How can I make the most of my 2 Growboxes?

Emilya said:
Those are just cheap hardware store 23w cfls, and I keep a couple of boxes of them around so I can swap blue/white bulbs for veg and the warm reddish bulbs for flower. The wiring is easy, they are all wired in parallel using light cord zip line, nothing complicated at all. I would recommend buying a 25' extension cord and stripping contact points in both wires every so often and wiring them in. This cord will also give you the plug to plug it in, and you can probably get one for under $10. The biggest chore is making it safe, and I handle that by putting a piece of duct tape around the contacts so that accidental contact can not be made.
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Alternately, you can buy sockets that have a built-in plug in socket on the side and you can just daisy-chain them together. They're really inexpensive at a hardware store.

Using CFLs, you most likely won't go over the max electrical draw for your timer. A 23 W pulls 23 Watts, and that is the number you use, times how many bulbs you daisy chain. This is different than the actual OUTPUT of 100, which doesn't affect how much electricity you're pulling from the circuit.
 
Ok i just ordered 6x23Watt CFL 6500K .... I hope thats enough... I read up on the MarsHydro Reflector that I use atm .. it draws like 150 Watt in Growth mode ... 6x23 = 138Watt Should be ok right?

Edit: I have to keep it low you know .. My Landlord will get suspicious if my Electricity Bill raises that much lol ...
 
Tris420 said:
Ok i just ordered 6x23Watt CFL 6500K .... I hope thats enough... I read up on the MarsHydro Reflector that I use atm .. it draws like 150 Watt in Growth mode ... 6x23 = 138Watt Should be ok right?

Edit: I have to keep it low you know .. My Landlord will get suspicious if my Electricity Bill raises that much lol ...
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You can compensate for the extra elec usage by unplugging chargers when not in use and shut off power strips when you are done using the TV, stereo, gaming units, and computer. Those suck power whether or not the appliance is on. Toaster, automatic coffee maker, etc, anything with an ON light, also draw electricity.
 
as far as the landlord goes...

a good gaming computer with a high quality video card and an 850w power supply, teamed up with a decent 19" monitor... uses every bit as much power as a big 1000w light... especially if you are on it as much as I am.

tell your landlord that you got two of them. :)
 
AKgramma said:
Question: I use CFL's, but think that maybe a couple of shoplights might be less stuff to fool with in the veg box. SInce the veg area is an odd length (36") I'd have to stagger 24" shop lights for full coverage. How many two-bulb units will I need to replace 6 23W CFLs with a nominal output of 600 Watts? Will there be a heat output difference? Will the replacements draw more electricity?
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I use the t-5 ho's in the blue spectrum, (6500 k) and they work fine for me. They cost me 6 bucks apiece at my local grow store.
Emilya is right though while the lamps in a shop light will actually grow MJ it is so un-efficiant that you would be better to stay with the CFLs, since the majority of the light spectrum it throws is non-usable by the plant. I have not tried the purple lamps she has mentioned, though maybe when these burn out I will check into them, but right now I want my plants to slow the hell down, they are growing to fast. I missed the grow cycle by about 2 or 3 weeks and the plants I have for grow #2 are getting out of control big.

AKgramma said:
How am I going to get a 4' fixture into a 3' grow space? ;)
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Very carefully my friend, very carefully.:rofl: Actually they make 2 foot models that come in 2 lamp, 4 and 8 lamp configurations. The 8 lamp set up has a footprint of 2x2 feet. Not sure if they make a 6 lamp version of the 2 footers though.
 
Oldergrower: Thanks for the laugh!

I have to do some research on Kelvins among cfl's. I've seen cool white and daylight, but I'm seeing a lot of chatter about going to 2700K to flower. If I need different types of CFLs for veg and flower, I need to know exactly what to buy, keeping in mind I MUST keep the temps down to prevent a trailer fire. Mobile homes go up like paper. There is no saving it in case of a fire.
 
AKgramma said:
Oldergrower: Thanks for the laugh!

I have to do some research on Kelvins among cfl's. I've seen cool white and daylight, but I'm seeing a lot of chatter about going to 2700K to flower. If I need different types of CFLs for veg and flower, I need to know exactly what to buy, keeping in mind I MUST keep the temps down to prevent a trailer fire. Mobile homes go up like paper. There is no saving it in case of a fire.
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When it comes to safety I am a bit of an old mother hen. No amount of bud is worth skimping on safety.
 
AKgramma said:
Oldergrower: Thanks for the laugh!

I have to do some research on Kelvins among cfl's. I've seen cool white and daylight, but I'm seeing a lot of chatter about going to 2700K to flower. If I need different types of CFLs for veg and flower, I need to know exactly what to buy, keeping in mind I MUST keep the temps down to prevent a trailer fire. Mobile homes go up like paper. There is no saving it in case of a fire.
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OK. Research done:

For Veg = 5000-6500K = Daylight style bulbs
For Flower = 2700K = Soft White style
 
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