Dr. Earth newbie grow journal

Just saw the other questions sorry. What wattage did you find? And what is the hood just link the ad if you can. For 140 you can get a new one from amazon.


http://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-GLK600LS... You can sign up for amazon prime for free cancel in 25 days and not pay. The reason you would do that is prime = free 2 days shipping on most things. It is glorious. I have signed up on my own and my fiancees using the same CC and we have enjoyed free expedited shipping so much we are just gonna get prime when it's run out.


One reason I am suggesting amazon when you hit 140-150 range is the warranty you are backed by amazon and the seller. Who I have dealt with and in the past and I have had 0 problems with. The warranty is a big deal shit breaks sometimes for no reason you can tell. And having a place that will replace it at your door within like 48hrs so you have no time without your stuff is worth an extra 10-20 bucks. I buy lots of used shit cause I know the risks and have back up stuff ready to go if something fails. However I would buy new hands down any time I had over 100 on me for something good. As soon as the first thing breaks you can't replace fast you will start being more cautious lol. There are other lights on amazon similar the one I linked is the right type of hood. The rest I have had problems with and just find cooling more effective.


Now I know you're used to me and the fact I don't shut up and try to usually offer more then one option if I have time to so here is another idea.


Order the ballast online dimmable is the key word here and why you're going online is cause you want the warranty on this above all else.
You can probably find a WAY better hood/reflector on craigslist than on any of the presets. You can use any of the HID bulb/watt up to 1000w in 99% of reflector/hoods so having a 400w or 600w dimmable ballast is many lights in one.


If you buy 400w dimmable you will have 1.(possibly super lumens) 2.(400w) 3.(275w) 4.(250w) all on that ballast. You can dim your bulbs to these settings and it will run with much less heat and essentially give you a light suitable for younger plants before boosting to the full 400w available.


If you buy the 600w it will give you down to a 400w you see how this works now and the reasons it is superior to a normal static range ballast.
ALSO NOTE THAT DIGITAL DIMMABLE BALLASTS ARE HPS/MH Compliant and can run both usually without flipping a switch even.


1000W: Powers 600W, 750W and 1000W Lamps

\t 600W: Powers 400W and 600W Lamps

\t 400W: Powers 250W and 400W Lamps

\t 250W: Powers 150W, 175W and 250W Lamps


That is from Lumateks site regarding their ballasts digital dimmable it is old though so new info may have even more options.


Plan ahead think of things you'll never want to let go of or that you'll use diff ways. I have from the start intended 400w MH 600w HPS and running both at same time during flowering with the MH possibly dimmed to around 200+. This means I have always known I would want as much interchangeability as possible regarding lamps hoods and ballasts. I can put the bulbs and hook the ballasts up to either hood and I can mix up more you get the point. You seem to be doing it right so just research what you can when you can and ask any questions you want. I remember more stuff I learn if I have people talk to me about it or ask me things I can try to help with. =)




Currently medicated lol so if I missed anything let me know. I just emailed back and forth with GG#4 clone guy nearby. =) VERY EXCITED

 

Nice. Yeah that will rock. 600w are the best bang for wattage they equate to more lumens per wattage than any other lamp unless I am mistaken. Not a bad deal for how clean and new it looks by any means. Good hood and reflector and 6inch is gonne be a drop more $$ when you get your exhaust but it is gonna work better and will clear your tent faster at a lower quieter speed. More importantly when you get a bigger tent you can still use the 6inch.

 

Yeah the exact ones are all over amazon too. The one you are getting is like 60 more or so new. Maybe more. Check it out. It's not a bad deal. It looks really new too. Most people try to grow and fail for lack of research and end up selling most people selling will be this.

 

I swear when I am not using my phone my sentences make far more sense.... However I know you always know what I am saying lol.

 

Hey irie I have a 600w gavita hps that I'm not using. It's set up for 220v tho. It's available if you can use it.

 

What he/or she means is you'll most likely need to get a 220v cable wired into your breaker box for the ballast specifically. As I don't think most homes have them unless it is diff in your area. If you know how to do it I would totally suggest this above 120v. Unless I am mistaken you save money per watt used or something to that affect. It is a pretty simple process for any electrician or handy guy. I myself am not that handy sadly =/ or I would run it.




Ugh our GG#4 mother plant guys been giving out mite covered bushes. My room is immaculate I check everyday 3 times a day for anything and I snap shots with my phone which took my profile pic. So I will just keep looking for now.

