Anybody flowered under old school Metal Halide?

Grow space wait what u talking about the 10.26 a day ya that’s the entire house

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Magnetic ballasts is what I use

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That’s why u get hoods ducting etc I will be switching to hoods here shortly spring n summer coming an they really ain’t that expensive to run like I said I pay 10.26 a day for the entire household

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Haha I knew we would be back to arguing about LED v HID and honestly it’s kind of boring. They both have a use in my garden and like I mentioned before if it works for you sounds good to me.

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Howdy @Cummings420 and @Ace71975, running HID lamps at night when the ambient temperature is lower than during the daytime is a helpful strategy. Even in the deep south one can run some HID lamps with a good exhaust setup and stay within 4-5 degrees of the ambient temperature (without even using supplemental air conditioning). With less than ideal exhaust and ventilation those figures can be more challenging to attain. Air cooled reflectors and sufficient intake and exhaust while running at night time makes a world of difference when it comes to managing the heat load with respect to HID equipment. Many blessings and much love

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We pay like 6 bucks a day for the whole house, and I have a total of 650w of Led lighting running. We also have 3 fridges running, two full size in the house and one mini fridge in the garage. Just My LED came out to like 1.30 a day or something like that, But i am in a very small town with Low cost electricity, like less than 10 cents a KWH.

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Oh ya you can keep the temps down with equiptment, venting, AC units, etc but its still outdated tech that cost more to run than LED and does not have near the spectrum choices you have with either T5(still outdated tech, just has more bulb choices and is cheaper to run than MH or HPS) and LED.

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Being a Science Geek and a Tech Nerd, the Idea of Outdated old tech is just offensive to me for some reason lol

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my first real attempt at growing was a t-5 badboy light type but custom built by an IBM tech at the time who put it together with 8 t-5 bulbs. Only bulbs i could find at those times were 6000k if memory serves. I then spent some hazard pay on a 400 Mh in same 6000k with an parabolic reflector that i would use as veg then id add a 600 kooltube on another side to have both…tried light movers but found it easier to just move them every 36 hours so they got diff aspects of the lighting. We used fishing shanties back then because the indoor grow tent market wasnt fully realized here at the time.

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Yes we do too 3 fridges 4 freezers heater runs all day power runs all day here an still only 10 bucks an it going down an it’s really not outdated technology sure it’s old but solid still produces great effects

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Definitely makes a world of difference running at night cheaper electric colder etc I like running at night

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Howdy @Ace71975, I really like T5’s and prefer them for starting seeds and most of the vegging but like to veg and additional week or two under the HID’s.

You’re right about the efficiency in terms of cost but I think there’s something valuable to the increased penetration into the canopy that HID’s provide compared to LED’s. I’ve seen some great gardens lit by LED just like I’ve seen some great gardens lit by HID, so I don’t think it has to be one or the other. Both are viable options depending on ones preference. Similarly, I’ve seen some less than ideal gardens lit by LED as well as some less than ideal gardens lit by HID. It’s sort of like surfing equipment, or most any sports equipment. Kelly Slater can probably ride a wooden door better than some can ride the most modern and advanced surfboard, just like Novak Djokovic can probably beat just about any non professional player with an old wooden tennis racket playing against a club pro playing with the most modernly constructed racket. How Tiger Woods can probably beat most any non professional with a set of wooden clubs from 1930 playing against someone with the most modern Pings, and so on and so forth. So to say, they both (HID and LED alike) can deliver quality results if the user is knowledgeable and skillful to bring out the best results. Many blessings and much love

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Now you can get SOOOOOOO many choices in T5HO fixtures, with 48in 54W bulbs.

You can even get LED tubes to put in the T5 Fixture.

And that is just SOME of the choices you have in T5. If I personally was going to go Old Tech, I would go T5 just on the fact that I can REALLY dial in spectrum with it, they even have 12,000K bulbs, like 6500K daylight bulbs on steroids! With HID you literally have 2 spectrum choices MH or HPS, that is NOT enough spectrum choice for me personally.

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Oh ya, I have saw some killer plants under all three, HID,LED and T5. Skill of the grower for sure, I just personally like to fine tune my spectrums, and need more than 2 choices. My current led light has 15 differnt spectrum settings i can choose from.

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Science geek ? Tech nerd ?
You are far away from that if you call HIDs outdated tech haha
You just another grower who fell for the hype.
The only argument people who call other people dinosaurs is just time related arguments, no science.
Those remarks just make leds growers look bad and ignorant.

It always comes down to heat…
Man if you can’t handle growing weed under HIDs just don’t grow weed, focus on lettuce or some…All these shortcuts just makes you sick and unhealthy as they radiate you and your plants constantly.
Weed as an oil producer need the full array of wavelengths only the sun and HIDs produce to truly shine.
LEDs will grow weed, T5 aswell, Plasma, sure
HIDs do it the best for years, without harming you or your plants while doing so.

This is strictly about people’s health, I don’t know maybe you do get what you like under LEDs and I’m not dismissing their capabilities but think about you and the people around you health and well being.

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Hps n Mh come in spectrum too I got sky blue MH an my HPS are orange n red PAR only thing I can’t do is dim them down

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I’ve never used a kooltube but I have one an want to use it next run is there anything I need to do or be worried about the kooltube

Keep the glass clean that’s about it, there’s a 10% reduction in bulb output also but that’s not something to worry about

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Awesome thank u what about placement should this be in the middle

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We are talking about something that came out in the 60s. 1962 for MH and 1964 for HPS that is the DEFINITION of OUTDATED old tech. LEDs are FAR from Hype, they are LEGIT real deal.

Also you got that Totally Backward on the Radiation HID lighting produces MORE of it than Led, but hey you do you man(ie negitive health impact on you and plants).

HID Lights (MH & HPS)

  • Infrared Radiation (Heat): Very high—HID lights get extremely hot and radiate heat outward.
  • UV Radiation: Metal Halide lamps in particular can emit UV light, especially if the outer bulb envelope is damaged. HPS emits less UV, but still some.
  • Risk: Prolonged exposure to unshielded MH light (like from a broken bulb) can cause UV burns (skin and eye irritation), similar to a sunburn.

:rainbow: LED Lights

  • Infrared Radiation (Heat): Very low—LEDs are efficient at converting energy into light rather than heat.
  • UV Radiation: Modern grow LEDs (unless specifically UV-enhanced) emit very little UV.
  • Risk: Minimal. Most LEDs are safe even at close range.

:trophy: Overall Winner (Less Radiation): LED

  • LED lighting produces far less excess radiation (heat, UV) than HID lighting.
  • LEDs are also safer for long-term exposure in grow rooms because they produce very little harmful UV and generate less heat stress for plants and people.

Here is an example of what Modern LEDs can do. Now I will agree that the old Blurple lights WERE nothing but hype.

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