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Why iPower Makes The Best Ballast For Indoor Growing – 2024

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A Detailed Look At The iPower 400 Watt HPS MH Digital Dimmable Grow Light System Kit

Over my years of experience in growing, I have realized that lighting is one of the most important factors for getting good quality and high yield from indoor growth. A vast variety of lighting options are available to people for providing the correct amount of light to their plants.

Modern equipment such as reflectors and ballasts can help in efficiently utilizing the energy while maintaining safety levels. Advanced systems can be adjusted to ensure that the plants remain in the correct temperature and get optimal levels of lighting.

Before we move on below is the current price and rating on Amazon.com

Features At A Glance

  • 400W Digital Dimmable Electronic Ballast: Support 120V/240V Input; Dimmable Options: 50%, 75%, 100%; 8 Feet heavy-duty power cord included; Stable power output ensure flicker free light.
  • 1 x 400W Super HPS Bulb 2100K; 1 x 400W MH Bulb 6000K; Optimized spectrum and high PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation) to promote healthy plant growth and soonest flourish.
  • 1 x Pair of 8-ft adjustable Ratchet Clip Hanger Rope: hold up to 150 lbs.
  • 19-inch Wing Reflector: up to 4′ x 4′ light coverage; Built-in 15 feet heavy duty lamp cord (UL Listed) with E39 Ceramic Mogul Socket and standard Hydroponic S-Plug; highly 95% reflective textured German aluminum maximizes the light reflected to the plants.
  • CAUTION: This system will generate too much heat to be used in an enclosed area without ventilation. Adequate ventilation is required for all iPower grow light systems. We recommend the use of an iPower inline fan.

Best Lighting Option:

Ballasts are commonly employed for indoor gardening to install a large number of bulbs safely. The bulbs used have high intensity which can imitate sunlight to promote plant growth as required. The ballast controls the electric current which helps the lamps to function with higher efficiency resulting in lower energy bills.

Ballasts can have different designs and types which can make it extremely hard for you to select the perfect one. However, I have noticed that most growers do not stick to the same type of plants (strain) for long periods of time which makes it extremely hard to predict what type of lighting the future batches may require.

After trying more than two dozen popular models by most recommended companies, I have found iPower’s HPS MH Grow Light System with 400 Watt power rating to be the best ballast for indoor growing.

Brand Trust:

The products from iPower come with a guarantee of high quality and advanced technology as the company has an experience of over 10 years and is among the leading grow light system manufacturers. Along with digital ballasts, iPower also provides super MH and HPS lamps along with LED and fluorescent lighting.

Their products can help indoor growers and gardeners for hobby or commercial purposes. Their equipment and tools can help in efficient climate control, hydroponic growth and irrigation for helping the plants to thrive in any type of indoor environment.

Advanced Technology:

iPower’s system comes with HID technology which helps in generating more lumens of light through the available energy. This helps in reducing the energy consumption drastically as HID is the most cost effective lighting solution available commercially.

The system features a balanced set of lights to create a spectrum which is absorbed by the chlorophylls easily while promoting more production of chlorophyll and regulating the life of plant.

Everything Within One Kit:

This system contains everything that you will need for setting up a lighting system indoors. You don’t need to mix fluorescent or extra LED bulbs which provide minimal benefits while costing twice or thrice as much. Since the entire kit has been designed and manufactured by iPower, the parts are highly compatible with each other and can be assembled easily.

Although it is simple to connect and set up the iPower Grow Light System, I would advise you to refer the manual instructions carefully when using it for the first time. This will help in avoiding any mistakes while allowing you to know the vast range of functionalities offered by the system and adjusting it for best results. The kit comes with 5 main parts along with accessories:

1. Digitally Dimmable Ballast Of 400 Watts:

This electronic ballast supports input voltage of 120 or 240 Volts and can be operated at 50, 75 or 100 percent power for adjusting the light as required. The ballast claims to generate 30 percent more light as compared to magnetic ballasts and I noticed that my yield increased because of this.

It is extremely convenient to set up and adjust the ballast as it comes with a durable power cord and wired using S-Plug. The lamp also ignites quickly within 2 minutes once the bulbs are lighted while the high frequency output reduces power loss. The ballast can be programmed through a microchip and converts automatically between MH and HPS lights.

I also noticed that the stable voltage generated no flickers and the ballast was not damaged due commonly observed factors such as power surges, bulb fuses, short circuits or ignition failures.

A cooling fan and intelligent design further kept the ballast temperature low and allowed it to function for long periods continuously. It comes with a 2 year warranty period as well which is not bad and it’s pretty standard among other brands of ballasts on the market.

2. Wing Reflector Hood:

The basic gull type reflector I use can also be employed for 250, 600 or 1000 watt MS/HPS light systems to cover an area of up to 4X4 square feet. The lightweight hood comes with an inbuilt lamp cord of 10 feet length and ceramic sockets.

