I am having some trouble with heating while running 5 1000W HPS. My AC just simply can't deal with this 80-90+ degree weather. So my question is have LEDs caught up to HPS in terms of total weight? I am interested in potentially purchasing a LED setup for summer and using my HPS in the winter. Thoughts?
The qb boards far surpass hps, but they are not heat free and only run cooler than hps because same light less watts. I would figure how many watts you can run without a heat issue, and then replace those hps watts with qb watts. It may still be too hot to run max in summer. But the qb bud quality is 100% equal if not better than hps bud.
Interesting idea, I quite like it. What if I only ran 3 HPS how much QB watts would I need to make up that difference and could you recommend a unit for me to look into? Very new to LEDs in general.
Horticulture Lighting Group Quantum Board LED Grow Light Kits to give you an idea. The prices here are not rock bottom if that is a concern, many shop around for components, but here are some ideas of kits, and the footprints listed are accurate. The 3000k spectrum replaces hps, and the 4000k replaces mh for veg. Some mix. It is all very customizable. I'm an anti dyi and had these guys preassemble and test my boards for a $25 tip.
400 - 500 watts of leds (Quantum Boards), will easily replace a single 1000w hps. Less electricity, less heat, and yes weight is equal or in some cases can surpass hps.
28 watts per square ft if you are using the Samsung Quantum boards . If you buy normal everyday Led lights off of amazon or ebay its 48 watts per square foot . ( blurples ) Personally I buy my Quantum Boards from Horticulture Light Group. I have been buying The 288 V1 and V2 boards , using a 240 AC voltage to supply the mean well or power supplier . If I remember I am running around 150 DC volts to the board . 150 dc volts at 2600 Ma is enough to grab you..... I have about 120 square ft combined grow space Running around 3000 watts of Led lighting ,,, power bill is 240.00 a month QB288 V1 & Slate 2 Single Combo Ps you need heat sinks ..Assembling your own LED lights is the only way to go ...
Most all commercial grow operations are using DE lamps like the ones Gavita makes or are in the process switching over to them. Quality and yield makes money, you would think they all would be using LEDs if somehow it costed less to operate. I asked a few operators about LEDs but got the "eye roll" and a smirk. I do install LEDs in small grow rooms with height and ventilation restrictions, they work pretty good.
You might consider looking into CMH/LEC lighting...I've ran HPS for years, but have just recently added CMH lights to my system and they're great. More heat than LED's for sure, but less heat than HPS, especially if you get an aircooled hood. Good luck
I myself have embraced the latest technology but I wouldn't ever tell anyone that qb boards out preforms DE HPS, because that statement is simply not true! Oh yeah, if you are simply comparing how much electricity one technology uses over another technology then boards running Samsung tech will easily win, but as a commercial grower I care very little about how much electricity I use as that has nothing to do with what truly concerns me or any other commercial grower that I personally know. But please don't think I am dissing qb boards using Samsung tech, cause for the home grower, they rock, they allow people to grow quality flower at a reasonable monetary rate after their somewhat high initial purchase cost. But are the currently offered qb boards truly optimized? Hell NO! Do they produce the same results as a DE HPS, hell NO! Why NO, because all of the current companies that offer Samsung tech on their boards do absolutely NO research and development in a real word settings that would help them optimize their lights to give the end user the best results possible! What I mean by that... for example, contact Gavita, EYE Hortilux, or Osram, and any of those companies will show you the huge undertaking they have put into real research and development, you will see hundreds of green houses and grow rooms filled with real world research, because they are forever trying to help their clients produce better crops, and that isn't something you will see going on with any of the current companies using Samsung tech on their boards!
