Help deciding for lights. (400W HPS vs. CFLs; for 2 plants)
- Thread starter satellitedanny
- Start date
satellitedanny
Member
My grow closet for now is 4ftx4ft and 6 ft tall (I'm growing short plants and LSTing them so no height issues). I'm planning to start in that room because all those small details were already installed there (A/C, exhale, inhale fan, flat white). But I'm planning to build a grow room or a grow tent in the basement.
Jack Harer
Well-Known Member
You ought to be able to keep temps in check using HIDs in there with good air exchange.
satellitedanny
Member
Hey guys, I know have another dilemma... I am choosing between 2 sources on ebay
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/300612397237?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_3189wt_952 and
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/250650101079...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_2059wt_1185.
One has sold 290 units and the other only 4... Anyways, what source do you guys recommend that has a price around 150$ for the ballast, reflector and the bulb?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/300612397237?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_3189wt_952 and
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/250650101079...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_2059wt_1185.
One has sold 290 units and the other only 4... Anyways, what source do you guys recommend that has a price around 150$ for the ballast, reflector and the bulb?
indagroove
Well-Known Member
The answer is easy. Get a 400w dimmable ballast. That way you can run it at 200, 300, or 400 watts. I got mine including both MH and HPS lamps, timer, reflector and hangers fora bit over $150 shipped. Here's the link: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/e1140...tem=290612867554&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:1123
satellitedanny
Member
That's pretty cool, How is that working out for you? How long have you had it for and is it still working well?
indagroove
Well-Known Member
I just got it a month ago, but it seems to be working quite nicely. The MH lamp had a couple of tiny pieces of glass inside the bulb (although it still worked fine), so I let the seller know, and he send me a new MH lamp via priority shipping at no charge. I really can't complain.
Here's where I'm at after 16 days in 12/12 with this light:
The only tiny issue I had is that the reflector isn't really heavy enough for the yokes, so I had to tape a small piece of tile to the top of the reflector to weigh it down enough.
satellitedanny
Member
Thanks for the pics man! Which wattage did you use? 200, 300 or 400?
The Weedster
Active Member
No disrespect taken man... I dont know a whole lot about lighting and how to add the wattage from two bulbs anyhow.. lol but i have always heard on here that if you have like 6 .. 40 watt cfl bulbs that you would equal 240 watts of light ... Am I wrong ?? Like I said I dont know really but all I do know is that it does cover quite a bit more of the plants below the tops with more lights... Im not trying to start no kind of arguement by any means,, I just really dont know how to judge that kind of stuff...
indagroove
Well-Known Member
Um, well that must be with that new math. From my school, 250 watts plus 250 watts equals 500 watts. This doesn't mean however that you get the same light output from two 250w lights as you do from a 500w light.
Take a look at the chart at the bottom of this page, and you'll see that light output from different wattage hps lamps range quite a bit: http://hpsgrowlight.net/
That said, lumens are additive -- ie: a 250w hps light puts out 29,000 lumens and 2 of them put out a total of 58,000 lumens. According to the chard, the most efficient hps lamp is a 600 watt light.
I run it on 400 like 90 to 95 % of the time. I dial it back when working in my tent, or if I need to foliar feed or something like that.
The Weedster
Active Member
I am going to get a 400 to 600 watt light one day though because I do think it will make quite a diff. in the size of the bud on the plants that I grow...
.... Might put it in the center of my few plants I have and keep the 250 watt lamps to glow around the sides to re-ensure that they are getting light underneath too...
... Im still new to the whole indoor thing anyway even though this is my third grow of mary j ... only done it for little over a half a year now but still eager to try different things to get a better product...
... Any info is most helpful that I get off of here and will not put anyone down for it.... Thanks yall for the great advice that I get from this site..
.... Might put it in the center of my few plants I have and keep the 250 watt lamps to glow around the sides to re-ensure that they are getting light underneath too...
... Im still new to the whole indoor thing anyway even though this is my third grow of mary j ... only done it for little over a half a year now but still eager to try different things to get a better product...
... Any info is most helpful that I get off of here and will not put anyone down for it.... Thanks yall for the great advice that I get from this site..
satellitedanny
Member
Hey bro, how many plants do you have? and with the 250w HPS, how many ounces (or in grams if you want) do you usually get for the dried product? I have a friend who's contemplating whether to get the 400w or to stick with the 250w because his hydroponic friends lent him a 250w system for a cut of the product.
