Hey bub thanks for visiting the thread. Thanks for the nice comments man its means a lot. You know when you put hard work into something and people notice it makes you very happy. This is really my first time taking a dive into LEDs and your right about the claims and results. I did a hell of amount of research before I bought this light. And yes the price is a little up there but man with these Mars lights were only talking a fraction of the price compared to others of the same quality. It is so powerful, so worth the money. This is basically something extra I threw together to test these LEDs, so I have a limited amount of money for this project. I started of with a $1000 for it and bro did it go. $500 for the light, $300 for the homemade drobe and accessories (and you can really tell I skimped on a lot, I had to). I have 200 set back for my ventilation and just incase anything pops up. I also have a 1000w HPS setup that's really impressive. This is kinda a make do project, but will still turn high quality product. I'm glad you subbed man cause its nice to have peoples thoughts and opinions. What are you currently running? Thanks for stopping by and updates will be at least three times a week. Lol, I have a lot of extra time.
Not at the moment as I am on a very strict budget, but I'm going to look into it tonight man and if I find a really good price for an alright meter I'll be sure to pick it up. You know you may be right man, I've only saw the manufacturers website and two other peoples but that's not solid enough ground for me. Honestly it wouldn't surprise me as you can tell there's a fair amount of juice being used. Also, as I mentioned in an earlier post you can actually see it swaying in a circle a tad from the fans being so powerful. I'm definitely going to try to buy a meter though, if the Walmart near me has it, its as good as bought and I'll post my results. Wow there's a 1600w? very powerful. I should have went a little smaller I think but hey, go big or go home. You seem like you know what your doing so I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem getting good weight/harvest with these things. What I haven't seen is really huge colas from LEDs (maybe a few) but not like the hps setups I've seen. I mean the weight and density is there. Hps setups producing huge colas is just another day in the park. And another thing is, I may up talk and praise LEDs but I'm not going to throw out my 1000w hps anytime in the future so I dont want anything thinking that I'm just for LEDs. I know HID setups are used and recommended by the best most professional growers in the world. I just feel like we've got started off on the wrong foot and after reading back on some of the post I've made it does seem like I've bashed Hps a little and for that I apologize. Its a really touchy subject and I really don't want to offend anyone. I just want to make friends and grow with the helpful advice and support that this website and community offers. But yea anyways I'm going to go searching for a meter now so I can post results.
Looking forward to it! I'm currently set up with 1600w in a 4x8 but I'm only using half of it atm. Dropped $500 on a 1kw Lumatek/Hortilux/Raptor, but my temps don't allow for all 1600w during peak summer with my current ventilation (2x 6" 440cfm). Would like to run 2kw, but I have to either re-build my ventilation to 8" or go with a closed environment. LED might also be an option, not liking the heat they put off though. Correct me if I'm wrong but with HPS you can draw most of the heat out through an air-cooled hood, but with LED you have to either run an a/c or draw 100% of the heat through the grow chamber as if running an open hood? Productivity is a factor but not really my main focus since I already have a full-time job that pays the bills, this is just for fun. I always produce more than what I invested though so it's never an issue, the only thing I'm concerned with is keeping my environment within range while trying to cram as much light energy into it as possible, seems to me that you're struggling with the same issue. Looking forward to seeing your solutions and results, good luck!!
Hey, you are absolutely right about the hps hoods. In my 1000w setup its very easy because I have a air-cooled hood, I run my ventilation right through it and that really keeps my temps at bay because your ridding the heat at the source. They are two different types of heat. Where the hps is very hot right at the source and kinda projects heat out of the front. The LEDs are more radiant I guess you could say. Instead of having hotspots, it seems to be a more evenly distributed heat with most dissipating out of the top. You are also right about having the ventilation flow through the chamber. That seems to be the only way, so basically when I install the ventilation I have to make it as air tight as possible. As for the hps It seems with an air-cooled hood its easier for heat management. With an air-cooled hood you could have a few leaks and would not directly affect the heat management, only heat though because of course leaks will cause an odor problem lol Its always one thing or another. I'd say even though high quality LEDs may put off slightly less heat (My 1200w puts off loads of heat, almost the same as my 1000w hid) and its a different kind of heat, with my hps setup its definitely easier to rid the heat. Wow your running two inlines and your temps will not let you run the full 1600w? Trust me though I understand. You know my wife and I don't use the central air all the time. There's Noway I could run my Mars 1200w without the air being on, hell even with it on I'm having problems. My drobe is in our room. Well since I dont have the ventilation installed yet, I just turn on the light and leave the drobe doors cracked. Well the room can be 76f and within 3-4 hours not just the drobe but my whole room raises to 90f if not hotter if I let it go longer. So my only solution to this with it being summer time and hitting 90f temps everyday is to install a window unit to help the central air tackle this heat problem. That's crazy, all over one 1200w light. Hopefully, the ventilation helps this even though I don't see how it could by much because I'll be venting into the same room. Do you vent into the same room? With my hps I vent into the attic just because its in a convenient location.
