Lighting

First-time grow. I'm looking for opinions about lighting. I'll be vegging 6 plants in a 30"wide x 50" long x 5' tall deli cooler with glass doors. After cutting holes and dropping 2 tubs in the bottom I'll have 48" of clearance from hph bulb to top of net pot. Would I benefit by having 2 - 400 watt hph lights versus 1. I'll be growing in an unheated basement area where the average winter temp is 45 so I won't mind the heat. Putting a temp switch/exhaust just in case it gets too hot. I'm also thinking this setup might be too small for flowering. I do have room outside the cooler for flowering if needed. Opinions would be appreciated.

30"x 50"/ 144 = 10.42 sq/ft

400 w = 40,000 lumens

3000 - 4000 lumens per sq/ft is a good standard

Looks like you are right in the ball park wiht one single 400w.

More room is always beneficial. You will use up the extra space no matter how much you have. Funny how that works?

45 degrees in the winter. I'd love that! It's 22 out right now and we've had 2 feet of snow in the last 54 hours!

i would use two... only to keep the lighting even.... if not, the plants on the borders will stretch and try to overcome there shorter sister in the center of the lighting footprint.

i flower all the time with 32" of clearance, SOG style, w/ no issues....

Its 45 because I have the thermostat all the way down since I'm not there that often. Outside - 15 right now with wind coming off the lake. thanks for you help.

yep, light wise 400w is fine, but I also would look at the light distribution. If it's more an elongated area you might find that the better distribution of two lights makes a big difference