Lighting up a 12 x.36 grow room.

Lastmanstandin31

Lastmanstandin31

Well-Known Member
So we are setting up a 12 x 36 room and will only be vegging mother plants in it. What do you guys think the best bang for my buck lights are? I would like something mid price level with decent customer support. Any of you light company reps feel free to chime in. We are looking to buy asap. Thanks.
 
Lastmanstandin31 said:
That's what we are running in the small building. 4 of them. The heat is crazy and the electric bill for just that room is around 650 a month. Was kinda trying to get away from that a little.
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If you go LED then you’ll have to add heat IMO , which won’t offset your costs at all in the long run.
 
bk78 said:
If you go LED then you’ll have to add heat IMO , which won’t offset your costs at all in the long run.
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if heat from CMH is an issue then I would think LED would be the better choice. I also question the advice we (mostly) follow to keep led temps into the low 80s. I've talked to a few production growers that are popping right now on the west coast. They all run way cooler than that. I've dropped down to 76 degrees for this last run, no slow down in growth and plants are way happier. They do drink a little less but are way less stressed as well.

Personally if I had to cover that space and wanted best bang for the buck I would get a bunch of the HLG QB120 4 packs. Nice balance between DIY and finished fixtures. Still get HLG support and everything is modular. Latest Samsung LM301H diodes. Super easy to work with, no heatsink needed and could easily build frames from angle aluminum. Could do the build for close to $.50 watt.

If you don't go the QB120 route I would opt for a bunch of HLG QB288 Bspec boards and use the triple slate heatsink for spread. But probably closer to $1-1.50 watt that way.

15W-20w/sf should be enough for moms.
 
Last edited:
Your best bet for ASAP is usually anyone that advertises like HLG or Amazon
If you can afford some time, DIY is best for a mom room especially. Simple LED Strips (digikey/cutter)
Then next choice maybe the companies that charge over 1200$US for 4x4 light or Chinababa (Kingbrite,Geeklight)
 
ilovereggae said:
if heat from CMH is an issue then I would think LED would be the better choice. I also question the advice we (mostly) follow to keep led temps into the low 80s. I've talked to a few production growers that are popping right now on the west coast. They all run way cooler than that. I've dropped down to 76 degrees for this last run, no slow down in growth and plants are way happier. They do drink a little less but are way less stressed as well.

Personally if I had to cover that space and wanted best bang for the buck I would get a bunch of the HLG QB120 4 packs. Nice balance between DIY and finished fixtures. Still get HLG support and everything is modular. Latest Samsung LM301H diodes. Super easy to work with, no heatsink needed and could easily build frames from angle aluminum. Could do the build for close to $.50 watt.

If you don't go the QB120 route I would opt for a bunch of HLG QB288 Bspec boards and use the triple slate heatsink for spread. But probably closer to $1-1.50 watt that way.

15W-20w/sf should be enough for moms.
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k
 
Lastmanstandin31 said:
The cost mainly.
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what's your budget to light the 12x36?

also what is the height of the space?

that will probably help narrow down your options.

you could do the Alibaba bar lights for way less than HLG but you mentioned you wanted decent customer support. I've never ordered from them so I'll let someone who has tell you their experience.
 
Don't forgot those pesky bulbs that only last a few grows!! You're looking at a 40% cost savings on electricity alone when switching to led. That's a LOT over a 1 year period. And don't the big lights require some kind air flowing through the hood? More juice and space there. Watts means heat regardless. I mounted my drivers outside of my tent to reduce heat, but if you need heat, leave them in, and run a fan across them to circulate the warm air.
I'd go with @ilovereggae suggestion, bunch of qb120 boards from HLG. Great service, great product, killer bang for your buck, and they don't require a heatsink :blsmoke: Mine have been on every single day for 18 months without issue, I love them. Gonna buy more when I build my next light.
 
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