I had no idea, I figured they gave off more heat than a lot of people made out. I think a lot of people compare a 200w LED to a 600w HPS sometimes and say how much cooler it is lol, but I had no idea it would be that much heat.. Yeah I think we did start off on the wrong foot. But no offense taken my end, I hope you didn't take anything I said personally, it wasn't meant as such
Your are right about people comparing the the smaller LEDs to the larger hps lamps. Well it's just how people view these LEDs. When buying or researching everyone including manufacturers say "This 300w Led is comparable to a 600w Hps" so people think that its the same even though there's a big difference in draw power. I honestly believe Leds should go by their draw wattage. I mean I get why they do it because 240 LEDs times 5w is 1200w but they never want to push the leds to the max because they are just not as stable. So they only push a fraction of the wattage. I know this one company that actually pushes the LEDs 80% which I guess is being pushed pretty far. Guess its the quality of the LEDs that's the determining factor. Bridgelux, Epistar and Cree are the three that comes to mind. I know Cree is the best and its also American made. Also, when researching these Mars 2s before buying, some sites said a lifespan 50,000 hours while some said 100,000 hours. Some sites just said 50,000-100,000 and thats one of the differences between Bridgelux, Epistar and Cree. My 1200w Mars 2 is running Epistar. Here's a chart just for info. CREE: 50,000 to 100,000 hour Life Expectancy – Highest Standards Epistar: 50,000 to 75,000 hour Life Expectancy – High Standards Nichia: 50,000 to 75,000 hour Life Expectancy – High Standards Bridgelux: 30,000 to 40,000 hour Life Expectancy – Medium Standards Edison: 30,000 to 40,000 hour Life Expectancy – Medium Standards Ecosmart: 10,000 to 25,000 hour Life Expectancy – Low Standards Generic: 250 to 5,000 hour Life Expectancy – Lowest Standards Sorry guys I just like posting useless info LOL. Hey maybe someone is interested in what my non-important research found. Updates coming soon!!! Almost done with the pictures.
I got a couple of old torches that have Cree LEDs when they first become commercially available, they were very expensive. Still going strong though. What LEDs do the mars2 use? An interesting point about how long the bulbs last. A few people use this factor against HPS systems, but I see it as once the HPS bulb needs changing you only need to change the bulb and it costs just £15. When the LEDs need changing you have to change the entire unit costing hundreds of £s. From what I have seen LEDs and HPS of the same actual wattage will give similar results as far as yield is concerned. What the LEDs had going for it was low heat out put but it seems that's pretty similar too. So if electricity consumption, heat output, and light output is that similar I just can't justify the extra cost right now. Possibly in a few months though. I just bought a dimmable 600w HPS for £80 so a fair bit cheaper. Plus I love the fact I can dim it to 400w on extra hot days I'm very much looking forward to seeing your results with this light though, any recent photos?
My Mars uses Epistar. I'm pretty sure some models use different LEDs though. Well, this 1200w led, they say its comparable to a 1000w hps. So if in fact it is comparable or produces the same weight as 1000w hps then there's the wattage difference right there since it only draws 520-580.
