Kampbe1l
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You might want to consider going with LED COBs or Quantum Boards as they are far more efficient and HPS is becoming obsolete and especially among personal growers. Much less heat relative to light produced. Another alternative would be 315w CMH.
save a little money and just buy the dimmable 400 watt,250 would be 25% on the dimmer,run that in veg and as they start building up work your way to 50%,i do the steps to 50 thru veg last 2 weeks im vegging i bring it up to 75% and run my MH bulb first 2 weeks of flower,imo i get less stretch,im in the south and heat is a big issue,i dont crank my 100% to im about 5 weeks in,do a 6inch exhaust and filter combo if you can get fresh intake in use a scrubber,if not ,i use a 6in intake combo,i have too i run mine with no ac or heat,just the lights and during the night there on instead of day,work both exhaust and intake to ave a tad bit of negative pressure in a tent,in a room id go for just cool during summer months hahahstarting to look at HID for small grow chamber.
please note that I'm in Australia, so we probably have different stock and different pricing, etc. to what you lucky ones have access to.
I was looking at 2 separate scenarios - a small 250W MH for a vegetative grow & 400W HPS to flower. my first immediate focus is on that 250W setup, later I want to get into indoor flowering (maybe, if i'm allowed).
I saw switchable ballasts for 250W - I just wondered what features/specifications should I look at when buying such HID? And what should I look for, in general terms, when deciding which 250W or 400W to purchase, besides price?
The reflector is an area of concern for me - i don't like those wing-shaped ones, but I can be convinced.
My supplementary question is what sort of exhaust/carbon-filter setup should I look at, running 250W/400W (just one, not both) HID?
have no clue were you come up with obsolete,thing is there are some still out just to grow medicine and the bells and whistle are out of budget and most i know have gone back to old reliable and got out of the gimmick gig as far as cost versus product,i fell for this statement last summer and got 2 400 watt led lights,them damn things run hotter than my hid lighting,there is no closed hood to suck that heat out on them at all,my tent ran 15 degree hotter in already triple digits outside,i run with forced wind and them damn things didnt get the job done,just another light to add to the same gimmicks before it,obsolete haaaahYou might want to consider going with LED COBs or Quantum Boards as they are far more efficient and HPS is becoming obsolete and especially among personal growers. Much less heat relative to light produced. Another alternative would be 315w CMH.
......i fell for this statement last summer and got 2 400 watt led lights,them damn things run hotter than my hid lighting....
save a little money and just buy the dimmable 400 watt,250 would be 25% on the dimmer,run that in veg and as they start building up work your way to 50%,i do the steps to 50 thru veg last 2 weeks im vegging i bring it up to 75% and run my MH bulb first 2 weeks of flower,imo i get less stretch,im in the south and heat is a big issue,i dont crank my 100% to im about 5 weeks in,do a 6inch exhaust and filter combo if you can get fresh intake in use a scrubber,if not ,i use a 6in intake combo,i have too i run mine with no ac or heat,just the lights and during the night there on instead of day,work both exhaust and intake to ave a tad bit of negative pressure in a tent,in a room id go for just cool during summer months hahah
i use just a cheap apollo 400 watt dimmible switch,got the light a MH & HPS bulb 2 ratchet straps 6in fan and filter combo for 125 us dollars 4 yrs ago and still running,i run a 2x4x5 tent and it just right,ive talked to several buddies that run same gear except with 600 watt,they cliam they have used the 1k and it was to much and 600 is just right for a 4x4 tent,my tent is half that so 400 works perfect and i got that bat wing hood with the bundle,that is pure shit,get a cool tube and exhaust it out pulling from the bulb endwhat are you running (dimensions. yield, lights, etc, anything)?
and what would you recommend, MH/HPS/CMH?
give me an idea - what hardware do you run exactly? i ask, because i need an anchor, for everyone to be as descriptive as they can helpfully be....
the dimmables 600w CMH is around $600AUD, while 250W switchable MH/HPS are around $160AUD.
