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converting a home security light into a remote ballast grow light (the OG FAQ)

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Guest

for the all in one light from htgsupply do you have to take the ballast off and move it away from the light? my concern is heat. if the ballast and bulb are that close its gonna be HOT. i dont wanna burn my plants too badly or burtn down the growbox. ive got 2 35cfm fans and 1 65 cfm fan that i could use but if i need a bigger one ill try to find one. it just looks like a pain to wire that all up. i dont even know what half the materials are. and my step dad works at the locla hardfware store id feel weird asking him for it and having to make up some story as to what its for.
 
sugabear_II

sugabear_II

Active member
Veteran
darren - the floralux can be remote ballasted - it's just a matter of disconnecting two wires and adding a length of cord (heavy duty extension is best). Bulenath has done it already.
 
G

gzzmo

Member
G

Guest

Power cord question?

Power cord question?

I have some flat, white, power cord,(female end cut off) with 3 wires, the ground is green, and in the middle of the two other wires. :chin: One wire has printing on it and the other does not. Do I assume that the wire with the printing is the black, and no print is white? The male plug is angled and cannot be removed unless destroyed. :dueling: I have a 150 e-conolight and if I wired it wrong what would happen? White to black and black to white:yoinks:
 
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sugabear_II

sugabear_II

Active member
Veteran
Dohdohsmoke said:
I have some flat, white, power cord,(female end cut off) with 3 wires, the ground is green, and in the middle of the two other wires. :chin: One wire has printing on it and the other does not. Do I assume that the wire with the printing is the black, and no print is white? The male plug is angled and cannot be removed unless destroyed. :dueling: I have a 150 e-conolight and if I wired it wrong what would happen? White to black and black to white:yoinks:
Click to expand...

As long as you are consistent in using the one with writing on it as the white wire you should be ok, however I would recommend going out and buying a heavy duty extension cord and using that instead.

A grounded three prong plug has an orientation that is specific. If you don't know which one goes to which of the two lower prongs (the one w/writing or the one w/o) you may still mess things up.

Also the gauge of the wire you have may not be correct. White cords usually are for low power items.

You want to wire your lamp up with heavy duty guage wire and that is why you should just get the extension cord.

I mean what's another $12-20 compared to your safety?

-suga

edit: IF you wired the e-conolight incorrectly it may not work, you might fry the starter, it might work and then later it might cause a fire. - Just wire it like the FAQ and you'll have no problem - why risk it?
 
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G

Guest

Home Depot has 100' orange extension cord for 8.00, and male heavy duty plugs for 3.00 Also found Espoma Lime, 5lbs for 7.00, by the cactus plants. WoHooo!!
 
G

Guest

on the light subject....

has anyone tried the halogen lights (50W)..???
where does it fit into the spectrum..??

i might just hook one or two to light my male flowers when i want to ripen them seperately from the ladies.....
 
sugabear_II

sugabear_II

Active member
Veteran
mobius said:
on the light subject....

has anyone tried the halogen lights (50W)..???
where does it fit into the spectrum..??

i might just hook one or two to light my male flowers when i want to ripen them seperately from the ladies.....
Click to expand...

the halagons have low lumens for the wattage and tons of heat. they are not suitable for growing at all. I'd opt for a 42 or 45 watt compact floro instead (the spirally type).

-suga
 
G

Guest

Dude.....great info thread....OMG thank you.

Dude.....great info thread....OMG thank you.

sugabear, great information! I'm running 2 150w HPS flood lights from "The designers edge". The only problem I was having was the heat being given off from the enclosed ballasts gets the temp in the grow room up towards 30 Degrees C and that's noooo good. This is a great idea for me to take both of them and remote ther ballasts outside the grow room! perfect! I'm also using on of TDE's 100W metal halide security lights That I removed the light sensor from. so all in all I have 400 watts of mixed spectrum lights and My girls can't get enough of it. The blend of light does tend to lengthen out the flowering period though, I had a white widow female from seed go 72 days On me and she wouldn't finish. I mean I was starving the crap out of her to get her to ripen toward the end, but she was right under that 100w MH and she just kept budding for 70 straight days. sadly I didn't have a cam during that time, or I'd have loved to show you of her. although, here's a pic of the last grow I just finished last month showing my flowering thai girl and one of the HPS next to the MH in the middle of the room.

again, good thread, good info and happy growing! Gosh Dang I love growing DANK!~ I inhale
 
sugabear_II

sugabear_II

Active member
Veteran
Hey I_inhale thanks for stopping bye and nice setup - you will be amazed at how much heat you can save by moving the ballasts of those lamps outside the grow space. Having just a socket, bulb, and otionally a reflector in the grow space will also give you more options with hanging and moving the lamp. You can also consider cool tubes, however most people find that small wattage hids once remoted are pretty cool and can just have a fan blowing on them.

Please also come by the 150 hps club - click the link in my signature - and say high to the crew there who all run 150 watt hps, at least one - if not more like you.

-suga
 
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namo420

Member
ok.so when i got my 150,my electrician friend wired it to a plug.but i now want to remote ballast it...its a different model than the one shown,suga,maybe u could help heres what it looks like

 
sugabear_II

sugabear_II

Active member
Veteran
hey namo - it is different but they're all basically the same - ballast, starter, socket and bulb.

Actually I think the one you have pictured is more like the one I started with.

