Led's
- Thread starter safeman
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- indoor growing lighting
Check out our sponsors here at 420 magazine...there are plenty of good LED companies here with affordable panels.
I agree with Icemud 100%.
The panels that the sponsors sell can actually be searched on our forum, and you can even see the results people get with using them for their grows. They're very high quality, and I don't think a fish tank LED would give you results anywhere near what you can get from these lights.
What price range are you looking for a light to be in?
The panels that the sponsors sell can actually be searched on our forum, and you can even see the results people get with using them for their grows. They're very high quality, and I don't think a fish tank LED would give you results anywhere near what you can get from these lights.
What price range are you looking for a light to be in?
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- #4
You sure they're 500w CFL, or 500w equivalent? I've never seen a 500w CFL.
CFL wattage is always discussed by the actual wattage, not the incandescent equivalent wattage.
And I grow using CFLs as well, but I'm only using 351w total on 2 plants currently.
CFL wattage is always discussed by the actual wattage, not the incandescent equivalent wattage.
And I grow using CFLs as well, but I'm only using 351w total on 2 plants currently.
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- #6
They call those 'equivalent watts,' which is why Antics asked. There is a lot of dispute about the relative power of CFL's, LED's, HPS so instead of discussing equivalent watts most of us just talk about real watts, much easier to straight exactly what is being compared that way!
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- #8
Ok so you're using 7, 105w CFL bulbs. For a total of 735w.
We don't use the incandescent number since Incandescent bulbs cannot grow plants, so the equivalent number is pretty much pointless. If there were a number to use, such as an HPS/MH or LED equivalent, it would be more useful.
People measure light in Lumens.
PAR is what plants use. The Lumens figure for plants is pretty much irrelevant lol. I made the same mistake
We don't use the incandescent number since Incandescent bulbs cannot grow plants, so the equivalent number is pretty much pointless. If there were a number to use, such as an HPS/MH or LED equivalent, it would be more useful.
People measure light in Lumens.
PAR is what plants use. The Lumens figure for plants is pretty much irrelevant lol. I made the same mistake
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- #10
Thanks for the information Always wanting to learn. Formula to determine # of lumens for grow area. (example - lets say 4 by 4 growing area so lengh x width = 16 the x's 2,000 (lumens per square foot). answer 32,000 lumens need to light that are properly So then look at packaging for lumen amount., understand it is to hard to measure PAR. Understand what you are saying but this type of formula might put one in the ball park. There is a formula to determine # of fans need in grow area also. Any way using 7 -500 watts (3,500 watts) and each light draws 105 of engery
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- #11
Right now, there are quality 200 watt (draw) panels for sale by one of our sponsors for just over $100. 
That's 50 cents per watt, about the lowest cost I've seen. I run a 4x4 and I just replaced my 600W hps with a 540W (draw) LED panel. I've done the lumen and power calculations and that should be about the perfect amount of LED power for that space. You're currently running 705 watts of CFL, which is actually quite low at 2000 lumens per sqft. You really should be higher at 3000 lumens.
But anyway, right now, you can get 600 watts of quality LED for about $320 shipped, or 800 watts (four panels) for just over $400.
That's 50 cents per watt, about the lowest cost I've seen. I run a 4x4 and I just replaced my 600W hps with a 540W (draw) LED panel. I've done the lumen and power calculations and that should be about the perfect amount of LED power for that space. You're currently running 705 watts of CFL, which is actually quite low at 2000 lumens per sqft. You really should be higher at 3000 lumens.
But anyway, right now, you can get 600 watts of quality LED for about $320 shipped, or 800 watts (four panels) for just over $400.
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- #13
You're going to get higher efficiency and lower heat with LEDs.
I don't have anything against CFLs and was using a big 414 watt (draw) rig I made out of PVC and sockets. I love the way I can drop them right down on top of the youngsters - 2 inches away. I got a 250W MH for the bigger vegging girls, but I'll stay with CFLs for seedlings and clones. For bloom, though, they just don't compete. You can grow good buds with CFLs, but they'd be even better under LED. And CFLs wear out pretty fast - LEDs go 30,000 hours or more.
My advice is not to invest in new CFLs - put it into LED, and keep the ones you have for the youngsters.
I don't have anything against CFLs and was using a big 414 watt (draw) rig I made out of PVC and sockets. I love the way I can drop them right down on top of the youngsters - 2 inches away.
I got a 250W MH for the bigger vegging girls, but I'll stay with CFLs for seedlings and clones. For bloom, though, they just don't compete. You can grow good buds with CFLs, but they'd be even better under LED. And CFLs wear out pretty fast - LEDs go 30,000 hours or more.My advice is not to invest in new CFLs - put it into LED, and keep the ones you have for the youngsters.
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- #15
Yea; those 800 watters give 10,000 lumens per bulb, any way, after reading all you guys posts I'm staring to thing LED's. Thanks for all for input
Nope, you're not using 7 500 watt bulbs. 500 watt is the incandescent equivalent. Forget that number completely. You're using 7 105 watt bulbs.
Don't bother with formulas to calculate lumens. Plants don't use anything on the lumens scale. That's measured in PAR.
I use CFLs now, but my preference is LED.
For CFLs some folks will suggest around 30 watts per square foot. I focus on wattage per plant, which I suggest a minimum of 100w per plant in Veg, and 150w per plant in Flower. Specifically speaking about CFLs. This doesn't apply to LED or HID lighting.
Check this link out, it'll have a lot of good information to help you out: How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know
I don't have a lot of knowledge about growing , as I still new to it. What I can sure with you is a little real world expearance, I was recently gifted a 4x4 tent from a friend(the zipper was messed up, and I was able to repair it). After reading and research on this sight, and the advise of Smoke Sara. I decided to go with a topled mars 1200.
After two weeks under some cfls, then put under the led for four more weeks, my plants are twice the size of my friends(he has a 4x4 tent with a 600 watt hps(everything else is the same).
Hop this is realevent, and helps
KJ
After two weeks under some cfls, then put under the led for four more weeks, my plants are twice the size of my friends(he has a 4x4 tent with a 600 watt hps(everything else is the same).
Hop this is realevent, and helps
KJ
Hosebomber
New Member
I don't know of anyone that recommends 30 watts of CFL for anything other than veg... and that's still a little low. I personally recommend 65 watts per square foot. I always recommend lighting based on the area the plant covers and not the number of plants due to the fact that through training, veg time, and different strains you can have a single plant that covers a full 4x4 area... in that case, 150 watts is less than 25% of what that plant will need.
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- #19
I agree with you lol. I was only giving the 30w/sq ft number since it was the lowest I have seen suggested. Everyone has a different opinion when growing, and everyone's grow has different demands. A guy doing a stealth grow in a PC case isn't going to want to hear me tell him he needs 150 watts.
I like 100w per plant Veg, and 150w per plant Flower minimum numbers since the math is the easiest to calculate. But as you stated, obviously there are exceptions to the rule. And I had hoped it was common sense that if someone had a plant as big as in your example, they wouldn't expect 150 CFL watts to flower it properly.
But at the same time... if you're growing a single plant that covers a 4x4 area, I think it's time to upgrade lighting to something more effective than CFLs.