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i like the idea of either
(a) switchable small (250W) HID, particularly MH because I intend to grow vegetative (not flowering) - however, switchable to HPS to flower.
or
(b) dimmable CMH 600W (?)
CMH is totally new to me, along with those COB LEDs - so again, doing some googling. I saw dimmable 600w CMH, didn't see any 400w CMH, though let me check....
i use just a cheap apollo 400 watt dimmible switch,got the light a MH & HPS bulb 2 ratchet straps 6in fan and filter combo for 125 us dollars 4 yrs ago and still running,i run a 2x4x5 tent
Search Vivosun grow light on Amazon. There is a 600 Watt setup with nice reflector, rope hangars, timer, 600W MH and 600W HPS lamps. All this for $159.99. As a side, the digital ballast can be set to 400W and 250W and will work with both MH and HPS.
NOTE: There are many different affordable setups to explore there.
i grow start to finis in my 2x4x5 tent,mh up to the third week of flower with the MH it keeps the stretch down ,i also manupilate the light height to slow them down,it a little tent and training starts in veg,i run 6 plants in 1 gal pot to acheieve this in the tent,when they get 18 in tall i flip to flower,by harvest time the plants are around 2 1/2 ft tall to 3 ft,my tent doesnt even have a brand name ,so dont know who made it,got it off ebay many years ago ,just a cheap bitch with tape all over it hahahah,i got it to breed in and when i moved that the only thing i got to grow in,if i remember right probally wrong ,got the tent with a 4in fan and filter combo for under 100 bucks,reason i mentioned the forced air yesterday,no ac or heat,it sits in a utility room going outside more a less a feed room ahahahah,exhaust fan wide open and intake fan with filter pulling in filtered outside air,get the cool tube if your ever stuck doing the same you wont regret itthat's the sort of hardware that i thought would suffice for my current purposes.
do you grow particular strains which are bushier or LTS/SoG in such a grow area?
what tent do you have, DIY?
so, you grow vegetative under MH, then switch to HPS for flowering in the same grow chamber?
okay. might have to wonder into a brick & mortar store, intending to purchase, but just to pick more brains, see what's in stock.
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many years ago, i grew using 600W HPS - and I found that size then comfortable to handle, both in heat and size. i tried 1000W setups with light movers running flood & drain, but struggled mainly with its heat. so, i figured that 600W or less - but presently somewhere between 250 and 400W setup would fit.
will have a look over this weekend, at what's what.
i built the lid on top were the sides just suck against the edge to hold my sheets on ,then as you see in other pic the box,the box is cut were it looks just like i been moving and storing stuff in the utility room,the box goes around the intake on floor closing it in ,the back 3 in against the wall pulls the outside air in from the back and keep all dirt and dust from clogging the filter,same thing on top a box with insulation and cut out for no trapping of exhausting air,once it on top looks like a damn storage locker in there,i mentioned tape,well that is why i have the sheets across the front,to keep from any light leaks in flower,a table on edge holds it all together looking like a storage room hahahah a pain in the ass daily to move the bitch indeed,i have controler to adjust neg pressure 1 for intake one for exhaust,i keep one them big box fans by the door to outside ,and it runs 24/7 if any kids or grand kids walk by they just think i aint going in there were shit can fall on me,they dont go there a good thing and in reality it is a getto climate controled storage locker hahahh.
just a tube with glass the bulb in one end other open,i have my exhaust sucking heat right from the bulb,pulls other heat from inside the tent across the bulb and exhaust,hell of a lot better than the bat wings unless you have serious cfm fan,if your doing a tent get a controler were you can jack with the fans 12in be sucking the tent in and then exhaust hahahahthat light fixture is something I am not familiar with.
the other setups has those traditional wing-shaped reflectors.
had a look at the local stores here and their stock of HID lighting & 12" exhaust & carbon filter - so, now have a better idea, at least of the prices I'm looking at. we're backwards so our range of products is more limited, and importing (especially wary of electronics) can be, if not expensive - just plain pain in the arse.
gunning for a switchable & dimmable 400W HPS/MH.
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