Both Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium bulbs are part of the HID family of bulbs. Metal halide lamps and high pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs fall into this category. Metal halides are compounds between metals and halogens. High pressure sodium grow lights produce up to 40% more lumens per watt than metal halide lights, and this then leads to much higher yields when marijuana is flowering. 2. 2.3 Quartz Metal Halide (QMH) Metal Halide lamps have an efficacy of 80-115 lumens per watt and have a life between 10,000-20,000 hours. Madhusha is a BSc (Hons) graduate in the field of Biological Sciences and is currently pursuing for her Masters in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. Because of their numerous advantages, metal halide lamps are used extensively in outdoor applications and in commercial interiors. Two main types of MH grow light bulbs are commonly available to growers: 1) Standard metal halide bulbs, which must be operated on metal halide ballasts or digital ballasts, and 2) metal halide conversion bulbs which must be operated on standard high pressure sodium ballasts or digital ballasts. Sodium Lamps: High-pressure sodium sources were developed primarily for their energy efficiency. Figure 1: Sodium Chloride Crystal Structure. Score: LED 5, Metal Halide 0 LED floodlights vs High Pressure Sodium floodlights Efficiency High Pressure Sodium floodlights come closer to rivalling LED floodlights than halogen and metal halide. Metal halides are inorganic compounds composed of a metal ion and a halide ion. A high pressure sodium bulb produces light that is reddish-yellow, while metal halide bulbs produce a much more balanced white light that has more of the visual spectrum. Well, both these lights have specific characteristics that … Both the MH and the HPS are widely used for outdoor lighting. It produces light by electrical breakdown of a gaseous mixture of vaporized mercury and metal halides. Because of their mercury content, neither type of lamp is particularly good for the environment. have you thought about using LED lights for spreader lights, there are some pretty great options out there now a days. High pressure sodium lamps help promote flowering in plants. High Pressure Sodium: High pressure sodium lamps have sodium, mercury, xenon, etc. But how did we come up with that product, and how did we make the original decision on what was the proper replacement? A 250 watt metal halide lamp will last from 10,000 to 15,000 hours. Show Printable Version; 09-04-2011, 07:31 AM #1. One, Metal Halide is for the vegetative growth stage and the other, High Pressure Sodium is for the flowering stage.. you use both.. period, the end. Metal halide bulbs, sometimes shortened to just “MH” and high pressure sodium bulbs, sometimes shortened to simply “HPS”, are in a family called High Intensity Discharge bulbs, or “HID” for short. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. The metal halides used for this purpose are metal bonded with bromine or iodine. And a lot of time, we have a product in mind that works based on past experience. These compounds have high melting and boiling points. A metal halide bulb will produce around 58 lumens per watt; 14,500 lumens total. HID wall packs have higher initial Lumen ratings than equivalent LED fixtures and feature an internal aluminum reflector to better direct the light outward. These metal halides improve the efficiency and color rendition of the light. A typical 250 watt high pressure sodium bulb will produce around 87 lumens per watt; 21,750 lumens total. High pressure sodium lamps are an improved version of low pressure sodium lamps. HPS bulbs are 30%+ more efficient than MH bulbs but they only have around 3% blue in the spectrum. An ionic bond is a type of chemical bond which has an electrostatic attraction between a cation and an anion. Mercury is a dangerous substance found in all high intensity discharge light bulbs. Light intensity is measured in lumens. just my opinions though. These metal halides are highly soluble in water forming the aqueous metal ion and the halide ion. When I first started growing, I made the mistake of … High Pressure Sodium: High pressure sodium lamps are used for lightening purposes and in plant growth stimulation. Halogens are the elements in the group 7. They are heralded because of the quality of light they produce. Some transition metal halides also dissolve in water. The downside of MH bulbs for growing is their relative inefficiency compared to High Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs. Home » Science » Chemistry » Inorganic Chemistry » Difference Between Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium. i know we used metal halide in the engine rooms of my ship because they where actualy WHITE light, and man are those suckers bright. Since we will be talking about High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights, we will also be talking about Metal Halides, which are a counterpart to it. While the technology behind indoor plant lighting has evolved rapidly, one thing has stayed fairly constant: Most growers still prefer to use high-intensity discharge lights in their grow rooms. The chemical bond between a metal and a halogen can be either a covalent bond or ionic bond. HPS light costs differ based on the particular fixtures, but are cheap compared to LEDs. Mercury should be kept out of landfills both because it is dangerous and because it is easily recyclable. Therefore, these two elements can bind via an ionic bond. The major disadvantage is that it still has a bad color when compared to a metal halide