Gavita Pro Fixtures With A Solis Tek De Metal Halide Bulb?????

[DapperDon]

@DapperDon do you really think these de hps lamps are full spectrum at 2100k ?would mixing those with a 6500k de not be better for plants say at a 2 to 1 ratio 2 hps to 1 mh? Because that was my plan for my next build

The closer you can get to a balanced full spectrum the better. I actually have some Solis Tek 1000 ballasts with 8" Raptor hoods with Solos Tek Bulbs as well as Horti's. Swapping out bulbs for this grow stage or that was not so much a pain in the ass as it was costly to have multiple bulbs for each phase. Hey, what can I say? I bought into the marketing as it seemed sound during the time. But the very first run I did with Gavita changed the way I look at lighting. Nothing I have ever done up until then gave me the snow white granite hard buds that only a full spectrum can do. Long story short, you can change the spectrum around to whatever suits you, but for consistency and quality I will only use a full spectrum bulb that is recommended by the manufacturer.

 

[sixstring]

yeah im talkin about for the flower room only.using that 2 to 1 ratio full cycle and possibly adding a few led panels almost in the corners for even more spectrums but idk now lol

 

[DapperDon]

With that much lighting, you are entering into the neighborhood of diminishing returns. The co$t of running all of that lighting will not justify itself let alone the other co$ts involved with cooling an area with so much added lighting crammed in every nook and cranny. Simply put, you can achieve a lot more with proper planning, cooling, and spacing with DE fixtures than you ever will with bigazz hoods and led panels all over the place. I am not now nor will I ever be sold on LED lighting for growing. Can it be done? Yes. But there is not an led in existence that can compare to the quality that you will get with HID. To me, LED growing is the same as putting someone on life support. Yes it keeps the body alive. but there is no quality of life with it. I would suggest rather than spending added money on mismatching equipment chasing a dream, that you take a hard look at your overall system and then what it is that you want to achieve at the end and reverse engineer it to find what you may be lacking.

 

[Billyboat]

With that much lighting, you are entering into the neighborhood of diminishing returns. The co$t of running all of that lighting will not justify itself let alone the other co$ts involved with cooling an area with so much added lighting crammed in every nook and cranny. Simply put, you can achieve a lot more with proper planning, cooling, and spacing with DE fixtures than you ever will with bigazz hoods and led panels all over the place. I am not now nor will I ever be sold on LED lighting for growing. Can it be done? Yes. But there is not an led in existence that can compare to the quality that you will get with HID. To me, LED growing is the same as putting someone on life support. Yes it keeps the body alive. but there is no quality of life with it. I would suggest rather than spending added money on mismatching equipment chasing a dream, that you take a hard look at your overall system and then what it is that you want to achieve at the end and reverse engineer it to find what you may be lacking.

I too thought the same thing until I did some testing with the LED's in flower myself.

Dont under estimate them.

I'm also a huge fan of cramming as much light into a room as possible, Vert bulbs, Horz bulbs, Hoods mounted on the wall, Vert bulbs on movers....if I can cool it, it goes in.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[DapperDon]

If it makes you happy then cool. I too am an advocate of "Different Strokes" as well. But with that, I am just not a fan of LED's or over lighting. I like a very streamlined and aesthetically pleasing garden and my equipment and layout are a reflection of that. PUN INTENDED LOL!

 

[Sativied]

@DapperDon, thanks for the astroturfing link. Never heard of that one. I call 'm shills: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill

MH is dangerous and should not be used in open fixtures if you care about your health in the slightest way. "not even for testing" as Phillips puts it. Seriously dangerous. Not a problem with the CMH.

And I agree with the ones who said MH isn't necessary. HPS vegs just fine.

But the very first run I did with Gavita changed the way I look at lighting. Nothing I have ever done up until then gave me the snow white granite hard buds

Almost a cliche statement. I talked more than a few people into getting Gavita and they all made similar comments after their first run. Others brands are just knock offs from Philips and Gavita inventions.

When the dutch get their feelings hurt they lash out like 6 yr olds, apparently that trickles down to their end users as well.

Not true, dutch kids don't start lashing out till they are at least 10 yr old. :mooning: FYI Gavita no longer sells to dutch cannabis growers/growshops...

