400-Watt MH Outdoor Fixture Questions

[TorturedSoul]

I just lucked into a 400-Watt MH, the kind used for outdoor area lighting. It works, and my buddy promised to trade the bulb for a new one out of the stock at the plant where he works.

Unfortunately, I'll have to use this for flowering. Yeah, I know, I know... But that's my only option right now.

So I've got this light and it's been 15 years since I "remoted" a built-in ballast. I looked around for a sticky but haven't found one yet. Can someone point me in the right direction?

I'd also like to know the size range for a "room" using such a light as a flowering light. I don't believe the ballast has enough hours to have degraded much and I will be using a new bulb - but not a horticultural one. I have some trepidation about just trying to find the rated lumen output of the bulb and going from there because I realize that a MH is NOT the ideal light for flowering and that I'll have to take that into account.

Of course this comes at a great time because the crappy things I've got growing have pretty much outgrown the six 20something 6500k CFLs I've got them "under."

Unfortunately, that means that I've got to construct the box ASAP and I don't want to just guess on the size and then end up learning after I've finished that I was wrong.

Box will be painted flat white, NOT mylar (we're poor around here).

Thanks (much!) in advance.

 

[Damagoman]

15 years since I "remoted" a built-in ballast

See if this helps:
How can I build my own HPS or MH light system?

Welcome Back to the BrotherHood

 

[TorturedSoul]

See if this helps:
How can I build my own HPS or MH light system?

Thanks. I'm surprised it's not a sticky so as to help prevent forest fires lol.

Welcome Back to the BrotherHood

Wasn't away for quite that long, just went to store-bought stuff for a while. Although I did "go away" after some chick convinced me to get rid of everything down to the last harmless seed. <MOURNS OWN STUPIDITY>

Then I DID stop for a time but of course the woman has long since been replaced and there are people depending on me for their meds since (a) they can't pay and (b) you can't get a med card around here. So I'll be attempting to learn all those poor boy tricks that I didn't really need to know before (no budget... Depression? If you're poor enough, you'll never notice, just like the last one lol) and although it's true that "win or lose," everything in life is still a learning experience, I hope that in this my learning doesn't cost too much on the end results. Guess it's different when people are looking towards you for help; it's sure a lot more stressful.

SO... I'll be pestering everyone for a while I suppose.