t5 or 400 watt mh. cost to run & yeild

[audius]

t5 or 400 watt mh.

hey gang whats cracking,,seeds i hope. im using a 400 watt mh to veg my gals in & using a 600 watt hps to flower & my electric bill is getting a ll outta hand. i was looking at the 8 tube t5 lights at the grow store but i want yalls opinion.will the cost be better if i ran the t5,& how will my growth be affected?

 

[audius]

awww,,nothing yet?

 

[ReadySetGrowD9]

I use the Hydrofarm 4ft 8bulb T5 in vegg and im sure it would kick ur 400w MH's ass lol.... there is way less heat and they use alot less power, just make sure u keep then kind close to ur canopy

RSGD9

 

[Rushoe]

I am gonna be running a 6 bulb 4 foot t5 @ 30,000 lumen's and flowering with a 600 hps. To keep cost down as well I would say go for it man I have used fluorescents from homedepot and they work very well 42 watters just keep them on 24/7 for a good 3 weeks or 4 that's what I do in my room I have a dr60 with a 250 I use the flours to keep them very close to the plants thats the trick with flours trust me I have used them enough to give u the input u need as far as VEGGING with them good luck bro.

 

[audius]

THANK YOU.,ya i dont have the 250 bucks to play with just yet,,goes to the power bill, but yes ,ty,,thats what i needed to know,,& its best to come from a grower not somebody trying to sell me something

 

[ReadySetGrowD9]

THANK YOU.,ya i dont have the 250 bucks to play with just yet,,goes to the power bill, but yes ,ty,,thats what i needed to know,,& its best to come from a grower not somebody trying to sell me something

No problem...... also i didnt spend 250 on mine if u check ebay they have them for way cheaper then the store... i paid 180 for my hydrofarm 4ft 8bulb with the bulbs and shipping....

RSGD9

 

[motherlode]

Id venture to say a 6 tube t5 would be better or equal to a 400 watt and less energy to run

 

[ibTheMan]

Early veg. with the T5, Transplant into at least 3 gallon buckets(lots of perlite) and veg with your biggest HPS for 5 to 8 days max(you shouldnt need more, if you do your doing something wrong), then just switch to 12/12 this is the best way to do it, for lots of reasons.
Them days of 24 with the 600 will not cost much at all.

 

[audius]

guess what daddy got for an early x mas gift. an 8 tube sunleaves pioneer bad mamerjammer =) i can use eather 4 tubes or 8 with a flick of the switch,,pimp.got it for 200 bucks from my neighborhood hydro store for being such a loyal client. so ya,,im a happy camper,it otally blows away my 400w mh.

 

[motherlode]

word man - merry xmas

 

[Misterdirt]

This is interesting. I've been toying with the idea of getting an 8 tube HO t5 fixture, but I've gotten mixed comments on other boards.

Power-wise, I think the 8 - 4ft tube t5 uses slightly more juice (430W vs. 400W), but the lack of heat worries can't be compared to MH in a small closet or cabinet.

Mine will have to wait until harvest. Amazing how a $200 piece of equipment becomes easily affordable after harvest.

 

[ibTheMan]

8 tube t-5's put out alot of heat! 430w make mad heat.
PS bought this one off ebay shipped for $185 same exact one made by the same company as HF and many other but it comes in a plain brown box instead of store box.

 

[gudkarma]

this is an excellent thread.

very timely as i was researching the same thing since i need one more light for my set up...

i've been torn between a 400w cool tube and 6/8 lamp t5/t8.

one thing for sure, and "ibtheman" notes, 8 bulbs will make some heat ... and you can't just hook a fan and duct tube to a t5.

but, with the t5 ot t8 lamps, you use less amps... which is crticial imo.

a few perks of a 400w HID is that you throw down more lumens (50k ish) , can cool the light if necessary , and the fixture takes up less space.

i had been looking & almost bought this on ebay :

the 8 lamp t5 puts out about 30k lumens... is this right?

you guys running the multi-lamp t5 have no criticisms with your lights?

happy with your purchase?

~karma

 

[motherlode]

yeah I agree about a 8 tube t5 - they are still pretty darn hot

 

[ibTheMan]

That link you have to that one on ebay is junk! if your lookn to save move you can get nice digital ballast t-8 that work pretty good from HD.
This is the one you want,you can turn of the 4 middle or the 4 edge lights.

 

[gudkarma]

respectfully, how do you know that light is junk?

i did, howeveer, have that very light (not same but similar) saved in my ebay favorites too :-)

do you know how many amps the t5 8 bay light uses? at 430 someodd watts the only reason i'd use an 8 bay t5 is to save on amps.

i am also thinking that other people are noting the heat associated with the t5... which, because i have a dedicated fan for cooling my lights, is leading me toward a digi 400w cool tube.

i was looking at light in home depot last night. i didn't see any 6 or 8 bay units.

 

[ibTheMan]

How many and how big of plants would it be used for most, cause the 8=t-5 puts out good light over a large area.
My tent is 36 by 54 inside and that light is pretty bright in there.

Also remember when you put glass over the bulb to air cool,you loose 20+% of your light maken it have less lumens then t-5.

With the t-5 you cool by haven a 4 to 6 inch canfan type and filter on the top blow n out and cooler air come in the bottom.

 

[gudkarma]

i'll take your reccomendation.

in this case, the light is to go directly over a 4x2 ebb & flow table.

after they bust roots, plants go from the cloner directly into the flower room.

the t5 would definitely be plenty good since it would be used on 24 to 35 newly rooted cuttings... which are small.

the lumen output of the t5 would be plenty right too.

ibtheman, would you say your t5 puts out alot of heat?

it's getting cold where i am at now... the heat from the lamp would be a great addition to my room.

if i'lll need to cool it in the summer, and becasue there's no way to do so with duct work (i could put a 4" exhaust tube right over the lamp) , then i can't use it.

my issue => i am always looking to save on amps since i have limited service to my space.... another reason why i use a light mover.

i know the 6 bay t5 use about 2.8 amps... which is great.

anybody know how hot they (6 bay t5) get?

 

[BongToker]

guess what daddy got for an early x mas gift. an 8 tube sunleaves pioneer bad mamerjammer =) i can use eather 4 tubes or 8 with a flick of the switch,,pimp.got it for 200 bucks from my neighborhood hydro store for being such a loyal client. so ya,,im a happy camper,it otally blows away my 400w mh.

That's the same fixture I use for get and love it keeps internode spacing tight and puts off almost no heat

 

[ibTheMan]

It isnt crazy heat mines in a tent and i havent received my 4" fan set up, should be tomarrow, then i can have air flowing out, zip the tent up and see how hot, right now my windows are open a little bit in that room and its cool here, tent unzipped it doest get above 78.

You really should get the 8 bulb i wouldnt get the 6, you can always take the 2 outside bulbs out, but get the 8 bulb For Sure!