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Old 28-12-2004, 01:21 PM
dd
 
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In article , Rob Halgren
wrote:

Well, I've installed the 2 400 watt mh lights and I don't think I'll need any
supplementary lighting afterall.

snips here and below
Check again in a few weeks, it will drop a significant amount. Not
so much that you need to worry about it, but the bulbs do have an
initial burn in period (like fluorescent tubes). It will still be
plenty bright in there.


I replace my 400 watt MH bulb every fall. It does not burn during the
summer months because the plants are summered outside. When I replace
the bulb, I follow this procedu Catts and their crosses that have
just finished summering outside go under the fixture, which is about
3.5 feet to 4 feet above the humidity trays and is next to a
south-facing window. (By this time, they've set sheaths, which
continue to develop with no danger of burning.) New plants or
windowsill plants get moved to the side of the fixture so they don't
burn-- they also get light from the windows. After a month, they can be
brought in closer to the HID light.


Also found I don't need a heater either.


Yep, the light puts out a lot of heat. Because I have many humidity
trays and a room set off from the rest of the house, I have no problem
with humidity. Humidity trays DO work in an enclosed environment. This
morning, it is 6 degrees F. outside, with relative humidity in the 50s.
The relative humidity inside the orchid room is 75%, just from the
humidity trays. The downside of using humidity trays is that they get a
lot of algae and require dumping and cleaning (about every 10 days for
me). You might be happier with a fogger--it will certainly save time.

That is a fortunate (or unfortunate) side effect of the big lights.
For some systems (Hydrofarm, for sure) you can get manufacturer designed
powered venting. Like dryer vents with a fan... Makes it look more
space-agey in your basement. Remote ballasts help too, if your cord is
long enough to reach outside the plant room. I've not had a problem
with excess heat in the several years that I've had my current setup,
due to the location of the room in the basement. But if you are getting
up to 91F in the winter with your setup, you will want to consider
venting some of that heat out of there. Be creative, a dryer vent and a
muffin fan will solve a lot of problems....


The humming of a ballast is, to me, VERY annoying. Because my office
is also "the orchidarium, " I had an electrician drill a hole in the
floor, replace the short balast cord with a long one, and put the
ballast box in the garage below, where I can't hear it. It's on a
timer, so I don't have to horse around with going downstairs to turn it
off and on. The ballast box also puts out heat, which I don't need,
and you probably don't either, so putting the box in the garage was a
good solution.

DD