Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

FeralA9X said:
man them 315w CMH's are expensive, thinking about running 2 in my flower tent instead of the 600w, for cheap units im looking at $1000 straight up or going with phillips im looking at another $4-500 in bulbs, i better start saving :rofl:
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I'm guessing you're looking at the Hi-Pars?
I saw them last time I was in the hydro shop, guy gave me the hard sell, but it worked.. I want one badly! HUGE reduction in power consumption, and instant 10 degree temp reduction, according to this guy... Pretty tempting on that alone. Perfect spectrum.. PLUS, he said that you can basically leave them on 24/7 if you want; the bulbs last for years....
He did say that the price should come down pretty quickly.....but how long is that, exactly??

Hope you had a good one, dude!
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

Pretty quickly is usually timed at the length of a piece of string.. however long that is will determine the precise time pretty quickly will take..
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

:rofl:
Man, I almost typed in that post.. "but how long is that piece of string exactly??", then deleted the string bit cos I thought no-one would know what the fuck I was talking about!
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

:rofl: :rofl: Pretty quickly will be as quick as they sell enough units to be able to drop the price :rofl: if nobodys buying, the price aint going nowhere lol. Yeah santb mate, looking at the Hi-Pars, would be interesting to find out if the bulbs lose strength as they get older, may last a long time but will they still produce the same product 6-12 months down the track :thumb:
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

That was another thing my hydro guy said.. Still 92% after 12 months..... I'm trying to find that somewhere on the net but can't yet..
It does sound too good to be true!... But tech does get better, so why not? I think that's why they are a bit pricey now. Replace a 600w hps and get 2-5 years out of a bulb??
Even half that good and they're not gonna sell as many ballasts OR bulbs as HID, so they need the cash upfront!!
My guy reckons 6 months max for the price-drop; he said he can't order them fast enough... Really getting popular...
As I said, I'm sold. Just need the cash!!!
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

I might have even been told 98% after 12 months; 92% after 24....
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

I dont mind paying a bit more if they are going to last that long, basically like buying 3 bulbs for the hps but if they last that long would save a lot more in the long run, especially with the lower wattage of the 315 too :) I think im in the same boat, will be getting them but just need to save the $$$, hopefully Red Diesel will pay for them :thumb:
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

FeralA9X said:
all good pat, newish technology, basically like a hps but full spectrum and half the wattage, they come in 315w and 630w (2x315w) ballasts :thumb: either called LEC (Light Emitting Ceramic) or CMH (Ceramic Metal Halide) ;)
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Have you read about the dangers of CMH ?

........"The other drawback is that growers must use extra caution when working in the growroom when the lights are on. Many CMH grow lights come with warnings from manufacturers that suggest growers should not be around the lamps for more than a few minutes at a time while they are on, unless adequate shielding or other protection is used.

This is because if the outer envelope of the lamp is broken or punctured, you run the risk of serious skin burns and eye inflammations from short-wave UV radiation. It is only a potential drawback if you like to work in your garden for extended periods while the lights are on. Alternatively, you can work during the dark cycle.

A green LED headlamp can provide you with light while you prune or water. The green light will not disrupt the plants’ natural rhythms. Another option is to use a reflector with a lens covering the bulb, but the disadvantage of this is reduced light to the plants. It is important to note that, overall, CMH lamps are safe, but it is always better to be safe than sorry."
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

Thanks for the great info mate :) have not looked into any of that yet, i dont really do much work while the lights are on even under the HPS, during the week its a matter of adding a bit of water to the res, when i do reservoir changeouts i mix everything in a bucket outside the tent and then use a pump and hose to refill the res :thumb: as you probably notice i also turn all my lights off when taking photos, this is usually while im checking everything in the tent :) Veg tent will stay with the 400w MH, that is where i do most of my work, flower is basically leave them to do their own thing and just keep giving them fresh water, dont even really do much defol in flower :thumb:
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