Yea, I see what you're saying. I have one 6" venting my hoods and one exchanging the air in my tent, both of them vent to outdoors through one of my basement windows (pics in my grow journal here: http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/1303148-1600w-4x8-berry-bomb-strawberry-banana-strawberry-cough-outdoor-veggies.html). Odor is a major concern for me as my neighbor's driveway is about 10' away from my vents, so I installed the inline so that it's pushing through the hoods. That way if there's a leak (and I know there is, brand new raptor whistles lol, wtf) it will be fresh air leaking into the grow chamber instead of smelly air leaking into the hoods. Even if you're running a single fan on double duty, fan goes before the hood and after the filter for the same effect. I was actually thinking about this at work last night, would be nice if they made an LED that can be vented without compromising odor control. I think it's a good idea to use that window a/c unit just for the room your LED is in. I actually installed a window a/c unit right in the first grow box I ever built, just to cool a 400w open hood LOL, check it out: http://tinypic.com/r/3160ylg/6 It might be more effective to run a portable a/c ducted right into your box, that way the window unit doesn't have to cool the entire room just to bring down temps in your box. I know you're over budget already but it would be cooling a much smaller space and thus be more efficient, might even have to turn it down a bit.... when I ran my window unit full blast it would bring my grow temps down to 66-68f on the hottest summer days.
LOL, First off let me say those plants in the first link wow. I can't believe that 5 day growth rate, one word amazing. I like your ideas man, the air conditioner in the grow chamber is hilarious but very, very effective. Also, with the air conditioner in the chamber as you said temps can be brought down into the 60s, during dark periods with those temps is when all the pretty colors come out. Those temps really bring out the blues. I'm super jealous bro. The reason I mentioned the window unit is because I found a little one at Walmart for $100 bux leaving around $150 for my inline and filter at the moment. I found an inline and filter combo with specs 190cfm 4in 65watts and 14in filter for $110 shipped to my door. Its here http://m.ebay.com/itm/291005555019?cmd=VIDESC&gxo=true I really don't know how well that will work since I'm letting the price shop for me. I consider myself pretty smart and I've looked at a lot of inline combos and this one doesn't look super cheap like some I've seen. Well I mean it is cheap though LOL, maybe I can just buy a better filter and get good results. Im not familiar with portable AC's maybe I'll do a hillbilly vent from the window unit to my chamber LOL, man I don't care what it looks like as long as it works ya know? Let me know what you think about that combo, because if you dont like it I may switch up and keep looking.
**Update** So here's what I've been up to. I done a little bit of work including some transplants and a lot of prepping for the new inline and filter. Also, while I had everything out of the chamber I sprayed for bugs/mites. I found a little spider mite that had a web on one of the smallest. I was so pissed because I know how awful it can turn really quick. When I saw him I immediately smashed em and now I am in fear there's more. There's always more. But hopefully it was that simple and I'm lucky enough to only have one. I know what I did, I put something in the chamber from the attic. Damn me. Anyway here's some pictures. You have to remember these plants lived under a low wattage CFL for almost three weeks. Also, these plants only get 3-4 hours a day with the LED because of temps so their kinda small and skinny. They have only been getting these 3-4 hours of LED for around a week to a week and a few days. So its really helped them. . View attachment 1497166 View attachment 1497167 View attachment 1497168 View attachment 1497172 View attachment 1497188 View attachment 1497191 View attachment 1497192 View attachment 1497193 View attachment 1497194 View attachment 1497195 View attachment 1497196 View attachment 1497197 View attachment 1497198 View attachment 1497199 View attachment 1497201 View attachment 1497178 View attachment 1497179 View attachment 1497180 View attachment 1497181 View attachment 1497183 View attachment 1497184 View attachment 1497185 View attachment 1497186 View attachment 1497202 View attachment 1497203 View attachment 1497205 View attachment 1497206 View attachment 1497207 View attachment 1497210 View attachment 1497211 View attachment 1497212 View attachment 1497200 View attachment 1497187 View attachment 1497177 View attachment 1497204
I have 2 4x4 tents. One 6' tall with Mars 900 and a 6" 500 cfm fan. Also have 8' tall tent with Mars 12. They are in the same room with AC on all the time to keep room at 25C. I tried 6" fan with 1200 but temps got around 85F. Had to buy a larger 8" around 1100 cfm. If I keep the tent totally zipped it gets warm, if I leave bottom zipper open the fan can move much more air and not try to implode the tent. Now tent stays around 79-81. I just finished my first ever grow. 3 white widows and one Other indica. I grew in 5 gallon buckets and found out at the end I watered too often, the bottom 1/2 of the soil was too wet and one plant even had mushrooms growing inside. I dried out 253 grams with a lot of popcorn not weighed. I just started my second grow and drilled more holes in the buckets.... http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1277190-DDPs-first-attempt
Just pulled out my DVOM. 223.4VAC 2.444 A(with 4 internal fans) 545.98 Watts http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1277190-DDPs-first-attempt
Thank you very much for confirming my research on the wattage. I knew it would be from 520w to 580w. You are talking about the 12 right? The 12 gets so hot, I had no idea. As of right now I'm looking at AC's to keep temps down in my space which is 6' tall 4' wide and 2.5' deep. Sorry to hear about the over watering. That is about the most common mistake made right there. I let my girls tell me when they are thirsty. Right before I water the soil is so dry its like a desert. You know a good way to tell is to just lift up the bucket, you WILL feel when they need it. Another thing is when you first start growing you tend to pay TOO close attention to them so your constantly trying to feel time by doing something lol I heard people call it practicing LITFA (Leave it the fuck alone) methods lol. Congrats on the first grow though. That's not too bad a harvest at all for your first grow. How was the smoke? Are you talking about weight with both lights combined?
