Suggested lighting for a 10x10 grow tent

[K.puff&stuff]

Hi guys i have a question for anyone that has experience with large grow tents. I need suggestion on lighting for a 10x10 grow tent i have 8 lights I got from China 850 watts eq to 1000 watts HID i'm only pulling 450 watts from the wall so i'm possitive the lights are not what they claim them to be. Anyways I would like to stay with leds but i havent seen anything that will work as good as HPS. I dont want to spend 1500 dollars on a light that will only work with 3x3. I need suggestions guys help with my grow
Thanks
Oh I'm growing in 5 gallon pots at this time I have 20 clones going and a mother plant in the corner yea I know tht there mite not be enough room once they really take off

 

[Shawnyboy]

I have a 10x10 with 4 1000w hps. With raptor xl 6" air cooled hoods. Excellent coverage.

 

[Marzbadrock]

I'm a HID guy. I know led is getting pretty impressive though but a LED person would have to chime in on those. I'm on a 5*6 drain table, I use 2 1000w hps in raptor xxxl vented hoods and get 100% full coverage, I could go to a 5*8 table n still have 90% coverage n get a extra pound per harvest but do not have enough room. If you went with 4 xxxl hoods with 1000w I'd imagine you'd be pulling some really solid harvests. With ballast, lights, hoods be about 1800.

 

[K.puff&stuff]

Hello thanks for replying guys what the monthly hydro cost on 4 of the hps lighting. this is what bothers me and also are they safe meaning fire. I also wanted to ask your electrical are they just plug into wall sockets have you ever pop a breaker. And how about cmh fixtures any takes

 

[Marzbadrock]

If you only ran 1 you could probably just plug directly to outlet. With 4 I'd wire in a 220 40 amp breaker n run your ballasts off a light contoler. I use a titan helio 2. As far as power consumption it varies from what part of the country your in n what they charge per kilowatt. My grow consist of 400w MH, 2 1000w HPS, 2 oscillating fans, 3 in line fans and runs me about $60 per month. $75 when I have to run AC

 

[Marzbadrock]

And make sure you have someone with electrical exsperience, 220 will kill you

 

[K.puff&stuff]

The Titan controler its wired with its own breaker like your saying 220 40 amp then all lights pluged into the titan

 

[Marzbadrock]

You run a 220 breaker in your electrical panel, from there you run either a 8 or 10 gauge wire to your titan controller then plug your ballast into controller. Then you plug a timer into 110 and plug the titan controller into timer (this is the trigger)

 

[K.puff&stuff]

I understand but that means the ballast are 240 volts so if i change my lights for HID are the ballast 240 and 110 plugs since titan only seems to have 240 female plugs

 

[Marzbadrock]

Yes your ballast needs to be 240 with 240 plugs. The only thing that is 110 is your trigger plug from the titan controller to your timer plugged into 110

 

[TorturedSoul]

what the monthly hydro cost on 4 of the hps lighting. this is what bothers me and also are they safe meaning fire. I also wanted to ask your electrical are they just plug into wall sockets have you ever pop a breaker. And how about cmh fixtures any takes

Hydro is Canadian for "electricity?"

Every (properly assembled and approved) electrical device is safe if the user doesn't overload the circuit that it's plugged into. And avoids obvious bonehead actions (e.g., plugging something in and then pitching it into the bathtub full of water that they're sitting in).

Most folks like to run at 80% of a circuit's capacity or less. IDK if this is mentioned in code or just good caution, though.

As mentioned, 220/240VAC is probably wiser than 110/120VAC, because when you double the voltage you halve the current load (amperage). Watts=Voltage*Amperage, which allows you to figure your electrical requirements. Add a bit for inefficiencies (loss) of the device(s), and the length of the wiring run is also a factor, so being somewhat conservative never hurts. There are actually quoted figures in regards to the size of the wiring run and its length, along with any connections between the box and the outlet, and a web-search will bring up lots of web pages with this information. But, assuming you go with a good licensed electrician for any work/upgrades that need to be done, they should be able to work with you. Just be sure to add up ALL of your electrical devices, and it's a real good idea to envision any likely - or even possible - upgrades, because when you're getting such work done, increasing the capacity from what you need now to what you think you might need in the future generally equates to a (relatively, lol) small increase in the cost of the labor/materials for the job... But if you pay to have the work done now and then have to pay to have that work upgraded in the future, well, it can be significantly more (in total).