The 0.4 mm thick reflective surface is made of German aluminum which has been textured to reflect 95 percent of light and reliably helps to intensify the light while enlarging the lighting area. The mounting bracket for reflector is made using galvanized steel which makes it extremely sturdy and strong.

3. HPS Bulb Of 400 Watts:

With a capacity of of 55,000 lumens and a color temperature of 2100 Kelvin(K), this high pressure sodium bulb (HPS) boasts having a lifespan of 32,000 hours while featuring a 1 year warranty. They are also compatible with magnetic ballasts and maintain more than 90 percent of initial lighting capacity even after working for 6500 hours.

They are designed specifically for indoor growing proved to be better for promoting the growth of flowers and fruiting process when I compared them to other HPS grow lights and bulbs.

4. MH Bulb Of 400 Watts:

The metal halide (MH) bulb has a lighting capacity of 36,000 lumens with a lengthy lifespan of 12,000 hours and boasts a color temperature of 6000 Kelvin(K).

They are also compatible with magnetic ballasts and maintain more than 90 percent capacity even after running for 5000 hours. They also feature a one year warranty and helped my plants by speeding up their growth process.

5. Heavy Duty Clip Hanger Adjustable Rope:

I found this rope to be extremely helpful while adjusting the height and position of the lighting system. This rope has ample length of 8 feet and a thickness of 0.125 inches which helps it to support up to 150 pounds of weight although I have never needed it for supporting more than 100-110 pounds.

It comes with 4 carabiner clips which further increase the ease of usage. The rope is made using braided polypropylene, hooks are made of zinc plated steel and internal gears contain 100 percent stainless steel making it highly resistant to tear and rust.

I have used this fully adjustable rope with locking facility for a variety purposes but it has never given me any problems.

Other Models Of This Kit Available

iPower creates other Models of this kit. The main difference between the models is the wattage of the bulbs. I haven’t personally used them myself, because I’ve only used the 400 watt version, but I’ve listed the other models below:

iPower 600 Watt HPS Digital Dimmable Grow Light System Kits Wing Reflector Set

iPower 1000 Watt HPS Digital Dimmable Grow Light System Kits Wing Reflector Set

Overall/Final Thoughts

As I’ve said at the beginning I’ve tried quite a few ballasts, but out of all of them I’ve been impressed and pleased more with the iPower ballasts. Added to the fact that this ballast comes in a complete kit with a reflector hood and all at a competitive price just completes the sweet deal. You certainly won’t be disappointed with this item.

Additional Resources/Info

Grow Light Switchable Ballasts Info

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Growing Plants Indoors With Artificial Lights & Its Benefits

Indoor gardening ranges from a potted plant hanging by the window to full-fledged hydroponic systems with grow lights, nutrient and water delivery systems and sensors. The ideal setup for you depends on what you want to raise and the value you place on the crops.

What Are the Benefits of Indoor Gardening with Grow Lights?

One of the top benefits of indoor gardening with artificial lighting is that you can grow plants out of season. It’s so cool because you can expose flowering plants to red light for example, and watch them bloom, just as if they were planted outside because you are providing the right conditions for growth. This benefit allows you to grow greens and blooms that usually grow in the spring or summer in the winter time.

Grow lights that let you put out specific wavelengths allow you to optimize for leaf growth or flowers. You end up with a higher yield for the part of the plant you want.

Another benefit of indoor gardening under grow lights is that you can grow plants that don’t normally grow in your area where you live at. This means that semi-tropical and tropical blooms could grow in your indoor garden even though they would never have a chance if raised outside.

Another awesome benefit and this was a benefit that really excited me when I first started indoor gardening and it’s that you can control conditions to optimize your plants for certain traits. This means that you can raise lettuce and other leafy vegetables indoors to maximize for maximum yield and you will not have to worry about bugs to eat up and kill those plants.

As we’ll discuss a bit later in the article in more detail, but another benefit depending on the lights you select, you could end up with local heat sources that keep semi-tropical and tropical plants warm even though they are sitting in an apartment that is constantly 70 degrees Fahrenheit inside.

Understanding Your Options with Grow Lights

The Benefits Of Using LED Grow Lights

LED grow lights such as the Hydrogalaxy 300w or 600w use a fraction of the power of other lighting technologies out there right now. For greenhouses, you could save up to half the energy you would need for HPS lights.

However, you need to be careful about the amount of light the LEDs release. Some of the LEDs offered as energy efficient are cheap and don’t put out as much light as other grow lights, with a number of them not even putting out enough light for the flowering phase. What I learned is that you can avoid this problem by selecting LED grow lights that put out at least 2.0 micromoles per Watt.