lamp. First off, HID lights last longer than Halogen. These compounds are used in metal halide lamps. The primary visual difference between them is that metal halide light is white and the light emitted from a High Pressure Sodium bulb is amber orange. One of the main issues with metal halide bulbs is that they tend to lose 50% of their light output half way through their typical lifespan. Here, the halide ion is called a ligand. “Alpha-palladium(II)-chloride-xtal-3D-balls” By CCoil (talk) – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia 3. Let’s start by comparing these two HID lights to the halogen light bulbs. A 250 watt high pressure sodium lamp can last from 12,000 to 24,000 hours. These alternatives also have longer average lifespans. Metal halide lamps produce light in the white and blue spectrums, while high pressure sodium lamps produce light in the yellow, orange and red spectrums. Thinking about a little indoor gardening this winter? Blue light is said to affect hormone levels and slow melatonin production. Both high pressure sodium and metal halide lamps are considered HID (high intensity discharge). Neither mercury vapor nor standard metal halide fixtures need ignitors to strike an arc through the lamp. LED Wall Pack Fixtures. Here, a metal halide has electrostatic attractions between metal cations and halide anions. High Pressure Sodium: The term high pressure sodium describes a form of light that is used mainly in industrial lightening, and is a type of growth light commonly used for indoor gardening. This light can stimulate the growth of plants. High Pressure Sodium Grow Lights vs Metal Halide Grow Lights The article below will explain the differences between High Pressure sodium Grow Lights and Metal Halide Grow Lights. Figure 2: Palladium Chloride Polymeric Chain. Like Metal Halides, High Pressure Sodium lights are omnidirectional, which wastes light and makes them less efficient. CMH grow light lamps are a relatively new source of HID light that is a variation of the traditional Metal Halide HID lamp. High Pressure Sodium vs LED - What’s The Difference Between High Pressure Sodium and LED Lights. HID vs. Metal halide lamps promote vegetative growth in plants because they emit a bluish white light ideal for vegetative growth. High Pressure Sodium: High pressure sodium lamps have a poor color rendering. Good efficiency, smaller size than low pressure sodium lamp, better bulb life are some of the advantages. Both types of HID lamps work well for encouraging plant growth, due to their high lumen outputs. Since both types of lamp are HID, they are designed to produce generous amounts of light, or lumens. Figure 4: High Pressure Sodium Lamps . Both types come with unique advantages and disadvantages. A lot of time we are asked what is the equivalent LED product to convert from Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium or Mercury Vapor. HPS has a red or orange tint and is used primarily in the flowering phase of your plant's life. The main difference between metal halide and high pressure sodium is that metal halide lamps have a high efficiency and color rendition of light whereas high pressure sodium lamps have a poor color rendering. High pressure sodium lamps last longer than metal halide; they also produce more lumens per watt. Common metal halide to LED replacements: Rick Rowlands. Metal Halide: Metal halide lamps have a high efficiency and color rendition of light. Metal halide lamps produce more of a glare compared to high pressure sodium lamps. MH vs HPS. Her interest areas for writing and research include Biochemistry and Environmental Chemistry. The low pressure sodium lamp was the first sodium lamp to be developed. Some coordination complexes are also considered as metal halides since there are metal ions bonded to halide ions via coordinate covalent bonds. 1. Anyone who uses them in any other way either cannot afford what is needed, so they pick one and hope for the best, or they do not know enough about plant needs to post a valid comment. High pressure sodium is a term used to describe a type of lamps that are used to produce light used in lightening streets, industrial lightening and as a plant growth stimulator. For example, Titanium tetrachloride [TiCl4], chromium(III) chloride [CrCl6]3−, etc. Thread Tools. Metal halide vs. high-pressure sodium: An age-old question for cannabis growers. A metal halide lamp is an electrical lamp. Metal halide lamps produce light in the white and blue spectrums, while high pressure sodium lamps produce light in the yellow, orange and red spectrums. Metals are the elements in the s block and d block. CMH - Ceramic Metal Halide. Can You Grow Plants With Only a Heat Lamp? Metal halides are compounds composed of a metal ion chemically bonded to a halide. Exposure to metal halide can contribute to muscular degeneration. For example, sodium chloride is an ionic metal halide compound. Figure 3: High Pressure Sodium Lamps can be used to Lighten Streets. The warmer 3000K light is a great way to simulate 3000K metal halide lamps like the Philips MHC100/U/M/3K or ALL high-pressure sodium lights. This means they have the power to generate high yields and a large bud mass in the flowering stage. in my experience sodium lights have always had more of an orange tint. vs a stock farrari enzo (sunpulse metal halide) who do you think would win. What is a Metal Halide     – Definition, Different Types, Metal Halide Lamps 2. Only high-pressure sodium and pulse-start metal halide fixtures have ignitors. High pressure sodium lamps are an improved version of low pressure sodium lamps. 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