The 315 Agro bulb is rated for over 20,000 hours of life with high lumen maintenance of over 90% at 8000 hours. Even more impressive is the very high PAR maintenance of over 85% at 20,000 hours. ******* recommends replacing the bulbs in flower every two years in order to maintain production. However, these used lamps can then be recycled for use in vegging rooms for another two years. This is another benefit of the full spectrum lighting provided by the Agro bulb. We replaced the eight 1000 watt metal halide fixtures in this facilities veg room with twelve ******* CMH lights. This reduced the power consumption by 4600 watts and they will never have to purchase new bulbs for vegging....
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Finally found this. Not quite as awesome as I said, but pretty close!! Not for Hi-Pars but same bulb.... The above came from a grow-test in which they replaced equivalent HPS for a harvest increase from .83 Gram Per Watt to 1.23!! Take that for whatever it's worth, but it IS similar to what the hydro guy was saying...
The test also described a reduction in flowering time from 65-45 days.
I have to say that this "test" DOES look like marketing (no mention of strains, feed, light schedule etc). But the lifespan of the bulbs is what I was chasing, and that IS close to what was in my head.

Pat, supposed to be the next big thing in lights.... Lots of light, much less heat, half the power usage, adn a truer representation of actual sunlight...
Apparently...
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

Actually, at the top of this test, what I should've read first (you know; at the beginning), it says ..'test performed by such and such, Colorado (Dispensary; pretty slick website; seems legit reason for them to test some lights..); 12 designer strains, smart pots, coco, gh nutes, controlled c02.
So there you go.. Would just post link but I doubt I'm allowed... I always get stuff deleted by Mods!!
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

Yeah, man, they sound the business. Glad to see your keen on em, cos I tought they were cool straight away, and I know VladimirPutin here plays with CMH. $800 seems pretty decent value, really..
But $600 would be better!! I'll have to wait.. The upside is now I can stop looking for my next light.
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

I didnt really look into them at all till a week or so back, always thought 315w, im already running more than that im not going backwards :rofl: $800 per unit is not too bad when you consider how long its going to last, no bulb replacements for like 2 years, im gonna head down the hydro shop in the next couple of days and see if they stock it and can do a good deal on 2 of them :) if not ill message Epping Hydro and see if he can do me a deal seeing as though im a good customer :thumb:
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

Yeah, and could easily replace a 600W HPS I've read. But they will destroy a 400, with a much better spectrum.
A quick squizz around the webs says they're the same price, give or take, all over. Be interesting if your guy can do a deal. And what his feedback is. The one I talked to reckons he got most of his good news from customers, which is great if true!
Still; nothing bad grow-wise that I can find. Think they really are the future. For now.
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

I will definitely go check them out to see how they look. Pretty neat to use half the electricity and then only needing to replace bulbs every two years. Well I guess if you really mind the 10% drop in efficiency then replacing it would be good. I on the other hand would grow with the bulb for 3 years then replace it. 315w drawage is 8w more than the Mars 700w I am using, that is very very impressive I will admit



 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

santb said:
Yeah, and could easily replace a 600W HPS I've read. But they will destroy a 400, with a much better spectrum.
A quick squizz around the webs says they're the same price, give or take, all over. Be interesting if your guy can do a deal. And what his feedback is. The one I talked to reckons he got most of his good news from customers, which is great if true!
Still; nothing bad grow-wise that I can find. Think they really are the future. For now.
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I think 2 of them in my flower tent would kick the 600w hps ass all day :) would have a lot better light coverage too :thumb:

Pat999 said:
I will definitely go check them out to see how they look. Pretty neat to use half the electricity and then only needing to replace bulbs every two years. Well I guess if you really mind the 10% drop in efficiency then replacing it would be good. I on the other hand would grow with the bulb for 3 years then replace it. 315w drawage is 8w more than the Mars 700w I am using, that is very very impressive I will admit



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Yeah its kinda like the advantages of LED's with the quickness of growth like HPS, best of both worlds :) Most i have been looking at actually draw a little more than the 315w, more up around 343w :thumb:
 
re: Feral's Journal Of Insanity & Some Growing

FeralA9X said:
I think 2 of them in my flower tent would kick the 600w hps ass all day :) would have a lot better light coverage too :thumb:
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And penetration all the way down...
Really does sound too good to be true, don't it??!! Plenty of guys out there using them now, so soon there'll be much more real grow data on sites like this. Should do a quick search now..

edit There IS quite a bit on 420. I'll have check out some grows.
 
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