 

Not cheaper to run, a kw is a kw. The main advantage is you can run more lights on a 220v circuit
than you can a 120v setup. Also any home that has an electric dryer and/or stove is wired with 220v.


Anyway, thank you for clarifying this for her. TBH I don't know if just a cord swap will do it for the light
to operate on 120v. That's all it takes for LED panels. I have extra cords from my LED panels I can surely
find out if she's interested.

 

Op ~
You can use this set up.

The cord for 110 and 220 (for most ballast)is almost the same the only difference is the male end. If you run 220 you only use
half of the amps which is less of a draw equals less electricity used. I use both, I can't run 4k worth of lamps on 110 and afford that Bill.
Both are available on Amazon for cheap.

 

Thanks Although in my experience the only wiring for 220 in my home is exactly that washer and dryer. The people I know had to set a line to the box themselves. Or have an electrician do it more often.

I def haven't grasped when they explained it before but it is making a bit more sense now. Ty again.

 

I use a device called an autopilot you have an electrician run it and then you plug it in for the time when you want it to turn on. This is for a lot of electricity.
I'm going off on a tangent but my point was what rb said above is correct you should be able to use a ballast even if it has a 220 cord just get the 110 cord there's no other piece of equipment needed...

 

A ballast is the most important part. I think someone was offering you some equipment. Maybe they'll leave it where you could find it.

Amazon has everything you need darling.

 

I was saying that I have this just sitting around and doing nothing. Gavita pro 600

 

I don't mean to call you out for being wrong but just because you run 220v does not mean there is less electricity used! There are benefits to running 220 though, your ballasts run more efficient and cooler since 220 is better for electronics which means longevity for your equipment, bulbs fire up better, etc.

If you run a ballast at 110v, depending on the ballast, it may draw anywhere from 4-8 amp but for the same ballast on 220v it will only use half the amperage.

110v x 8 = 220v x 4

Also with the regular 110v power plugs if they are 600v capable wiring (12 or 14 gauge wiring, can't remember what one) then you typically can run 220 on them. Half of my ballast plugs are from power supplies and are all capable of a 220 constant draw even though they're are two prong vertical with the ground probe below. I do have a few of my ballasts with 2 horizontal prongs and the ground on the bottom as well and it's the same exact wiring unless you buy cheaper 110/120 v cables or more expensive and heavier gauged 220/240v cable.

I don't want people to take that though and assume every plug (in the US at least) is 220 capable, always be careful and consult with someone who would know or read the wiring before using one at 220!

🏼

 

You guys are really making this hard lol. It doesn't really matter to me how electricity works I just know that my bill is half as much when I'm running 220. You shouldn't be plugging in regular plugs to 220 they make specific plugs for that I don't know what you're talking about or why you're trying to prove people wrong lol but I guess that's what the internets for a right

 

There's really nothing hard about it fif3l! You need a 220v power source and a wire and ballast combination capable of running on 220.. That's the point we're trying to make. 110 vs 220 will not save you money out of the wall, it'll save you in your equipment running better.
I'm not trying to prove you wrong to be an asshole. I'm stating facts because my father is a journeyman electrician and he's taught me a few things that people could benefit from or at least bring them to the understanding of how their equipment is running in terms of efficiency... I'm not necessarily sure what to say about your bill being half on 220 because if it's any ballast I've ever seen that's not how they work. I would have reason to believe something else in the equation changed as to why your bill got cheaper. I ran my room at 110 for a few months and then switched to 220, there was no difference except for when my ballasts were in the room they ran cooler on 220 than 110 which in turn caused my AC to run maybe 2-4% less..

Wattage / Voltage = Amperage

1000 / 220 = 4.5454
1000 / 110 = 9.0909 (half the amps of 220)

You are always pulling the same wattage from the wall, or it wouldn't be called a 1000 watt ballast or 600 watt ballast.. It just cuts your amps in half for more efficient use at 220.

And regular plugs are fine. They're a travel source for power and if a wire is capable of handling a heavy load of 600v then why would you not run it? Just because the prongs are rotated 90 degrees it doesn't mean anything unless you have a control box that only has dedicated 220 outlets. For example my Titan Helios 10 is a 220v 8 light controller. Each outlet on it has the ground probe hole on the bottom and then "L"s for use of plugs with either vertical prongs or horizontal prongs.. They do the same exact thing unless advised differently through the company.