Durability of LED Grow Lights

One of the main benefits of using LED lights is that they last a lot longer than conventional or fluorescent lights. They don’t suddenly stop working, either, but dim slowly when their lifespan is being reached. Many LED Grow Lights today have auto shut off timers or programmable timers when you want the lights on, dimmed, or off.

Some nerd specs here, but it’s important to know and that is that LED lights put out light wavelengths ideal for photosynthesis; HPS lights, the traditional alternative, don’t put out light on the 400-500 and 600-700 nm range that is ideal for growing plants. You can also find LED lights that put out light in specific spectra like blue or deep red.

Daisy Chain Them Baby’s For Extra Coverage

There is the matter of simplified lighting system designs, since you can use them in vertical systems, inter-lighting designs or ceiling lights. And many LED systems such as the Hydrogalaxy 300 can be daisy-chained, simplifying connected via wires that never touch the ground.

Heat Control and Economical Designs

LED lights don’t put out much heat either which is a plus. These lights are economical, producing more light per watt than fluorescents or HIDs.

If you want to expose plants to 24 hour light to accelerate growth, LED lights are the best choice. And if environmental issues are a factor, the fact that these lights don’t contain toxic substances like mercury is a plus.

Incandescent Lighting

Incandescent lights can be utilized as indoor grow lights in a few cases. They’re too hot to be right next to delicate plants though. They naturally put out a lot of light on the red side of the light spectrum but not the blue, so it can fuel growth of leafy greens and an herb garden but won’t be as good for woody plants.

You want blue light if fueling growth in the vegetative stage. You can use these to supplement natural light for your window herb garden and seedlings if not too close. The downside for these bulbs is their relatively high energy consumption.

Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lights have the benefits of energy efficiency and low heat generation. They also produce light across a broad spectrum. The downside is that they don’t put out a lot of light, so they work best as supplementary lights for plants that need more natural light than they’re getting.

Fluorescent lights are not good enough if you have sun loving plants that need high intensive lighting. Nor do they put out much in the red spectrum, something you want if maximizing leaf growth is what your looking for.

Fluorescent grow lights are manufactured and sell well due to their usefulness. In case your didn’t know fluorescent grow lights are measured by their diameter. A T5 is best for propagation of plants while they don’t work well for vegetative and flowering plants.

HID Lights (High Intensive Discharge)

A HID or high intensive discharge light uses large bulbs that ignite gas inside the bulb. HIDs may be high pressure sodium lights (HPS) or metal halides (MH). In either case, they use tungsten electrodes to ignite the gas within the bulb.

Metal halide lamps put out a lot of blue light which are ideal for the vegetative stage of plants. High pressure sodium lamps put out more light in the red spectrum, and these are ideal for flowering plants.

HID lamps create much more usable light than fluorescent bulbs. They’re often dimmable, though the same is true of LEDs. The downside of these lamps is the amount of heat they generate; they can’t be put a few inches above your plants without risking either burning them with heat or sun-burning them with the intensity of light.

What Is A Ballast?

Another consideration is the ballast; nearly any LED light can be plugged into ballasts designed for LED lights whereas some ballast only work with MH or HPS lights. If you want a mix of lights, you need several ballasts.

Reflectors

And then there is the need for extra hardware like reflectors. These bulbs do contain mercury, so you need to be careful not to break them while changing them out. If you’re using HPS lights, expect to need a ventilation system and AC system in your grow room. Conversely, LED lights get by with a fan that is often built into the ballast.

Light Emitting Ceramics

Light emitting ceramics are even more advanced. They use a ceramic arc like HPS bulbs but operate like halide lights. They last longer than metal halide and HPS lights. Their light spectrum is similar to natural light, ideal for both vegetable growth and flowering.

The downsides of these artificial grow lights are that you can only use magnetic ballasts and their cost. These are expensive and nowhere within my inventory of grow lights to tell you the truth. These are more for industrial purposes unless you just have the money, these are a good option.

Another negative aspect of these light emitting ceramics is the fact that they put out UV light. Other lights come with warnings that you shouldn’t look into them for risk of burning your retinas. These have that risk as well as the risk that they’ll cause sunburn. Wear long sleeves as well as UV-blocking sunglasses if you are considering using these lights.

Sulphur plasma grow lights resemble natural light, including putting out the bright light sun-loving plants will thrive under. The problem is that they can’t be put close to plants. These lights could be used at the top of high-ceiling grow rooms or greenhouses.

A good thing about these lights is that they are long-lasting. If you’re using them in a grow tent, they need to be high up because they could literally heat the tent if not burn it. On the downside, Plasma grow lights tend to be very expensive and because of this they are usually used for industrial purposes.

Additional Resources

Jaka Designs – All About Gardening

6 Steps On How To Grow Plants With Grow Lights

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