Re: Halide lamps

Bob Beer (bbeer@u.washington.edu)
Mon, 7 Jun 1993 17:20:55 -0700 (PDT)

> >>You can count on payint $200 - 300 for a thousand-watt light. I wouldn't
> >>go for any less - this will give you a good growing area. Depending on
> >>your local rates, you will pay about 20 per month to run it.
>
> That seems like a LOT of light. Like more than I'd need.
> I was thinking more in the 150-300 watt range. Are those
> prices for the bulb, socket, and reflector unit, or just
> the bulb? How long do bulbs last, and how much to they
> cost to replace?

Not really. It is a lot of light, but not for CP, if you want any kind of
good area. This will give you about a 10 foot circle (but not all of it
is intense enough for the really high-light things such as sarracenias).
I would go with at least a 400 watt setup. Anything less costs just as
much (or only minimally less) than the 400 w setup, so your savings are
not much, but your loss of power is.

> I wish I could share your trust. I'd really rather not
> have myself, my housemate, and my neighbors woken up at
> 4am as the Goon Squad kicks in my door and stuffs a
> machine-gun in my crotch :-(. I think I'll purchase it
> locally. Of course if I pay cash I'm likely to attract
> further attention.

Well, the raids locally were on people who had bought their lights from
the store I worked at. The DEA took the computer and all our records.
But we deal mainly in cacti and succulents, as well as other really exotic
things, so we had plenty of customers growing legal things. Of course we
know some people are going to grow other things, but we try and screen
them out. (Certain "buzz words" tip you off). Generally the police just
knocked on the doors and asked to see what was being grown. Also, they
usually don't check on people with only one light unless they think they
have a really good reason. (That being reports from other people they
have caught, or sudden jumps in utility bills - I am talking big jumps, as
when someone buys 6 1000 watt setups and starts them up, making their
utility bill jump 120 dollars all of a sudden - a growing operation). We
just aren't really worth their trouble.