CMH Grow Light:EYE HORTILUX CMH 315 Grow Light System Review

Ceramic Metal Halide Grow Lights (CMH/CDM)

CMH grow lights is more popular in the horticultural industry. The CMH lamps have a very broad light spectrum that is more similar to the sun than any other form of HID lamp. The CMH fixture can be used as a primary veg light; a primary light for SOG (or Sea of Green) applications or a supplemental full spectrum light for large flowering operations.

CMH lighting is economical and reliable. A ceramic metal halide system will increase the growth and yield of your plants and will lower your energy costs by up to 70%! CMH bulbs in a Digital Ballast can be used from vegetative state straight through to flowering. Eco Farm has the best CMH brands like, Philips, Hortilux, Lightspeed, Silverstar and many more.

There are a few key benefits to CMH Lighting:

• Money saved by switching to CMH
• Some suppliers claim one 315W CMH grow lights is equivalent to one 1,000W HPS lamp in terms of yields. Others have reported that you need two 315W CMH lamps to produce the same yields as a 1,000W HPS. The varying reports probably have to do with other elements in the garden and the gardener’s skill level.
• Ceramic Metal Halide grow lights also have a low heat output because of their low wattage. One watt from a grow light creates about 4 British Thermal Units (BTU’s) of heat that need to be cooled. Let’s say you have a small room with four 1,000W HPS grow lights. Your four lights alone create 16,000 BTU’s of heat that need cooling. If you trade those lights in for four 630W fixtures, which will match, if not exceed, your current yields, you will only create 10,000 BTU’s of heat. Your air conditioner would run less often, and you would see savings on your electricity bill. The low heat output of CMH make them the perfect choice for small grow spaces, such as closets and grow tents.
• You won’t have to deal with the electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues many growers experience with digital ballasts. High levels of EMI from digital ballasts are known to interfere with cellphone service, radio, Wi-Fi
• What Ceramic Metal Halide brings to the table is their superior light quality compared to other HID lamps, which is due to a few factors. First, they have a wider spectrum than other HID lamps - a result of the near-perfect, unique combination of salts, halide's and gases used in the arc tube. This mixture creates a spectrum close to that of the sun and emits a stunning, crisp, white light. In fact, the color rendering index (CRI) for ceramic lamps ranges from 90-92. To give you some perspective, the sun’s CRI is 100. HPS lamps range from 20-30, and Metal Halide's range from 60-65. The closer the CRI is to 100, the closer the spectrum is to that of the sun. Ceramics include ultraviolet and infrared rays in their spectrum, which plants love. The higher amounts of UV rays create stronger, woodier stalks. This means the growth and vigor of your plants will be unmatched
• CMH ballasts use square-wave technology. When you look at the graph on the back of the box your bulb is packaged in, notice the high peaks and low dips. The peaks are an indicator of energy pushing out of the bulb. The low dips indicate light trying to travel to the next peak. You can see this with your own eyes when you take photos and videos of your grow room. With most HID lights, you’ll see bands of light on your photos.The bands of light are the peaks in the graph, and the spaces between them indicate the dips. With square-wave technology, there are fewer dips. A steadier beam of light is produced, which means your plants receive more light over their lives.

Eye Hortilux CMH 315 Grow Light System

The new Eye Hortilux CMH 315 Grow Light System takes the next step for grow light systems. The short, compact reflector design maximizes light with 8% more light hitting the canopy and 30% more uniform light than the competition.

Easy Reflector Replacement
The EYE HORTILUX CMH 315 Grow Light System includes a reflector that is easy to replace. After several grow cycles, system reflectors get dirty and sometimes scratched from cleaning. Having a reflector replacement schedule helps maintain consistent plant quality and high yields. Replacing a reflector in the CMH 315 does not require purchasing an entirely new system.

Secure Lamp Installation
The EYE HORTILUX CMH 315 Grow Light System will only accept CMH lamps with a PZGX18 (bi-pin) base. This system will not accept Mogul Base lamps or CMH lamps that are not rated for open fixture use. Carefully install the lamp into the socket by inserting pins into matching shaped holes in socket and turning lamp to right (clockwise). When lamp is properly installed, the base will stop turning.

Optimal setup recommendation:
Coverage area: 3 ft x 3 ft grow tent
Height above canopy: 3 ft
Distance between fixtures**: 3 ft
*Optimal setup and performance measurements base on CMH 315@ System sith an Eye Hortilux 315 CMH lamp. Actual performance may vary. **The distance between fixtures should be measured from the center of the lamp.

Specifications:

Wattage: 315W
Socket Type: PZGX18
Input Voltage: 120V/240V
Amps: 2.9 @120V - 1.4 @ 240V
Light uniformity - max/min: 2.0/1
Light uniformity - avg/min: 1.4/1
YPFD avg: 240 umol/sec/m2
PPFD avg: 202 umol/sec/m2
Weight: 14.7 lbs

Customer reviews

Lamp shipped in OEM box, would have preferred it to ship enclosed in a slightly bigger box with a little more protection. At one hour after ignition in a 3x6x6 dual panel sliding door closet with a 4' 8 bank T5 housing 4 standard and 4 EYE Hortilux Powerveg bulbs the closet temperature at the CMH 350 balast measured 82* F with room temp 72* F ( a 2* F increase in room temperature). With the CMH alone the measurement was 80* F with a room measurement of 70* F `( no change in room temperature). At a distance of approximately 1 foot from the focal point of the bulb I measured 900 (x100) Lux. A descent pair of polarized sunglasses are a must with this unit. Highly recommended!!!!!