the cfl vs hps arguement has me so confused...

ok so im trying to plan out my own grow box chamber that will fit in my closet. it will be approx 6' tall, 4' wide and 2' deep. i want to separate it into two chambers, the top part for veg (thinking about 2' for that part) and bottom for flowering. im def. using cool cfls for the top. now for the bottom. i have spent probably about 9,000 hours reading anything to do with lighting in a grow box. and i still am so up in the air about what to choose! at first im saying ok CFL all the way- its a small confined space and i really don't wanna burn down my apartment. but then i see lots of people with the same kind of box and they have a lower wattage HPS inside it! just with extra venting. is that dangerous inside of a wooden box inside of a closet? ok next issue is electricity. i really can't afford for that to go up a whole lot. so the cfl would seem to win out there. then again i have read that the amount of cfls you need to use to get the same amount of lumens that the hps is putting out would end up costing you the same electricity wise? ok last issue is light penetration. we all know the hps wins there. i don't really like the idea of placing cfls all over the sides of the box, i mean wouldnt the plants grow right into them? id like to do LST to encourage the plant to grow its buds all straight up, then i could attach the cfls to a board or something i could raise and lower? i dunno if this would work though cuz as the plants grow only the tops would see alot of light. ah im so lost! any suggestions? my three main concerns are safety, cost of running the lights, and providing enough light to grow as much bud as possible in my confined space. i know a lot of people here have experimented with dif lighting and i would really appreciate your advice!

Don't rule out t-5 lights without checking them out. You may also want to take a look at "Barrel of Green" posted in this forum by Major Toke. This setup may just fit on one side of the closet leaving the other side for storage and a clone area. VV

what is url of the barrel of green thread? i tried searching by username and barrel of green and i can't find it. i looked at some t-5s, are u talking t-5s for flowering? do they put out as much light as cfls? they seemed really pricey to me. i found this light -http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=47994 is it any good?

High Tech Garden Supply
found this light- would this be better than cfls? it would be a lot easier to vent than hps right?

HPS aren't as hard to cool as people say. put the ballast outside the room and get an air cooled hood. your set. never have to worry again.

how can you put the ballast outside the room? i thought the light was connected to it? this is a stealth closet grow so i can't have anything outside the closet. is there a particular HPS light you recommend?

polypterus said:

how can you put the ballast outside the room? i thought the light was connected to it? this is a stealth closet grow so i can't have anything outside the closet. is there a particular HPS light you recommend?

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see, fuckin' CFL growers have you brainwashed. my ballast has an 8 foot cord from the power to the ballast. then an 8 foot cord from the ballast to the fixture. my ballast is on top of my room. on the outside. your closet is pretty big if i am correct. just put the ballast on a shelf outside the actual boxed in area. i've used both and can tell you CFL's do get hot when enclosed in a small space. to figure out how to cool the light is well worth having to do it. cut corners with simple solution and you will end up with simple buds. all these people trying to do this with out putting anything into it. for the love of the plant people please stop. blow that shit up. you can do it.

yeah my closet is big its 8 feet high two feet deep and prob 12 feet across. so i could easily stick a ballast on the top shelf. im assuming 250W hps would be sufficient for this space? are there any energy effecient hps bulbs?

polypterus said:

yeah my closet is big its 8 feet high two feet deep and prob 12 feet across. so i could easily stick a ballast on the top shelf. im assuming 250W hps would be sufficient for this space? are there any energy effecient hps bulbs?

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you can do things around the house to lower power costs. weather stripping, turning off lights, open windows instead of using a/c. you can easily find a spot outside your room for the ballast. size of light would depend on the actual size of the flowering area. i use a 600w in a 3 X 3 area. i could probably get away with a 400w. the cost of the light pays for itself and the electricity used after your first harvest. hope this helps a little anyway.

fddtblk
Man your spot on..My ballast was in my 2X4 hydrohut and it made my temp 3-5 degrees hotter.. I did a test with it on friday by placing it out of the hut and there is a big difference in temp..Tonight i have to disconnect the cable going into the ballast to run it thru the hut, so the ballast is outside..(i should of done that when i got the hood and had to rewire it)
"

space_weaseal said:

fddtblk
Man your spot on..My ballast was in my 2X4 hydrohut and it made my temp 3-5 degrees hotter.. I did a test with it on friday by placing it out of the hut and there is a big difference in temp..Tonight i have to disconnect the cable going into the ballast to run it thru the hut, so the ballast is outside..(i should of done that when i got the hood and had to rewire it)
"

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if i can get thru to 1 person, my work is done.

I'm happy with the t-5. 8 tube 4' fixture is 44000 lumens using 440 watts, less heat issues, right on top of the plants. VV

i love my vegging shop lights. four 3' tubes.

thanks everyone for your input, it really helped me along with figuring out my box design. i think im going to go with the HPS w/ the air cooled enclosed hood. (not sure 250 or 400 yet) fdd- do u think 2 4' flouros would work for vegging? i already have the fixture for an old fish tank thats why i ask. i could keep them practically touching the plants, and i only want to veg them to 8" or so.

polypterus said:

thanks everyone for your input, it really helped me along with figuring out my box design. i think im going to go with the HPS w/ the air cooled enclosed hood. (not sure 250 or 400 yet) fdd- do u think 2 4' flouros would work for vegging? i already have the fixture for an old fish tank thats why i ask. i could keep them practically touching the plants, and i only want to veg them to 8" or so.

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the floros should work fine.

great, that will save me a little time and $. im on htg supply tryin to figure out everything i need. hey what are u doing up at 5:30am !!?

polypterus said:

great, that will save me a little time and $. im on htg supply tryin to figure out everything i need. hey what are u doing up at 5:30am !!?

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the floros do take a little longer then say a MH but i can only flower so many at once. by the time the ones in flower are flowered the veggers are ready. so it takes me about 2 months to get nice healthy 12" tall plants from seed. i don't really want them growing any faster.

ya i will have only one veg chamber n one flowering, so my little ones will have 6-8 weeks to grow while the other plants flower. omg why are SO many grow guides online outdated! im tryin to learn all i can for my soon-to-be-attempted first indoor soil grow. tellin me to use flouros and miracle grow and bag seed. ugh. oops off on a tangent here.

polypterus said:

ya i will have only one veg chamber n one flowering, so my little ones will have 6-8 weeks to grow while the other plants flower. omg why are SO many grow guides online outdated! im tryin to learn all i can for my soon-to-be-attempted first indoor soil grow. tellin me to use flouros and miracle grow and bag seed. ugh. oops off on a tangent here.

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they do make an enhanced spectrum bulb. it is an HPS but has a spectrum enhanced for vegetative growth.

I think that if you want to do well and get good results and even on your first time out you have to get the proper equipment. If you feel you are lacking any equipment when you have problems with your plant your not going to be sure what it is.

The only way to do this is know that you are giving the plant the best of everything. I'm no miracle grower or expert I just give the plants what they want.

Also why buy things twice get it right the first time. I've got a whole draw full of 27 watt cfls, i'm just waiting for the ones that are already in the household light fixtures to die before they become useful.