Yes that is the wattage for the 1200. I didn't do the 900(should have). 900 is in one tent 1200 in another. 900 I use for veg and 1200 for flowering. Funny part about over watering is the plants were always happy, never drooped. I just watered every 3 days and called it done. On my current grow I have one very big plant that begged for about 4 months. If I don't water it every 3 days it starts to wilt. I had 4 plants in a 4x4 and they completely filled the tent. I had to remove one so I could water the two plants in the back. This grow I only have 3 plants right now(sativa) but I may add an indica in 3 weeks. I've drilled more holes for drainage and will try to push the plants to 4 or 5 days until I see them start to wilt a little so I have a better feeling for watering. I'm also waiting for my new lights... About 1,000 actual watts http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1277190-DDPs-first-attempt
Yea bub I saw that. I went over your journal man. They looked very happy. Lol I'm couldn't believe that fan fell on the one and topped it for you. I guess there's always at least one thing. You've spent a lot of money on your setups. They are very nice for you being new to the hobby. That's something to be proud of man. These Mars 2 12's are pretty powerful. Just imagine what your next harvest will be after your dialed in. Looked like good quality smoke. What line of nutes did you use?
****Update**** So today I went and picked up some new nutrients. I didn't want to use the Alaskan Fish Fertilizer. At first I thought it would be a good idea to try something different, something cheap just to see different results. Since I was wanting to try something different than my usual Fox Farms line I decided to try Botanicare's Pure Blend Pro Grow and Pro Bloom. I am not very familiar with this line so I'm kinda excited to see the results. I haven't feed any nutes yet. Also, in my earlier post I mentioned that the plants were just barely hanging on under a 13w CFL for damn near 3 weeks. I finally got to work and moved them into the drobe even though its still a work in progress. Today I will start the feeding schedule with just 15ml Pro Grow for the first feed. All veg feedings afterwards will be Pure Blend Pro Grow/Liquid Karma/Sweet Berry. Flowering will be Pure Blend Pro Bloom/Hydroplex/Sweet Berry. I lst'd the THC Bomb, left the rest alone for now. All plants are growing slowly and stretched because I'm only using the LED for 3-4 a day still. These 65w CFLs aren't doing the job. Also, I'm using the wrong spectrum of CFLs. I was thinking I'd be using the LED fulltime by now. I thought my fan and filter would be here so I could use the led more than just 3-4 hours a day. Just a few minor things done Here's some pics. Here's the THC Bomb. I have Lst'd this plant now. Heres before and afters. Before After LST Here's a few pictures of the rest. Bag Seed #1 Bag Seed #2 Bag Seed #3 (Which Has Deficiencies) The Super Sonic Cristal Storm will be germed really soon. Since its an Auto I wanted to get everything up and running smoothly before I popped it. I want as much bud as possible off of the Auto. Well there's the plant update. I'm working the the drobe now so I'll be doing a drobe update soon to show you guys and gals what I've been working on. Sorry if there is ALOT of typos I'm very tired. More updates to come tomorrow when I feel like taking more pictures of the grow chamber.
Looking good. I'm so tired I didn't notice any typos... Biomed, no nutes. Just soil and water . I'm thinking of setting up a 3rd tent to see what I can get out this light with some better plant husbandry and a bit of plant training. http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1277190-DDPs-first-attempt