thinking CFl or 400 hps ?

whats up guys, i am thinking on starting a new grow pretty soon. i am looking on growing 6 plants and let them grow 4ft max. my last grow was with cfls 100w. i like to keep my plants 2 or more feet away from each other, so i was thinking if i should go with 4 100w cfls on top of the plant and 1 100w cfl on the side and (do that for each plant), or should i go with 2 400w hps 3.5ft umbrellas and put 3 plants under each umbrella?
i do believe the money i am gonna spend in home depot for my material can probably cover 2 400hps umbrellas but what i am really worried about it my electric bill and the heat that its gonna give off. what do you guys recommend to be on the safe side. 5 100w cfl for each plant or one 400 hps for each of 3 plant.. thanks

Electric bill?

I have a 400 watt ballast that I currently use and I did my math on my bill when I received it.. looks like am getting charged 49 cents for every 12 hours so my bill comes to 12 to 14 dollars more expensive say the least. But everyone gets charged different depending on the state/city and what not.

what about the heat, those bulbs throw a lot of heat off no ?

yeah especially the 400 watt ballast.. I have 216 cfm running for my suction and a 160 cfm for my airflow. so you will need to spend a few bucks on ventilation.

mryummie said:

what about the heat, those bulbs throw a lot of heat off no ?

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mryummie said:

whats up guys, i am thinking on starting a new grow pretty soon. i am looking on growing 6 plants and let them grow 4ft max. my last grow was with cfls 100w. i like to keep my plants 2 or more feet away from each other, so i was thinking if i should go with 4 100w cfls on top of the plant and 1 100w cfl on the side and (do that for each plant), or should i go with 2 400w hps 3.5ft umbrellas and put 3 plants under each umbrella?
i do believe the money i am gonna spend in home depot for my material can probably cover 2 400hps umbrellas but what i am really worried about it my electric bill and the heat that its gonna give off. what do you guys recommend to be on the safe side. 5 100w cfl for each plant or one 400 hps for each of 3 plant.. thanks

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Have you thought about induction lights? They burn at 1/3 the heat of metal halide plus they use 1/2 the electrical draw. a 450 watt induction system is equal to a 1000 watt hps or metal halide light. The induction systems cost $1500.00 with bulbs and ballast and umbrellas ready to go with a 10 year maintenance free warranty. If you want to know more drop me a email at [email protected] we are the factory so we can make what you really need. lets talk.

If you can afford the extra cost of bulbs, cooling, and running an HPS then by all means do so. Otherwise CFL's work fine.

TOMMYPARTYS said:

yeah especially the 400 watt ballast.. I have 216 cfm running for my suction and a 160 cfm for my airflow. so you will need to spend a few bucks on ventilation.

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[/QUOTE]Induction lights throw only 100c compaired to 300-400 on hps and metal halide with induction you can drop some fans .

well i see that the 400 hps runs like 200 a piece which comes with ballast and etc. venting the room i built myself something like window fan connected to hose and another fan on the other end pulling the air in the room out the window.

2 t5 4 footers. 4 or 6 bulb. Those will do you good

Edit: after re-reading you were gonna use 2 400 watters just use 2 4 foot 4 bulb and stand them vertical with the plants

yeah you should keep using the HID's. That way the grow shops get to keep selling you metal halide and hps lamps and fixtures. Or better yet let's just go out and buy the new hortilux lamps. wtf is that all about? The ones I know that have tried them have shown decreased lumen output then if they had just stayed with the MH or HPS alone. I like the T5 grows but it really takes the 6 lamp T5 to do any serious yield. When we're in AZ the fuckin electric bills go thru the roof. probably the same everywhere though. I asked my grow shop if he had a line on induction and they told me that they had never even heard of them. So I get it now. Keep selling me the same old shit that keeps me coming in the door every 3 months. compared to the T5 the induction grow is at least 25% better.