 

[sixstring]

If it makes you happy then cool. I too am an advocate of "Different Strokes" as well. But with that, I am just not a fan of LED's or over lighting. I like a very streamlined and aesthetically pleasing garden and my equipment and layout are a reflection of that. PUN INTENDED LOL!

bro i was a bit of a sceptic on led but im turning over a new leaf haha pun pun,but no really check it out week 6 start.my same cut of mk i been running under hps for years,looks decent to me.starting to put on the frosty goodness as well.but yeah im not gunna pack more lights than i need in there,my plan is 5 foot centers on all de fixtures with maybe 4 mars panels in the corners but inside or in between the de lights.

thats my standard size shrub as well,maybe a tad smaller than normal at 4.5 feet tall and 5 ft wide but i was in a hurry to see what the light will do.next plant will be the proper size lol

 

[sixstring]

you'll be surprised how close the 750w is to a 1000 in performance.gl and nice buds

 

[motherlode]

I can confirm that 6/750 is every bit as good as a 1k hps as far as weight goes - now as far as trich development and speed of maturation the gavita shits on any hps I have seen

 

[motherlode]

Really glad to hear, thank you for your input motherlode, do you run it on 825 during peak flowering weeks or at all?

thats the best part I never ran them over 90% bc I let my plants get too big - my current run I should be able to run them at full and might try them on overdrive for a few weeks during the big push

 

[sixstring]

I have had mine on 800w since I got them other than 2 or 3 really hot days in august.

 

[motherlode]

Thank you both for your input,



By 90% you mean at 750w? Gavita isn't really clear as to what wattage the bulbs are designed for their optimal spectrum. They are called 6/750 yet they go up to 825 and also beyond with the setting label EXT, which from my understanding is another 5% boost. But I am assuming the best spectrum is at the wattage of the bulb which reads 750w, hence why raising it to 825 might fook with the spectrum and shift to more red and less blue, which would mean either more yield less quality, or same yield less quality. Dunno where I read it but Gavita does state these fixture at 825 is a BIT better of a spectrum than the 1000w fixture ran at 825, which I guess should be obvious. Regardless I will be emailing Gavita just to double check if the spectrum suffers and how much when running at 825. Also, do you mean you veg a bit longer motherlode? that is why you don't run at 825?



Thanks guys for the input, sorry to the fella that started the thread and I am getting off topic here, but instead of PMing I'd rather have the community see this info as well.

the lamp itself lets you set it at 400/500/600/750/825W/EXT - 825 being an overdrive of 750 so technically speaking 750 is 100% - ext setting allows you to use the el1 controller which is what I have - the controller allows you to set the lights from 40-115% - mine were set at 90% or 675 watts

gavita just says they are most efficient running between 600-825

the controller also has temp overrides that automatically lower the watts if your room hits a target temp and then turns them off and pages you at a second set temp

what happened that last run was I vegged too long - was shooting for 1/2 pound plants and that glue just wants to go nuts when flipped

 

[Herb Forester]

With the EL controller they go from 375 to 862W. The percentage mode varies depending on your reference wattage setting, and it can be toggled either way (% or watts).

 

[sixstring]

Yeah what i see is if you dim it down to 600 or lower its gives off a really red spectrum and 700 and higher is really white or blue light.at 800 its hard to see any red but im sure its still in there lol.after you stare into the lamp @800w for 20 or 30 minutes its hard to see any colors at all or anything else for that matter lmfao :)

 

[motherlode]

Yeah what i see is if you dim it down to 600 or lower its gives off a really red spectrum and 700 and higher is really white or blue light.at 800 its hard to see any red but im sure its still in there lol.after you stare into the lamp @800w for 20 or 30 minutes its hard to see any colors at all or anything else for that matter lmfao :)

weird I see it as more cool or blue at low watts and def more warm or red/yellow at full or OD - or I should say thats how my camera lens sees it

 

[motherlode]

According to Gavita Rep:

The highest bulb efficiency is at the 825W setting.
The highest blue/UV is produced on the 600W setting.

The change in spectrum is minimal and so you will have 0,5% more blue/UV on the 600W setting than on 750W.
The difference between 750W and 825W on the blue/UV is 0,3%.

