.

My 'garden center' does plenty of business, im sure its wasnt some old ass bulb, and i sincerely doubt they sold me a used bulb.

I guess the important thing in my situation will be to test the 'new bulb' in 5-6 months, and see how much, if any, its lost. Im not pitching/recycling the 'old bulb' yet.

303hydro · Apr 27, 2011

Hortilux Bulletin:

http://www.eyehortilux.com/Hortilux-Newsletter.pdf

There is another great article on " dimming " that was pretty crazy as well.

Logic would suggest the best way to measure your grow lamp is by using a light meter. If we were lighting a street, that would be fine. However, your garden is a different matter.

The first problem with light meters is that they are designed to measure peak light intensity for the human eye and not light for maximum plant growth. Light meters typically read in foot candles, candelas, or lux. More sophisticated light meters actually count the photons of light (in micro moles per second per meter squared). Secondly, light meters do not measure the quality of light (spectrum) coming from your lamps. Spectral output is a very critical feature of any grow lamp. There are three fundamentals of grow lamps that you need to be aware of tofully understand why using a light meter(whether it measures in foot candles ormicro moles) can be counterproductive.
First, lumen ratings will never match footcandles/Lux/micro-moles on your meter.They are simply not measured the sameway. At EYE Lighting International we measure our products in a photometric
sphere. This is the only way to accurately and consistently measure lamp output in lumens and spectrum (which is the lighting industry’s standard). Light meter measurements taken at home will never match those taken in a sphere.

Second, lamps must operate for 100 hours before the chemicals inside stabilize andreach full lumen and spectral output. This is another industry standard set forth by ANSI (American National Standards Institute). ANSI says measurements should not be taken until the lamp has been in
operation for 100 hours.
And finally, some lamp types (High Pressure Sodium for example) produce more lumens as they get older. That’s right! Over time your lamps get brighter according to your light meter. The light meter would actually tell you that your old lamp is superior to your brand new lamp. However, your plants would be telling you the opposite. Why? Even though the lumens may be increasing, the spectrum is shifting away from what the plants require.
Our Advice is to put the light meter away, unless you are measuring street lights,and trust in HORTILUX grow lamps that are specifically designed to promote
plant growth.
www.eyehortilux.com © 2011 EYE Lighting International of North America Inc.

Bud Bug · Apr 27, 2011

Wouldn't it be better to use a Quantum/PAR meter to do this test?

ShroomDr · Apr 27, 2011

I'll test my 'new' 1000w bulb again in a week or two. That test was for the first 2 hours that bulb had ever been fired (supposedly).

i understand the whole PAR vs. Lux argument, however im not measuring what the plant is using, im measuring the loss in intensity.

Perhaps Lux and PAR dont fall at the same rate, however i only assume that if ones intensity has fallen, the other probably has too.

ShroomDr · Apr 27, 2011

FWIW, just testing the 1000w again (either 2.5 or 3.5 days of 12hour photo periods), and the reading was... 1180 (same as after a 2 hour burn).

budlover123 · Apr 28, 2011

Thanks for checking that out for us, very interesting, and potentially money saving.

Herborizer · May 5, 2011

If the intensity does drop, couldn't we just lower the hood? With inverse square law, light is dramatically different with just a couple inches of change. So, after 6 months couldn't we just lower the hood closer to the canopy?

Tested 13month old 600w HPS blub vs NEW

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