# Which set for my setup?



## liermam (May 2, 2008)

Hey there guys. I'm finally looking into buying an HPS system for my growroom, because the CFL's just aren't cuttin it anymore.

My growroom is your standard household closet. At the moment my ventilation consists of a slightly cracked door and a few fans. I can easily change that, and try drilling some holes for some case fans (and cut/burn off a few fingers in the process, too ). The walls are painted white (although it doesn't look like flat white) and the door is flat white. My dimensions are about 2' x 3' x 5', L x W x H. I'll hopefully post some pictures soon. I finally got a hold of my brothers camera, yay!

So I've searched around, asked for some advice, and came upon 3 different systems, all 400w HPS systems. They seem to have everything I need, minus the mounting mechanism (chains, etc.). But I will include that in the price.

So out of these three, which do you guys think is the best for my setup? I understand that I get what I pay for, but keep in mind that an extra 20$ could mean the difference between some FF nutes and mylar or simply a bare setup. I'm on a pretty tight budget.

First up: http://www.insidesun.com/ecc584ec06d4630abdc6908519b10cb2.item
Without mounting hooks and chains: $100. With: 112.50.

Pros: Adaptable refrelctor could come in handy with such a small room. Mounting system is pretty cheap.

Cons: Refurbished ballast looks relatively cheap. Batwing reflector, while adaptable, also looks very second-rate.

Next: 
http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=53168
Price: $96 for a complete (I think?) system.

Pros: Totally enclosed unit makes everything neat and easy for me. A neat grow room is a fantastic one.

Cons: An obviously low-quality product. Integrated ballast could dump a lot of unneccessary heat into the grow room.

And finally:
http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=47929
Price without reflector hangers: 130$ With: 140$.
(I'm not sure what reflector hangers are, would this be a mounting system?)

Pros: Obviously high quality. Ballast looks top notch. The cords are extra long, and will work from my neighbors house. Reflector looks the best of all.

Cons: Pricey. As I said before, this could prevent me from picking up some better nutes, or getting mylar.

So those are the 400w systems I picked up.

Now on to the next question that will probably end up nullifying all the research I just did. Do I really need a 400w HPS for a room of this size? I plan on putting 4-5 plants for their full life in here. I'll start them under CFL's until they're big enough to handle an HPS for veg. I know 400watters suffice for 4' x 4' grow areas, but what about a 250w system? All of the 250w systems I found have been just a few (10-15$) cheaper than the 400w systems, and the consumer inside me tells me to go with the one that puts out double the lumens.

So what are your opinions? 250w? 400w? Which one of the three above is the best? Any other systems out there that I could consider?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## smokybear (May 3, 2008)

Hi there. Definitely go with the 400 watt for the area of your grow room. The 400 will cover that area very well. You are definitely going to need some good ventilation for your closet. The bulb is going to put out some heat. You need a fan pulling fresh air in and a fan blowing the hot air out. As for the light, I would probably go with the first one there. Its a little cheaper and will work just fine. I have two 400 watt hps and both of the ballast's have been refurbished and work great. Never had any problems with the ballast or the reflectors. I would take the few extra dollars that you save and invest in some mylar and good fox farms nutes. Just my thoughts. Keep us posted on what you decide to do. Take care and be safe.


----------



## liermam (May 3, 2008)

smokybear said:
			
		

> Hi there. Definitely go with the 400 watt for the area of your grow room. The 400 will cover that area very well. You are definitely going to need some good ventilation for your closet. The bulb is going to put out some heat. You need a fan pulling fresh air in and a fan blowing the hot air out. As for the light, I would probably go with the first one there. Its a little cheaper and will work just fine. I have two 400 watt hps and both of the ballast's have been refurbished and work great. Never had any problems with the ballast or the reflectors. I would take the few extra dollars that you save and invest in some mylar and good fox farms nutes. Just my thoughts. Keep us posted on what you decide to do. Take care and be safe.



After re-evaluating my possible setup options, I'm actually not so sure a 3 foot ballast-to-light cord will cut it. If I kept the ballast on the floor right beneath the light, it would still need to be 5 feet to reach the top shelf of the closet (my max height). What If I were to put it on top of the shelf, would it pour too much heat into the grow room? I can imagine it getting quite hot and locked in up there.

Also, would I have to do any sort of inline duct work for my ventilation? Because that may very well be over my head. If i simply added a 120mm ~ 35CFM intake fan at the bottom of the door and an exhaust at the bulbs height, would that suffice for cooling?

