T5 died. New veg light.. 250 or 400w MH?

[Steve McStoferson]

My 110w T5 died on me sometime during the night. I woke up to a completely dead lamp. If I plug it in, the lights flash on for a second, then turn off. The light isn't very old, so the bulbs definitely shouldn't have burned out, and I find it odd that both bulbs would go at the same time, so I'm guessing the ballast went. I don't want to buy new bulbs if the ballast is dead so I'm thinking of just getting a MH setup to veg with. I like the faster more luscious growth the MH gives and the T5's just lack in that area, it takes much longer for a plant to bush up.

Anyway, I'm thinking of going with the 250w, but would I get much benefit from using the 400? Heat isn't an issue at all and I generally run 6-8 plants in veg at a time. I'm trying to build up some good mothers and sustain them in there so I would maybe have 3-4 different moms under there. I'm thinking MH too because it should help the moms bounce back quicker and regrow after cuttings are taken.

Also curious if anyone has used magnetic ballasts and if it's worth the cheaper price. I found a 250w magnetic for $117 for the complete kit.

 

[Droopy Dog]

My T-5 won't light if one of the bulbs is burnt.

I doubt if both bulbs burnt out, but I bet one of them did.

If you have a digi timer, that will toast bulbs right quick.

I've also had bulbs go bad within a month or so and others seem to last forever. They are made in China, so take that for what it's worth.

I like the T-5's for vegging way more than the MH I was using.

Is yours from HTG?

DD

 

[Steve McStoferson]

yeah my T5 is made by HTG I'm pretty sure, i know it has the HTG sticker on the reflector. I wasn't aware that if one bulb went the other would also go. Did it produce the initial one second of light then shut off when yours go out?

I was using a 600w MH for a while, but now thats just my HPS flower cab, and the 110w T5 doesn't really cut it. The light was plugged straight into the outlet. I used to have it on a mechanical timer for 18/6 but lately I've just been running it 24/0 to help keep it warm. I'm hoping your right about the bulbs.

 

[Droopy Dog]

I quit with the HTG bulbs, even though they were replacing them, no problem, under the warranty. Great customer service, but the bulbs were mostly crap and burnt out pretty quick. I have the PL-L 55w, 2 bulb-2' lamp.

Now, I get my bulbs from AtlantaLightbulbs and even though they are also made in China, so far they seem to be higher quality. I'll look for the link if you're interested. The cost is the same as HTG.

DD

 

[Steve McStoferson]

good to know, I need bulbs real quick so I'm just going to HTG today to get some. I will definitely invest in other bulbs though for next time

 

[Steve McStoferson]

i think its the t5's hes referring to. I have a 600w HPS/MH from HTG and it's been running strong for about a year now.

 

[Steve McStoferson]

picked up some bulbs on friday and it fixed the problem. I'm glad I started a thread instead of just going and buying another light lol. I used the extra cash I had set aside to finish getting supplies for my aero bucket cloner. Put that thing together over the weekend and had great success. Ended up fitting 16 sites in the 5 gal lid, which is far more than I originally planned. Took a trial run of 4 cuttings and put them in the machine. Hopefully in a week we have some roots