If you want to add some more blue to your crop in flowering phase why don't you use an additional light source for that?
We recommend to use plasma fixtures for additional high quality light which includes UV-A and UV-B.

thx for that - its what I noticed from taking pix - I use the controller to dial down the lights for photos

funny that you mention the efficiency - makes sense, I noticed they seem to use about the same kilowatt hours if set at 600 or 825

 

[TricForest]

What DE combo setups might be most potent at this moment? Mix and match is fine by me.. if it's better.

Seeking the very best combo of DE reflector-ballast-lamp w/o regard to brand, for optimal yield? The Khz ratings and 240-400v is driving me nuts and all over the map from 50-107 khz, so what works as it should without voiding any warranties? There are some revealing tests such as by MG but not enough to compare all the best DE offerings to each other, and tired of all these companies still mainly comparing to old SE technology. Here's the op and parameters for a real test on 2) 5x16 ft hard SCROG grids over a RDWC 12 site arranged in a 2 x 6 (13 gal ea) setup:
8 ft cielings, so need reflectors to cover a 5 ft wide area for Bloom adequately/optimally? Sector-1 is going in now with 2 x 3 layout for 6) 315LECs (1/3 of 16ft grid so ea sector is 5 x 5.33 ft) spaced 25" OC hung 18" over very even canopy; Sector-2 will be BlackDog 750U LED over same area placed at 18-24 high to acheive this 5 ft wide coverage; Sector-3 is where I plan the DE tests, so far planning a DE Boss reflector, AC/DE, KingWing, Agratech Magnum, etc with.. which ballast and lamp? Open to suggestions. Also, will a single DE reflector cover the 5 ft wide grid well and preferably set at 750w to match the LED exactly on consumption? I want to observe the overlapping areas for symbiotic advantages. I have run the 315LECs several cycles which now have replaced first my 1000 hps which I then replaced with 600 hps favorably (acheived same yields at 18" ht vs 24-30" ht using 1000 and eliminated burnt tips) now matching performance but that's with the 315w reflectors at 25" OC in small-medium size (daystar,magnilume pro, melonhead) reflectors, all air-cooled and clamped close with duct-clamps, and never had happier plants. Now I just want to maximize yields and retain quality resin production I have now. Appreciate good, solid feedback with logic explained! I do see some benefits using some std hps in with the 315s, but not enough to justify the inefficiencies and ongoing costs so I am planning to drop all remaining hps and t5.

 

[TricForest]

For instance as a start, can I put a Solis ballast with a Ushio or Philips lamp, in any DE reflector? Is the AC/DE or other DE air-cooled reflector able to retain the CO2 in a sealed room, or does removal of the glass allow suction from the room? If MG found a 4% decrease from the glass installed, what does it do by lowering it 1", 2" etc? I found I can easily overcome any loss by glass and then some, so I would expect at say 3" lower it will far exceed the loss through glass. Another curiousity is running a DE 1000 at 750 vs running the new DE 600/750 at 750, any dif? With 8 ft cielings I would tend to think the 600/750 a better choice, but they are slow in coming out with lamps and not any cost savings, so is it smarter to get De 1000s and run at 600w? It's a mess to sift through! What do you think is the VERY best setup, with no regard to cost, but with regard to warranty and practical use. I heard of an Xtrasun 1000 digi ballast tested in the DE Boss which outperformed a Gavita ballast, both using Ushio lamp, so whazzup..

 

[shenkerism]

Hopefully I don't upset DapperDon by responding with a fresh account.
Also sorry for Resurrecting an old a-- thread.

I've been using thirty-six Solistek 1000w DE 6k bulbs in Gavita Pro 1000e fixtures for plants in veg.

The people in charge were originally sold on Gavita fixtures and Lamps in late 2015. Ran 4 56 light rooms in bloom and two 36 light rooms in veg on the HPS lamps that came from Gavita. (for 1.5 years)
Then the people in charge were sold on Metal Halides. Solistek specifically. After swapping around for a few crops, ended up running the entirety of the veg room with the MHD bulbs in open Gavita fixtures.

If I had been involved here when they decided to make the switch, I may have recommended not, to avoid voiding the warranty. But in the year since the change in Veg, and a year of maintaining the equipment, I have only seen 2 MHD bulbs fail to strike. None have burst.
Worst thing that I've found is that the ballasts are flowing slightly higher amperage that nominal, due to the aging of the bulbs.

I don't recommend it, YMMV and INYE, (I'm not your engineer)(and obviously you should replace bulbs MUCH more often that I). I would upload a picture, but naaaahhh.