ok so i have hidhut's digital 400 watt ballast hps/mh. so can i use a 430 bulb?I was looking into the 430 Watt EYE Hortilux Super HPS. is there a difference between 400 to 430 and is 430 compatible with a 400 ballast.

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You can use it but it will only offer you 400 watts of light...not 430.

Save the $10-15 for your next lamp and get a 400 hortilux.

ww

then what the heck is the point of offering 430 bulb when there are not 430 balasts?

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Ya Bro You Need To Just Get A 400W.HPS Eye Hortilux, But There Is A 430W.HPS Ballast, I Have One It Will Only Run A 430w. Bulb, It Has A Few More Lum.'s Then A 400W., & It Is A Bright Little Bulb I Like It.
You Will Be Happy With The 400w. HPS Eye Hortilux It's A Good Bulb As Well.

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Ahhh...but there ARE 430 watt ballasts. Why? I have no idea....but they make 'em. (not in digital yet...as far as I know)

430 Watt HPS Complete HID Kit

^^^ not an endorsement, just the first ad to come up on a quick search

I have a 430 W and I love it. My first hps lamp. I saw the difference in lumens and blue light spectrum vs the extra cost and went for it. 430 hps specs.pdf

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So is it safe to run a 450W bulb in a 400W light then?

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First Grow: Bag Seed
http://www.greenpassion.org/f15/buying-vs-trying-13054/

"Such holidays in the sun don't come without sacrifices"

Try using a Philips SON Agro 430 Watt HPS Bulb: This bulb can be used for Vegetative Growing AND Flowering. THE Philips SonAgro 430 watt lamp features a 30% increase output in the blue region of the spectrum plus 6% more light output than a standard high pressure sodium lamp. the bulb will work with any 400W HPS ballast/reflector setup.

As I stated above....a 430 watt lamp will only run @ 400 watts and will only offer 400 watts of light in a 400 watt ballast.

Buying the 430 watt lamp makes no sense if you only have a 400 watt ballast. These lamps aren't like incandescents where you screw in a higher wattage and it instantly deilivers more light.

shine brightly

ww

The majority of ballasts for HID are what are known as constant wattage autotransformers. If you look next to the wattage rating on the nameplate there will be these three letters CWA. This is the wattage provided from the ballast, and this is the wattage that reacts in the arc tube. Unlike incandescents, which are resistive loads and make a dictation or have effect on the current drawn, these lamps have negligible resistance and rely on a steady wattage output to perform correctly. The reaction that causes the luminosity of the bulb, and the wavelengths of light as noted on par schedules, is caused by the doping of the arc tube with specific levels of different elements. These noted results are under the given wattages. Deviation from these wattages, when possible, causes a different reaction and a resulting shift in light emittance that can be unpredictable, and possibly a detriment (shifts to less vital or unusable spectral concentrations). It is advisable to use the appropriate lamp with the appropriate ballast. This being said, you can run the 430 on a 400 but you will get a different than expected result. A 450 might not work at all on a 400, because there is also a specific voltage requirement for running the lamp. HPS is less touchy about this, but it has an effect overall, and there are instances of ultimate incompatibility. This necessary voltage is referred to as open circuit voltage, and this should be on the nameplate as well, with the abbreviation "O.C.V." If you run the 400 on a 430w ballast, you will also get a different result if the O.C.V. remains within usable limits, and you will be pushing it's limits with the 430 w. This will result in a shortened life before it begins cycling, which is long past the mean lumen maintenance anyhow, which will also be shortened of duration. To note, 430w lamps have a shorter life and lumen maintenance even on their appropriate ballasts than their 400w counterparts. It's worth getting the correct lamp.

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W. Watson:

Buying a 430 watt bulb DOES make economical sense if the bulb is used for both vegging and flowering, which is what the SON Agro does. Two for the price of one... besides you're only eliminating 30 watts with a 400W ballast; a measly 9%.

I think I'm good. I got a 600watt lumatec with hortilux hps bulb.

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LOL. Good choice, Lee. I've been running 6 of those Lumateks for about 2 years now with no problems.

just veg 'em with that lamp. The extra lumens will rock their world.

ww