250 hps vs 250 cfl

egredsox04

Active Member
I suppose you could ventilate differently, but in my opinion, you need a cool tube... regardless of 250 or 400... that way you don't have to worry about the heat nearly as much...

I have heard of 400 watters 6 inches from leaves without burning, using a cool tube with a strong fan...

there are even DIY threads here on how to make one...
ok, ill have to check it out, and ill have to run the duct to the attic or something?
 

GypsyBush

Well-Known Member
or just outside of the box...
Through the bottom... with PVC light traps...

The options are endless... the only limitations are the specifics of your grow...
 

TGFW21

Well-Known Member
or just outside of the box...
Through the bottom... with PVC light traps...

The options are endless... the only limitations are the specifics of your grow...
that and the money you have to sink into your grow:leaf:

Cool air intake should be close to the ground and hot air out should be close to the top:leaf:
 

GypsyBush

Well-Known Member
that and the money you have to sink into your grow:leaf:

Cool air intake should be close to the ground and hot air out should be close to the top:leaf:
True... but if you need it to be stealth... remember we are talking about a forced air system that is cooling the bulb with outside air, and blowing the heated air out...

nothing to do with the cab's ventilation....
 

egredsox04

Active Member
ok guys, thanks for all the help tonight. i'll be sure to let you know what i end up doin.

take it easy fella's
 

la9

Well-Known Member
i think the 400 is way overboard for wat i got going on
I used to think the same thing but anymore I think you can never have too much light.

If you get a 250 you'll wish you got a 400.
If you get a 400 you'll wish you got the 600.
If you get the 600 you'll wish you got the 1000.

The more light the better the results.

A cool tube would be nice but if you pump in fresh air thru a 4" hole and have an exit vent along with a fan moving the air inside your space you should be alright. Unless it is summer time and you don't have air conditioning.

You can only cool down to the temperature of outside air you are pumping in. It most likely will be a few degrees warmer.


If you want you can try without the tube first. The DIY tubes look pretty easy to do and if you go that route let us know because I've thought about doing one myself.
 

smppro

Well-Known Member
Wow all these people saying cfls are equal in heat??!! No not at all, hps is high intensity while cfl is low intensity, thats why you have to put them so close. Lol if they put out the same heat would people be telling you to put cfls 2in from plant while a hps with a cool tube is still like 6in away. Cfls are far more cooler, my hps with a cool tube got in the mid 80s, and about 95 without the tube. My 12 42w(yes thats more watts than the hps) gets about 79. Trust me there is a big difference. If cfls didnt run cooler there would be no point to them
 

OregonMeds

Well-Known Member
Because cfl's heat is spread out, HID is one bulb concentrated heat from one source. (and ballast) Same AMOUNT OF HEAT, just spread out very differently.

But no you don't need a cooltube for a 250. Just a good exhaust from the top of the cab and fan inside.

If your internal fan is blowing on the bulb itself you can get that sucker within 4" and not burn. I have one of those $5 clip on fans blowing on mine, cheaper than a cooltube and larger hid's couldn't get that close no matter what without a cooltube.

The ballast puts out quite a bit of heat itself also, but you can remote mount it outside the cab if temperatures are still high inside, try it either way.
 

la9

Well-Known Member
Energy goes into the bulb in the form of power = voltage * current.

Energy comes out of the bulb as heat or light.

The light from a bulb goes out into the room, where it lights things up, but eventually dissipates into heat.

This is thermodynamics.

So if two bulbs pull the same amount of current (voltage is usually fixed, at 120 VAC etc), then the two bulbs put out the same amount of heat.
 

emmpey

Active Member
no one's mentioned it yet but flower time is longer with a CFL - approx 25-30% in my experience. so that's more time and more money (electricity) for less puff - get the HPS if you can.

saying that I'm using 2x200w CFLs but have no choice - i would trade it in a second for a 400w HPS.
 

la9

Well-Known Member
Also don't forget

200 watt CFL = 10,000 lumens

400 watt HPS = 50,000 lumens

Big difference there.

Hey emmpey. hopefully you can get an HPS in the future.
 

TGFW21

Well-Known Member
no one's mentioned it yet but flower time is longer with a CFL - approx 25-30% in my experience. so that's more time and more money (electricity) for less puff - get the HPS if you can.

saying that I'm using 2x200w CFLs but have no choice - i would trade it in a second for a 400w HPS.
my friend has had plants been ready almost a week before they were supose to be ready and he was growing in soil and using CFLs:leaf:
 

la9

Well-Known Member
Sorry, Bro

I checked the other place I like and they have a 250 HPS, Grow Reflector and digital ballast for $128. $187 if you want a cool tube with it.

HID Hut Light Kits

I'd pick that over the first place.

400 watt kit is $139 and $199.

Definitely the way to go, the stuff is pretty good quality also.
 

NoDrama

Well-Known Member
HPS is magnitudes better for quality bud than CFL. Mind you some strains look to do pretty well on fluoro, but if you did the same grow with HPS you can usually yield about 3x cfl weight.
 
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