Hi Blades, It's been a while and I'm finally getting back into growing but I'd like some input on my setup, especially for the lights. I will be growing in a 4x4 tent, I want to try out a Dual LED/HPS setup since I already have my Solarflare 200. For now I only have the solarflare in there, I know it will not cover the 4x4 tent but thats what I'm starting with. I was thinking of adding a 600W HPS with my Solarflare in the near future. Would a 600W HPS + my 200W Solarflare be enough for a 4x4 tent? Also, would 2x 400W in cooled hoods be better? and Worth the extra money compared to a 600W HPS? Or go straight up with a 1000W HPS in a cooled Hood? I'm looking to get 1lb or more per harvest, I used to get 4oz in my 2x2 cab with my LED only... so I think it's doable but I'd like to have some input on HPS lighting since I've never used any...
Ya man go to Walmart good equipment Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum Got some killer lights there on rollback Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
cool thx I've heard that the cool hoods are much better reflectors than a cool tube, do you have any info or experience with that? would it be Worth the extra 50$ or so? and would a 6'' fan be enough for a 1000W? I already got a 4'' fan, so I'm thinking of using the 6'' for the light only and 4'' for the tent. The room temperature is quite low in the winter and I have AC that is possible for summer, so keeping a 21-23*C wouldn't too hard, and I will be venting outside.
I use cool tubes all linked to a squirrel cage fan that blows the heat into my heat ducts. Its freezing where i am so i take advantage of the heat. All 6 inch fans are different so u just gotta check what its rated at. I also use multiple lights so i dont put so much into reflectors but probably would if i only used one light so given that light is the most impactful element, more is always better as long as temps are under control.
I think most 6" fans i saw are rated between 400 and 450cfm, i was also thinking maybe go with an 8" and sspeed controler just yo be safe, ive never used hps before so im not used to dealing with a lot of heat Sent from my SGH-I747M using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I'd spend the cash now and get the 8 so it will work if you should decide to use additional lighting in the future.
If you are going from LED to hps you are in for a shock lol. I bought a solar flare but I was able to return it and get my money back. unfortunately that light does not compare to other led grow lights. most led companies will give you a 90 money back guarantee. I would use that to buy this. I have not been able to beat that one yet. I would try another LED company before you go to hps. if not you will likely start looking at LED companies after using hps just like everybody else. even the die hard hps guys research LED ever so often hoping that now is the time to get rid of the heat LOL Glad to see you are back and I hope you have some huge harvests
Don't get me wrong, I love my SolarFlare and had great results with it, but I'm moving from a 2x2 cab to a 4x4 tent... so the solarflare just won't cut it... I'd really love to get one of the Advanced LEDs, either the XML or their ''new'' 5 Watters, I've sign up for their growers feedback program, but never got a reply back . But they are just too damn expensive... The problem with this grow is the budget... I just can't afford to adequatly cover a 4x4 space with LEDs. Thats why I'm aiming for a cool hooded 600W HPS and my SolaFlare for now... And I might upgrade to a bigger Mars II in the future, or if I can get enough funds, go for an Advanced LED or something. I'd really love to get some BlackDogs, Advanced LEDs and other top of the line LEDs, but I simply do not have enough money to initially put down on that.
Yea I understand budgets suck. I wanna be independently wealthy so i can build my fantasy room. the cooled 600 is going to do very well with the solar as a supplement. that will grow some big high quality buds.
I have a Mars 2 and a 1000w HID, each in their own 5x5 tent. My Mars 2 is only on its second run so Im still figuring it out,but it appears to be perfectly suited for a 4x4 space, where a 1000w fills the 5x5 tent. I would stick with the 600w, it will be a serious challenge keeping a 4x4 cool with a 1000w HID. You could do it but its going to require more equipment or and/or some creative engineering on your part, since you are on a budget Id go with what you have and save for a Mars2 or something equivalent. Edit: reread the post. I thought you had the 600w already. Stoned and skimming. Anyway I would go 600w in a 4x4, or even two 400w's because of previously mentioned heat concerns. To get a lb with a 600w thats a .73 gram per watt grow. Very doable, but you have to know what you are doing. With two 400's you are in the .55 gram per watt range, which is much more in line with average or beginning growers, plus your light is better dispersed with less of a hot spot under it.
Yes, the hoods have better light distribution than cooltubes. If you're running 1kw in a 4x4 then go with the biggest hood you can, my raptor covers almost the entire 4x4 area and no dark corners, allowing me to get the light much closer than with the smaller hydrofarm hoods, which leave dark corners when they're too close to the canopy. With a larger hood you don't have to worry about that, I had buds growing right up against the glass and still had full coverage. Example The smaller your hood the further away from your canopy you have to keep it to maintain even light distribution. 8" hood/fan with a 6" fan/filter (two fans, one for the light and one for the filter) and I bet your canopy temps are within a few degrees of intake temps. I managed to get my canopy temps under a 1kw down to 79f first week of august, documented in my journal. Go with the 1kw if you can afford a nice big hood, if not use 2x 400w with smaller hoods (the cost of which would cover a single larger hood anyway)
Wowzerz! thats the kind of grow I want! Thanks for the input it gives me a good idea of what I can do in my 4x4 tent! And your saying 8'' for the light/Hood alone? wouldn't a 6'' be enough if it's for the Hood only? If I choose to get an 8'' could I run it for venting my tent AND the Hood? so Filter->Hood->Exhaust or it won't be enough? But it's really good to know that you are able to manage a 1kw heat in august, and is that without AC?? We will have AC and the room can get as low as 20*C in winter so heat is not my main concern Thanks again!
I cool mine with 2x 6" fans only, no a/c, temps in my basement were around 75f so canopy temps were only 4f above that. Wish I had bought the 8" because I'll be expanding in the future and it's the same price for either one. But I would've run a reducer and 6" fan on the 8" hood anyway, wanted the bigger hood for down the road. I think you'd be fine with a single 8" pulling double duty, just keep your ducting short and straight as possible.
Cool thanks! the Ducting won't be more than 10-15 feet with max 2-3x 90* bends to throw it out the window. It's in a walk in closet and the window is right next to the door. So 8'' it will be! if it's overkill for now I can always get a speed controller.
Thanks for the input, I've been thinking on the dual 400W + my LED since one of my friend has a 400W HPS + 6'' Fan/filter and he's thinking on quitting his grow so I might be able to get that cheap. But again the budget is there and buying dual hoods might not be as good as simply going with the single 600W or 1000W.
Not sure what your budget is but a mars2 1600w would suit your grow size perfectly with no heat issues. $650 for mine, which might end up being what you spend on two 400s or a 600/1000 with cooling included.
the 600W + cooled hood is around 220$ on ebay which is pretty decent. the 4x4 tent is 140$ and the 6'' fan/filter combo is another 200-250$. Thats all with tax and shipping, so my whole grow would be around 500-600$. Just a little more than what my SolarFlare cost me! hahah! And I'd love to get that money back on the first 2 grows! hehe to start I've got the 3 first plants ( Northern Light, Bubba 76 and Midnight Kush) vegging under some CFLs and my solarflare. I'll be buying the Tent first and run the LED and 4''Fan at the begining to get the set up going, than bit by bit, buy the bigger fan and then the HPS. I have to teach my friend the basics of growing MJ first I have the knowledge and hardware and he has the space
Yeah the 1600 or 1200 Mars II seems great, but that might be an addition for later on once I get everything worked out My goal grow would be the 4x4 tent with a 600W HPS + the MarsII 1200w and have another 3x3 tent with my solarflare or 400w MH for vegging