400w HPS or 250w?

[Mr.GrowitALL]

I am shopping for a new light to get some better buds. My flowering room is a converted closet, with solid french doors. It measures 3ft wide 5ft long and a little over 6ft tall. Anyway, I was thinking.. would a 400w 50,000 lumen bulb be overkill for 6 clones at a time?. The prices are $119 for the 400w and 95 for the 250w (Htgsupply) Let me know what you guys think..

 

[TorturedSoul]

A 400-watt HPS is going to be way UNDERkill for a 15 square foot GR. Maybe you can partition it down to 8 or 9 square feet (3' x 2 2/3' or 3' x 3')?

Also, if you are talking about those simple reflectors that they push that are flat "mirrored" (shiny) metal with no provisions for air-cooling, they aren't the best. I'd suggest that you save up and get a good air-cooled hood (with glass) that has a hammered specular aluminum reflector.

 

[Mr.GrowitALL]

I think any HID system will be better than the shoplights i have or cfl's. If I put the plants in the middle with the light hanging over what could be wrong with that? Im not sure if it has an air cooled hood or not. but at $119 and a 3 yr warranty its worth a try right? A liquid lumens set up from my shop here in austin is $419. plus the resivor to hold the water and some other shit..in all i was looking at over 600 bucks for everything i need to operate it properly. I cant afford that at times like this. Tuition is costing my parents 20 grand.. money is kinda tight Keep in mind im growing for personal use, Nothing too big. Thanks for your advice,


Hits from the bong for an ole' torturedsoul..

 

[Cherma]

Using a 1K in an area 18 sq ft.
If one light is what you can afford maybe bump it to a 600w HPS

 

[Mr.GrowitALL]

I will try to divide the closet somehow. thanks

 

[L8tNightSkunk]

Suncoast Hydroponics, LLC - Suncoast Hydroponics

 

[Dynamoehumm]

I will try to divide the closet somehow. thanks

My Grow cab is right at 4.5 sq ft. I am running a 250 watt Sun System 2 MH lamp. I recently upgraded the sides of the grow cab with 4 each T5 HO lights (4 bulbs per side). It is a little plant cramped inside, however, it has been quite manageable. In it I have maintained eight 3 ft plants, until the last two proved to be male, so out they had to go. I now have 6. 6 females that is....hehe.

Good luck on your grow

 

[Racefan]

if the choice is between a 400 or a 250...get the 400. Bigger woould be better and would help you avoid partitioning but if all you can afford is a 400 then that's all you can afford. Ever considered a light rail? It would make that 400 work like a 600.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I think any HID system will be better than the shoplights i have or cfl's.

More light is almost always helpful.

If I put the plants in the middle with the light hanging over what could be wrong with that?

Well, if I hung a light over some plants and noticed that any amount of said light was shining on the closet-at-large then I would consider that light wasted. And if I paid for the fixture and was paying for the electricity, I would not (want to) waste any.

I will try to divide the closet somehow. thanks

Good idea! You'll find that a light in an area that is sized for it - and with mylar or bright (titanium) flat-white paint on the walls - will put more usable light on the plants and therefore tend to give you a bigger/better harvest.

Im not sure if it has an air cooled hood or not. but at $119 and a 3 yr warranty its worth a try right?

I seriously doubt that it is air-cooled (or air-coolable) at that price. But you're right, it's certainly cheap. And if you can cool your space as a whole with a semi-open reflector, that will make a difference.

A liquid lumens set up from my shop here in austin is $419. plus the resivor to hold the water and some other shit..in all i was looking at over 600 bucks for everything i need to operate it properly. I cant afford that at times like this.

Yeah, water-cooled setups cost money. And they're probably not needed for 95% of the growers out there.

Tuition is costing my parents 20 grand.. money is kinda tight Keep in mind im growing for personal use, Nothing too big.

I hope you thank them regularly. I have thought about trying to go back and finish my education a few times but it keeps coming back to the fact that if I got another full-time job, when would I go to school?

Hits from the bong for an ole' torturedsoul..

<COUGH-COUGH> Thanks!

 

[Dynamoehumm]

If heat weren't an issue, I would have went with the 400. Actually, I tried a 400. Heat wasn't manageable, then anyway. I have improved cooling, and wish I could try the 400 again. The 250 works well. I wish in penetrated the plant canopy a little better. I went with a glass cover and have the light fan vent connected to a fan venting the heat out of cab. This may sound crazy, but I can keep this about 4 to 5 inches away from the plant canopy without burning the leaves. Go figure.

Peace

 

[eBUD]

I personally would save money and go with the 250w and get smaller lights to locate around the plants for a nice light set up.

Having one big lamp from above is good, it will do teh job. But you can get teh same job done with a smaller lamp above and a few small ones from the sides where there is a dark corner thats shaded by all your main colas that are growing under the big light.

Use what you get wisely and spread out your light.

 

[HazeSeeker]

250w can be cooled with 4 x 12cm PC vents(2 out - 2 intake)**???right?

 

[L8tNightSkunk]

Why not use cfls? easy to use less heat and easy and cheap to find

 

[Mr.GrowitALL]

Why not use cfls? easy to use less heat and easy and cheap to find

More light = More bud. Am I correct? I also dont want to bother with the wiring and have cords running everywhere. If some ppl are having doubts about a 400w hps doing the job in my 15sqft flowering room. how many cfl's would i need to get 50,000 lumens, and cover the area. 100? lol

 

[L8tNightSkunk]

haha true! good point i would get 2 400w lights

 

[Mr.GrowitALL]

haha true! good point i would get 2 400w lights

lol, Im working on dividing the closet down to around 10sqft. there is no way i could keep 2 400's cool. I will post pics of the set up when im done. a peice of plywood wraped in mylar should do the trick.

 

[L8tNightSkunk]

nice cant wait to see pics