hi i was just wondering if it would work ok or not i just got my hands on 4 100 watt hps fixtures with bulb to outer glass off them wanted to know if it would work for side lighting for my flowering room got them for free so the price was right or you think it just a waste of time and hydro any sugestion i love critism so all answers or questions welcomed
Yeah the extra lights will be good for the plants, and will also come from different angles providing more coverage and light to lower branches (at least for the plants on the side). Just be safe homie, wire that stuff up right and don't burn the place down
it helps that i am electrician buy trade so the wiring part is not a prob im more woried about what i might have to do with the heat issue ove it i live in the great white north so this time of year it gets cold i ran a breaker pannel to my grow room so its the only sourse and breakers im running so i should be good any idead for ventalation might help me out alot i think
I suggest that you invest in four hurricane lamp-shades. Mount them to 3" dryer pipe, with a small bathroom blower-fan (Squirrel-cage design, not fan blades.) You would also want to run fresh outside air for the other end, which will separate the light from the grow-box. (You don't want to suck-out all your growing humidity at that same high volume. Nor do you want to have that air scrubbed.) You want negative pressure suction on the light, for cooling. Using positive pressure will transfer more heat from the light, to the glass. Negative pressure creates a micro-insulation layer to help keep it cooler. Negative pressure also pulls from all directions, where as positive pressure would have hot-spots where pressure is trying to flow around obstructions, and leaking into your grow-area. I would also think about using an aluminum deflector. That will dissipate heat to be more manageable, and reflect more IR heat. (You don't want your walls absorbing IR, and melting or burning when the reach the kindling temp.) Keep a 1" layer between the light reflector and the wall. You would also be wise to make four exhaust holes/pipes that are directly behind the light shroud, to help remove the largest source of heat, and help cool the shroud in the process. Inch per inch, you will have better coverage with the four 100w, however, you will not have the power of a 400w. (Your 4x 100w is actually 4x 150w, when you count the loss of the four transformers/ballasts. The 400w bulb is actually 430w, and the output is 6x what 4x 100w bulbs emit. You would need 5x 100w to get the same volume of light output, as photons, not lumens.) However, I still believe that with the closer distance, and additional cooling, you will have a nearly equal or higher yielding grow. If you can not find hurricane glass replacement shades, you can use any decent tempered glass that will fit in your corners. I am sure you can find "L" shaped gutters to use as reflectors, and to create the cooling chamber for each light. (Don't forget to keep the ballast separate from your grow, they will emit 50w of heat themselves. Room-air can safely cool those, but a small PC fan works wonders on cooling those.) You don't need a super-fan that removes 400CFM to cool the lights. A simple low-volume, super-quiet fan for any small bathroom will work fine. The flow will be constant, and the lights will always be cool. (Just remember that you will have to clean them with alcohol wipes, once in a while, as the dust builds. You can reduce that build-up with any simple high-flow air filter on the intake side.)
im goin to be using the 4 100 watts PLUS im using a 400 watt the 400 watt is goin to be in the center on a flat white 24inch buy 16 inch cone shape flat white reflector the other four 100 watt ones there from a side of a building the got aluminum reflector the ballast is inclosed with the light fixture for venting i got 2 air hockey table fans and i got a 60 cfm pathroom fan the grow area is 4.5X4.5X5 plus a 13 inch oscalating fan its all inclosed in half inch fire code drywall my exhaust im venting threw my chimney i figure the higher the smell comming from the less ovius right and i got a 2 inch intake goin into a 6 inch hole for freshair with a old computer cpu fan to push the air thats just for my flowering stage in its life
im actually trying to do this without purchasing a hood but if there a desent price thats something i can look into but for right now i got 2 girls in there as we speak i wan t to put pics up but then i dont i got a sativa goin dont now wut strain and i got a indica whom is a hash plant got a rhino whom is 10 inches already showed me her lips so im happy there im goin to stick with the three flavors the other 2 were clones that were givin 2 me my veg box goin to be my next thred ive been getting great growth no stretching wut so ever that be my next post
Hmm... that's a lot of light for 3 plants. It shouldn't hurt, but if you only have the 3 plants right now you could get away with just using the 400w for now. Maybe take one of the 100w and set up a veg box somewhere. Here's a few hoods, expect to spend about 100-150$ on an aircooled hood. DIY: Best Cool Tube - This is a guide on how to make your own cool tube, it might cost 50-60$ total to build, and probably only if you are unlucky lol.
What is going to be your power source? 120, 208, 277?? All I can think of, especially @ 120vac....CHA CHING ! ! If it is your geow room, go with flouresant. Cooler, cheaper. Not so good for the bloom stage though (unless there is something out there ??)
well im running 240 to my grow area not sure if that helps you out or not but i got a 1000 watt diesel generator which takes alot ove the voltage for me my average elect bill is basically 30 bucks more then i use in the summer
I'm curious about your 1000w Diesel Genny. I keep a Honda EU2000 generator around as an emergemcy back-up, but would prefer to have a diesel unit vs gas. What brand and model comes in a 1000w Diesel? Thanks in advance !
America Diesel Generator is the name on it i live in canada and a place called princsess auto works great use bio diesel to run it
It doesn't matter what the voltage is, the wattage is still the same, and you are billed on wattage. The amps decreases, which is less wire-heat, or circuit heat. (Wire heat is a loss of efficiency, higher voltage is more efficient. Unless you are converting it twice, once up from 110v to 220v and then to the bulb voltage. That is less efficient than going from 110v to bulb voltage.) Watts / Volts = Amps 400w / 110v = 3.6a 400w / 220v = 1.8a (Same number of electrons, moving twice as fast. Less electron traffic/resistance/loss.) (NOTE: A 400w bulb uses over 450w of electricity, when you add the ballast losses. True amps when running is around 4.1a at 110v. Rarely is 120v actually 120v. The power company gives you less, as it causes everything in your house to consume more wattage, as it is less efficient, and the energy-star devices will boost voltage up to 120v by using more amps/watts.)