One last question. I had some serious problems keeping my 12 hours off dark last grow. I do have a timer and I kept the darkness period at night, 6PM - 6AM, but I feel as though there were still light leaks, especially when I turned the room's light on. The closet is in my bedroom afterall. 

I will be sure to get pictures by later today.

Thanks again.


----------



## liermam (May 4, 2008)

Pictures!

First: A look at the grow closet

Second: Top view of old CFL setup, minus a few lights and my baby .

Third: Generic nutrients, they actually work pretty well.

Fourth: The top of the closet and shelf with all my goodies.

Fifth: Socket to closet distance. And all my empty purple drank .

Sixth: The casualties of war .


Definetely looking for more opinions, I plan to buy within the next few hours. I've pretty much eliminated the self-contained unit, the second one i posted. But the other two both have strong pros and cons, and I'm not sure about where to put the ballast.


----------



## Melissa (May 4, 2008)

*my closet is around the same size give or take a few inches and i have a 400 hps in there working just fine now i have sorted out the heat issues make sure u have good ventalation i have afan at light leval drawing it out through the door eace::48:*


----------



## Growdude (May 4, 2008)

liermam said:
			
		

> One last question. I had some serious problems keeping my 12 hours off dark last grow. I do have a timer and I kept the darkness period at night, 6PM - 6AM, but I feel as though there were still light leaks, especially when I turned the room's light on. The closet is in my bedroom afterall.
> 
> I will be sure to get pictures by later today.
> 
> Thanks again.


 
What I do is hang a heavy blanket above the closet door, when I close down my system at night I just drop it down in front.


----------



## liermam (May 4, 2008)

Alright. I'm going with the first system I posted, cause I could use the extra 20 bucks saved on something important.

What do you guys think, Mylar or Panda Plastic? I feel like panda plastic might be better, cause i could put some on the floor to prevent water spillage, and it might light-proof my room a bit better. But mylar is much cheaper and easier to work with.


----------



## liermam (May 4, 2008)

So after doing all the calculations, the 3rd and best system comes out to be only 6$ more than the first, because shipping form inside sun is so much more expensive. I'm definetely going with the third system, from HTG.


----------



## G_48911 (May 4, 2008)

unless thats your bedroom,i'd just leave the light off in that room while the grow lights are off.cuz its gonna take them plants turning male/hermie on you for you to find out if its ok to have the room light on.Thats just my $.02
either way,good luck..that hps will definitly be better than them cfl's.-peace


----------



## snuggles (May 4, 2008)

Good decision, and lights are very important maybe even as important as nutes. Also if you do have heat issues here's a little trick that works well too, especially if you rent and can't cut holes in the door....take the knob out and run some ventilation with it.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (May 4, 2008)

Another idea if you rent is to replace the closet door with a thrift store buy that you can drill holes in.  You need the flowering area to be light tight or you can end up with light fluffy airy buds with no weight/substance or (far worse) hermies.  You need ventilation, you need to control the heat in this room.


----------



## liermam (May 5, 2008)

G_48911 said:
			
		

> unless thats your bedroom,i'd just leave the light off in that room while the grow lights are off.cuz its gonna take them plants turning male/hermie on you for you to find out if its ok to have the room light on.Thats just my $.02
> either way,good luck..that hps will definitly be better than them cfl's.-peace



It is my bedroom. And there is a window opposite of the closet door. I keep my lights off during night time, but light still shines through (summer days are long). I even kept a light blanket over the window.

I would like to be able to run the lights during night time, to help with heat. So if some sort of plastic/mylar solution is necessary, i'm willing to pay a little more.

I can also cut holes in the door. I'm just wondering if one intake and one exhaust fan is enough to clear out the air. I'll probably put the exhaust at about 4' and the intake at 6".


----------



## Fadeux (May 5, 2008)

I am a big believer in spending extra cash on your light setup. Light is the lifesource for your plants. I don't know your financial situation, but I would spend an extra 100-200 bucks on the light setup. 

I justify it this way, I can by an eighth of weed for $60.00, so if I can spend an extra $60 on my grow and produce more than an eighth of weed, it is wise investment in my eyes. Plus its a one time investment that will give you that extra amount every time...


