VHO lighting, how long do they last?

[five.five-six]

I am running 2 VHO lamps as dusk and dawn, 2 hours in the morning and 2 at night, they are in an open canopy. they have been running for almost a year now and i am starting to think about changing them

 

[125G Reefer]

Just 4 hours a day? They should still be good. They'll go about 6-9 months using them for 8 hours a day. Or heres the kicker, keep a new one for a spare, and if you think they are getting bad, throw in the new one and get an idea of how much light they have lost.

 

[five.five-six]

now that is a good idea, does anyone know where to get the Phillips .03

 

[grigsy]

It depends a bit also on the ballast you are running them on also. For example, if you are using a Magnatek ballast, you should consider replacing about every 6 months. If you are running an Ice Cap or Fulham electronic ballast, you should get more time out of the VHO bulbs - about every 10-12 months you should change. At least, that has been my experience with VHO bulbs.

Dont know about Phillips 03 blue but I do like Voltarc and URI (now UV lighting) VHO Actinics. Try either Champion http://www.championlighting.com/home.php?cat=822 or Hamilton Tech http://www.hamiltontechnology.com/s...er+Actinic+Blue+Fluorescent+Replacement+Bulbs

 

[VaderWS6]

I've been using my 110 watt VHO actinics for about 7 years now. I was just using them to balance the 10k XM metal halides, but now that I have Radium 20k's, I just use them for 2 hours dawn 2 hour dusk. I was running them every day for 10 hours. If you're just using them for dawn/dusk, I wouldn't worry about replacing them. Just a waste of money. I've never had VHO bulbs fail, and have always run VHO on an Icecap 660. They're not as bright as when I first purchased them, but its not that big of a difference in appearance. BTW, they're URI bulbs.

 

[five.five-six]

thanks for the links, I am running 140 watt 60" on a PFO ballets, the thing is huge so I suspect that is magnetic.

when you say 6 months, is that for a 8-10 hr day, because i am only running them 4 hrs a day

 

[125G Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14858588#post14858588 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
thanks for the links, I am running 140 watt 60" on a PFO ballets, the thing is huge so I suspect that is magnetic.

when you say 6 months, is that for a 8-10 hr day, because i am only running them 4 hrs a day

Yes, that is the time reference.8-10 hrs a day, change em around 6-9 months. 4 hours a day an double the time frame, 12-18 months.