If at all possible, I'd want to split the lighting up to a couple of breakers (or four, if going with 120VAC), because that means if you trip ONE breaker, your grow room doesn't go completely dark.

Electrical devices ought to have the electrical requirements listed on a tag/sticker somewhere.

Just like if you were dealing with a country instead of a house, lol, do not skimp on the infrastructure! It'll end up biting you if you do, likely as not.

If you NEED an outlet way over... there, and figure that any temporary items you might need to run, such as a shop vac, pump, et cetera won't end up being too much of a hassle if you get a HD extension cord / power strip / whatever and run it across the grow to that outlet since, hey, you'll only be using those items once in a while... Go ahead and budged a few extra bucks to have an additional outled RIGHT HERE, too. Because things that one doesn't expect to end up being a RPitA... Often turn out to be, LMAO. And it's always better when you don't have to run cords all over the place; it is also safer.

People's electricity rates vary depending on where they are located. In some areas, it can vary depending on what time of day you're using it (if your rates are lower at night, set up your timers so that your "lights off" period coincides with the higher daytime rates. In larger grows, the savings can be significant. Some areas even charge a person different rates depending on how much they use each month.

Whatever your monthly electric bill ends up being, it should be just a fraction of the worth of the bud that you'll eventually produce. Whether you'll be selling some to help offset that cost or just not having to buy any to fill your own needs, you should come out well ahead.

You list your location as Québec. These should help you estimate the costs for your grow's electricity (I'm including some links for business rates, because I don't know whether you're growing in a residential (house) neighborhood or a business/industrial one:
Comparison of electricity prices | Hydro-Qu'ebec
Residential Rates | Rate D | Hydro-Qu'ebec
Electricity rates for business customers - Business | Hydro-Qu'ebec
Comparison of electricity prices - Business | Hydro-Qu'ebec
Domestic rates | Hydro-Qu'ebec

Hope this helps! Looks like you're getting some good answers from people who're growing in spaces of a size that'll help you determine good lighting setups .

You'll probably be able to get help with other facets of the grow setup, too, such as ventilation/extraction/odor control. Who knows, someone might even be growing in a sealed environment, supplementing with extra CO₂, and perhaps running a mini-split AC unit to deal with the heat.

 

[TorturedSoul]

titan controller

Is that like a HD Intermatic timer?

I understand but that means the ballast are 240 volts so if i change my lights for HID are the ballast 240 and 110 plugs since titan only seems to have 240 female plugs

Think of it like a great big version of a stereo amp relay for your car, lol. You've got voltage in - and then out - for your light/etc., and then a separate voltage line in that actually powers (well, triggers, activates) the "relay."

 

[Marzbadrock]

Is that like a HD Intermatic timer?



Think of it like a great big version of a stereo amp relay for your car, lol. You've got voltage in - and then out - for your light/etc., and then a separate voltage line in that actually powers (well, triggers, activates) the "relay."

No. It's just a glorified junction that is controlled by a separate timer

 

[K.puff&stuff]

In my garrage I have a plug for 220 it was used for a heater block heater its 30 amp I think if I get an electrician he can turn it into 45 amps by adding a breaker to it I can then plug in one of those Titans

 

[Derbybud]

In my garrage I have a plug for 220 it was used for a heater block heater its 30 amp I think if I get an electrician he can turn it into 45 amps by adding a breaker to it I can then plug in one of those Titans

More than likely that breaker is maxed out at 30 amp. You can't just replace the breaker. You would need to replace the wiring and the breaker and the plug. So your looking at a 45 amp breaker, pulling larger wiring to handle 45 amps and a plug that can withstand 45 amps which is a 50 amp plug. Then you can use the titan

 

[K.puff&stuff]

More than likely that breaker is maxed out at 30 amp. You can't just replace the breaker. You would need to replace the wiring and the breaker and the plug. So your looking at a 45 amp breaker, pulling larger wiring to handle 45 amps and a plug that can withstand 45 amps which is a 50 amp plug. Then you can use the titan

Yep I understand But at least I have access to it just under my panel so for the electrician to change wire and breaker should be a hard job for him.