----------



## liermam (May 5, 2008)

Fadeux said:
			
		

> I am a big believer in spending extra cash on your light setup. Light is the lifesource for your plants. I don't know your financial situation, but I would spend an extra 100-200 bucks on the light setup.
> 
> I justify it this way, I can by an eighth of weed for $60.00, so if I can spend an extra $60 on my grow and produce more than an eighth of weed, it is wise investment in my eyes. Plus its a one time investment that will give you that extra amount every time...



I don't understand why I would have to spend an extra 100-200 dollars on setup. Did you read my post? I'm getting the higher quality 400w model for a 5.8 sq ft room. I'd say I have plenty of light. I think building a decent growroom is my new course of action, some mylar and some ventilation. Next up will be some bigger pots, then some new seeds and soil.


----------



## Fadeux (May 5, 2008)

You don't have to. My 400w HPS bulb alone costs as much as those systems. I always recommend piecing the system together yourself. I do the same thing with computers though, I can't stand "out of box" on many things. Just my thoughts though, do whatever you want.


----------



## liermam (May 6, 2008)

Fadeux said:
			
		

> You don't have to. My 400w HPS bulb alone costs as much as those systems. I always recommend piecing the system together yourself. I do the same thing with computers though, I can't stand "out of box" on many things. Just my thoughts though, do whatever you want.



I'm also very much into building my own systems, in fact i just finished my new system. However, custom computers _save_ you money. Usually lots. What you're describing is totally different.


----------



## CasualGrower (May 6, 2008)

I actually have the light from HTGsupply.com on order, the cheap one with the integrated balast, but I am gonna use it in a space where I am not too soncerned with heat, My basement, it stays around 70ish down there even on the hottest of the dog days of summer..... will just ventilate my grow area with the surrounding air in the basement and then duct it out up the chimney 8).....

I know that light will prolly not fit into your set up, but I will let you all know how it works out.


----------



## Fadeux (May 7, 2008)

liermam said:
			
		

> I'm also very much into building my own systems, in fact i just finished my new system. However, custom computers _save_ you money. Usually lots. What you're describing is totally different.



Yeah, you win... Thats obviously what this post is about. Get a full setup for 130 bucks. I spent around 350 on my 400w setup, either I'm not as good a bargin hunter as you, or I'm a moron. Just saying, You get what you pay for. 

You win, the $100 HPS setup is the best. Let me know how it turns out for you. Custom PC's save you money because you know what you need, and you know what you are getting into. Custom grow lights work the same way. Maybe your system is flawless, and you're getting a great deal. In which case, pass along the knowledge. But I have always subscribed to the skeptics view. "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is..."

Just my thoughts, best of luck!


----------



## Hick (May 7, 2008)

> I know 400watters suffice for 4' x 4' grow areas


These must be a "manufactureres recommendation"..??
  Because at either 5,000 lumen p/sq/ft, or 50 watts HID P/sq/ft,(the recommended amounts) a 400 is sufficient for about 9 sq./ft.. max.
   For a C-note, you're getting a good 'basic' system.. IMO.
   If you find the need,..or AS you find the need to customize it for your situation, DIY it up with the accessories. Be it cool tube, conversion bulbs, ect.


----------



## IRISH (May 7, 2008)

liermam, i bought the 3rd. system from HTG. its a good value for the money. the thing most appealing about it is i can put the ballast out of my grow rm.  this ballast gets pretty hot, so putting it out of rm is a bonus. 
soon after i bought this "batwing reflector" though, i realized it was still much to hot in my rm., and i purchased a coolable hood from HTG that will hook up to my socket and cord-set, and ballast. at HTG, when your purchasing one of thier light systems, below they have items you can add-on with the system your buying, and if you purchase them at the time of your order, you recieve a discounted price. but if you decide later you want one of these products, its gonna cost you alot more. wish i would have paid closer attention to these add-ons when i purchased mine.
good luck on your purchase, and your grow...


----------



## liermam (May 7, 2008)

Hick said:
			
		

> These must be a "manufactureres recommendation"..??
> Because at either 5,000 lumen p/sq/ft, or 50 watts HID P/sq/ft,(the recommended amounts) a 400 is sufficient for about 9 sq./ft.. max.
> For a C-note, you're getting a good 'basic' system.. IMO.
> If you find the need,..or AS you find the need to customize it for your situation, DIY it up with the accessories. Be it cool tube, conversion bulbs, ect.



Manufacturer specs, yes. But either way, i'm far below the limit. I'm at 5.8. 9200 lumens per sq ft. 

And indeed, thats what i'm talking about. Buying something as I need it. Whatever. I'm stoned.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll start up my grow journal very soon!


----------

