Uh, is it legal to scrap grow light fixtures?

sooooooo......stopped at one house and tossed a bunch of stuff in the truck not really looking too close at what it was because I was drooling over the engine sitting next to the other stuff. the big heavy box thingy I thought was a heavy heater.

Got home and unloaded and hubby said they are grow lights :eek: I thought they were outdoor light fixtures like for the sides of barns or something before he told me what they were. Though, it wasnt a barn that was throwing them out. :o

Uh, I know they are legal to buy but are they legal to scrap? :confused: Like, is the scrap yard on the lookout for this kind of stuff?? I'm a bit scared now lol.

Oh, and yeah, I picked up that engine myself and just barely got it onto the tailgate. Thought I was gonna bust my insides :p. Hubby said it looks like a 4 cylinder.

**ETA: Mods, just realized this should go into the ''Questions'' area, please move as needed. Sorry!

I would think the best bet would be to ask the cops. I wouldn't think there would be a problem, besides after you take it apart they wouldn't know what it is. if there were a lot the cops may want to check it out and give you a reward if it is a "bad"reason.

haha, advertise them on cl!

can hardly believe you picked up a 4 cylinder motor! a long plank to roll stuff like that up helps sometimes

the only thing you might need to worry about would be the bulbs.

if it is the fluorescent tube or curly style they contain mercury and must not be broken.

if it is the bulb style and they are stamped with HG in a circle these also contain mercury and should not go into your regular garbage collection.

more info on mercury in lighting can be found here :

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp...eec566c09&bs=1

Lol, no.. grow lights are not illegal in any shape or form :D We may live in a country ruled by laws and those who break them regularly, but it's not quite THAT bad, yet...
As for the bulbs, it depends on what kind it is... No modern grow lights will have PCBs. Most are pretty harmless. As oldtoothless said, some lower quality bulbs will have mercury so watch out for that. If it was me, I'd try to re-sell the fixture. Most likely the bulb is no good anymore, but the frame should be fine. Orrr they simply upgraded to LED, higher wattage, or some other fancy new grow tech, and it works perfectly fine! There's a healthy market for used lights in my area.

Edit : Actually, let me correct myself... if these lights were used to grow HUGE quanitites of cannabis, and the growers smoked regularly inside the grow room, then there might be some residue... technically could be illegal. But that's really stretching it :)

im sure they already know why there in trash lol, bulbs used are high pressure sodium,metal halides the bulbs are expensive if working sell them,sell all parts there very expensive as well. Listen those lights are not used illeaglly all the time, we used them to grow veggies in winter

There is a nice copper wound transformer in pre-2006 grow light ballast. Some have a date code stamped on them...The case is also sometimes extrusion or cast. I buy them from police auction sometimes to scrap, but like someone else said if you don't mind dealing with a counter culture crowd you could resell them quick on craigslist.

very true chrisc, its just, this day and age ya know? lol.

there were also 4 boxes of smaller bulbs in the box light and they look brand new. I think these are like $20.00 bulbs - they are the high pressure sodium bulbs and the big one is 1000 watt'er, I'm afraid to plug that one in without 14 pairs of sunglasses on lol.

thanks for all the answers, these boxes are made of cast aluminum is why I would hate to lose out on them.

**EDIT: LOL ScrapYaherd, we posted about the same time and yes, there is a transformer in the box fixtures!

They Are they (HPS) High pressure sodium lights? If you plug one in dont get the bulbs wet when hot or they will expolde.

I hope you grabbed all the bulbs, you can sell them for some dough

The date it is made is key, after 2006 most all manufacturers moved to aluminum wound transformers.

If it's just the ballast and it works, it's worth some money. They are not illegal to own and you can even purchase them on amazon.com because hydroponic produce companies use them legally. (lettuce, basil, etc. not that OTHER hydroponic stuff). I just sold one on craigslist for $45 that I picked up for free. Looked like this...

Amazon.com: Xtrasun BAC400A 400-Watt Xtrasun Convertible Ballast: Patio, Lawn & Garden

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41h2nzavpLL.jpg

If you were in Michigan it would be legal to grow some good ol reefer with that ballast you got.

Indoor gardening has a following, yes the legal kind even.

theyre for growing plantlife, not just pot... maybve what its marketed for. put them up on craigslist, theyll sell for a lot.... probably to a pot grower

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ScrapYaHerd

If you were in Michigan it would be legal to grow some good ol reefer with that ballast you got.

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Out here medical MJ Dispensaries popping up all over. There are SIX within a mile of us and three on one block out on the highway. It's a growing business
:cool:

1liquor store per shopping center but 2 weed stores per :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by street_sweeper

Out here medical MJ Dispensaries popping up all over. There are SIX within a mile of us and three on one block out on the highway. It's a growing business
:cool:

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AHAHAH i see what you did there

Uh oh...they're gonna come for you newattitude! :p

http://www.code3drivingacademy.com/i...ights_20on.gif

Quote:

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Originally Posted by landmine

AHAHAH i see what you did there

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You live in a decriminalized state where you can walk down the street burning reefer and the penalty for running a stop sign or red light is worse.....Laugh it up:cool:

Be careful with the high pres sodium bulbs. They should not be handled with bare hands since the oils on your hands can cause them to burst when they reach operating temp.