So first step - take off the glass.
remove the bulb
start unscrewing everything you can until the reflector and socket comes out (you can save the reflector for reuse if you want - obviously save the socket)

now under there you should find the same ballast and starter and possibly a capacitor as well.

remove any bolts or mounting hardware holding the ballast in place and take it out

(alternately you can leave the ballast in the case and use that as your ballast enclosure - a little bulky but if you have the space it saves the step)

so basically from there it should be a matter of following the instructions in the tutorial.
 
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namo420

Member
im gonna have to buy a cord to go from the ballast to the bulb tho right? ide like to keep the ballast in the box and a few feet away.
 
sugabear_II

sugabear_II

Active member
Veteran
yes a cord from the ballast to the bulb/socket - a 6' heavy duty grounded extension cord would probably cover your needs.

Take it and cut about 1' - 6" from the female end, so that you have a female and a 6"-1' length and then wires coming out. Wire the white and black to the short wires from the ballast setup that used to go to the socket. Then green to the metal of the case (don't forget to get some exposed metal by sanding if it is painted. in the end you want the short piece of cord with female plug on end coming out of your ballast enclosure. as well as your current grounded cord and plug going into the wall

Now you should also have a 5' or so piece with a male plug and wires on the other end. Wire white and black to socket. Then green to the reflector/socket mount - again grounding to metal.

Now plug the male of from the socket into the female from the ballast and then plug into the wall

viola

you should be set and by having the plug between the ballast and the socket/reflector you have more flexibility for mounting, etc.

don't forget you can get a bigger extension cord if you wanted - just don't let it be more than 12'

and always ground everything!
 
N

namo420

Member
sugabear.....i really cant thank you enough,i dont know how to wire shit,and ive done this ballast in like 10 minutes,and its all thanks to suga,thanks again,so much(ill get a pic of my finished product)
 
G

Guest

suga, I think once my current grow is done, a) I'll have the money to remote all the ballasts, and b) I will probably be moving to a better situated location. so a lot of improvements will be made to my setup come fall, but let me personally thank you for enlightening me as to the possibilities I now face. your information cannot be more useful, infact, send me your email i have a gift i think you'll very much appreciate. and a person with the awareness to know the things you know deserves a sacred gift indeed. yours sincerely, I inhale.
 
D

DaDank

Member
Hard to Get

Hard to Get

Thanks for this idea Sugar Bear!!
Looks really interesting & economical.
But there is a problem. I live in a large metro area and was very disappointed to find that this Regent lamp was not available - as in on the shelf -anywhere.
I actually called Cooper Lighting (the parent company) who told me that this lamp was only available by special order through retailers (Lowe's, Home Depot). I cannot imagine why a company would make their product so hard to buy!! Is it possible that the secret is out? That the primary use for this lamp has become making plants happy? If so, I am sorta reluctant to order one. Do not want name & I.D. attached to the purchase.
Am I missing something, or is my paranoia reasonable?
Any advice is welcome.
DaDank
 
R

ReeferDan

Member
Does + and - matter with a long extension cord? If im consistent with my wires does it matter if i run black to white and white to black (fat prong skinny prong) of the wires going to the ballast and then to the plug?


I know that sounds kind of wierd and confusing but i know one wire is ground. Everything metal will be grounded (do we ground the socket area?) And then i have two other wires coming from the extension cord. One will go to the wider prong of the plug and one to the skinny prong. Does it matter which wire that goes to in my ballast or no?
 
sugabear_II

sugabear_II

Active member
Veteran
DaDank said:
Thanks for this idea Sugar Bear!!
Looks really interesting & economical.
But there is a problem. I live in a large metro area and was very disappointed to find that this Regent lamp was not available - as in on the shelf -anywhere.
I actually called Cooper Lighting (the parent company) who told me that this lamp was only available by special order through retailers (Lowe's, Home Depot). I cannot imagine why a company would make their product so hard to buy!! Is it possible that the secret is out? That the primary use for this lamp has become making plants happy? If so, I am sorta reluctant to order one. Do not want name & I.D. attached to the purchase.
Am I missing something, or is my paranoia reasonable?
Any advice is welcome.
DaDank
Click to expand...

hmmm.... I was able to find one on the shelf at lowes - I am suprised they don't still have them - last time I was in a Lowes they did.

If you end up being forced to order one check out e-conolight
"
An excellent source for very inexpensive HID lighting supplies. Many of us have purchased from them.
www.e-conolight.com
or businesslights
Energy efficient high-quality HID lighting parts at good prices
www.businesslights.com"

The $25 150 hps at this link (e-conolight) is an especially good deal for folks on a budget

http://www.e-conolight.com/Product/EProductDetail.asp?ProductFamilyID=7&FGNumber=E-MT7H151G
 
sugabear_II

sugabear_II

Active member
Veteran
ReeferDan said:
Does + and - matter with a long extension cord? If im consistent with my wires does it matter if i run black to white and white to black (fat prong skinny prong) of the wires going to the ballast and then to the plug?


I know that sounds kind of wierd and confusing but i know one wire is ground. Everything metal will be grounded (do we ground the socket area?) And then i have two other wires coming from the extension cord. One will go to the wider prong of the plug and one to the skinny prong. Does it matter which wire that goes to in my ballast or no?
Click to expand...

when you cut the extension cord there will be a white, black, and green or bare wire for the ground.

yes ground the socket area to your mount or reflector or something metal

yes I would stick with the white to white and black to black from the extension cord to the ballast. Is there a specific reason why you're not?
 
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