PC upgrade to VHO?

[MyMonkey]

I came upon a good deal on VHO setup. Ballasts and up to 440 watts of lighting in 4 bulbs. ARO electronic VHO ballast in fact. I am looking for info on VHO vs. the current PC's I have. I have the Coralife 192 watt 36 inch with Moon light led's. I realize the VHO's have more watts available, but should I even bother? I plan on making a custom canopy any way, so I will be upgrading no matter what. TIA

 

[DragonForce]

Considered MH? looks neat too 8O

 

[MyMonkey]

Naturally I have considered MH. However, the VHO's are pretty cheap and I assume they are a stup up from what I have. True?

 

[greenmaji]

a 110watt VHO has about 5000 lumen..
a 55-65watt PC has close to the same or a little more.. I dont think you will see much more light.. IMO

 

[greenmaji]

the PC bulbs are not as big in diameter making them more efficient as far as light output per watt.. HTH

 

[MyMonkey]

Well then, I suppose I will be seeking out new bulbs for my PC then. Thanks folks.

 

[greenmaji]

Check out this e-bay sellers prices on bulk packs of PC bulbs..
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZaquadealQQhtZ-1

 

[HoopsGuru]

Lumens measure light as perceived by the human eye, which means different color temperature bulbs will give different lumen readings. In a nutshell, this means that the lumen reading can vary dramatically (depending on kelvin or "color temperature") versus the actual useful intensity of the bulbs. Thus, comparing VHO vs. PC in this manner may very well be apples to oranges (not sure if similar temperature bulbs were used in this particular case).

Because of how much lumens can vary...it may be better to evaluate what your livestock needs' are and try to match your choice up as best you can with a Google search of PAR data (the measure of intensity or useful radiation).