Need advice on budget indoor setup.

Sali-D

Well-Known Member
dude there a dime a dozen just go to some to industrial area where you live drive around out back many companies are up grading shit while back i picked up 7000 whats of 400 MH for free they are double stacked 800 watt vertical suplimental lighting View attachment 3576740
they are like the one selling over here from someone at $60, thing is they are way to big in dimensions. these lights face down and would take up so much head room
 

az2000

Well-Known Member
like the sound of this setup, but doesnt ship to NZ...this is the problem with most sellers on ebay and amazon...damn this country!
If you're really intent on the throwaway epi-whatever LED fixtures, I'm sure Mars Hydro ships to NZ. But, seriously, drop by the LED forum if you buy one just to see what your options are. There are better LED fixtures like Tasty, GrowGreenLED, Johnson, Area-51. They may ship internationally. Tasty's reprersentative participates there.

I wouldn't have encouraged you to delve into the LED scene just because it is so perplexing and predatory. It's not as commoditized like HID and flouro.
 

Sali-D

Well-Known Member
If you're really intent on the throwaway epi-whatever LED fixtures, I'm sure Mars Hydro ships to NZ. But, seriously, drop by the LED forum if you buy one just to see what your options are. There are better LED fixtures like Tasty, GrowGreenLED, Johnson, Area-51. They may ship internationally. Tasty's reprersentative participates there.

I wouldn't have encouraged you to delve into the LED scene just because it is so perplexing and predatory. It's not as commoditized like HID and flouro.
can you give me a direct link to the led thread?
 

2ANONYMOUS

Well-Known Member
Hell yeah. That's what I'm talking about. That cab space and heat tho? I dunno but I like that light. I would get one if I didn't already have lights all over the place. +rep.
yup that is pretty dam good price for a beginner starter kit ..
The problem with sites like this is a grower gets pulled into lots of different directions and also lots of BS being spewed ,, you get everything from diehard Cob growers , to LED growers that spent to vertical growers claiming numbers that they never really got but are forced into lies because there to embarrassed to admit they spent so much and numbers were never there but to look good they mock up there numbers..
so next person that jumps the wagon finds out WTF my numbers were not even close

Ego's ruin truths on whats what on sites like this or any other much better to BS then to look like a fool
 

2ANONYMOUS

Well-Known Member
they are like the one selling over here from someone at $60, thing is they are way to big in dimensions. these lights face down and would take up so much head room
its not that its to big Cut the reflector down to fit simple cause thats the only thing that is maybe to big here simple masking tape , jig saw with metal cutting blades tape cutting area once you got dimensions figured out use 2 x 4's or some other jig clamp in place use it as cutting edge for saw then cut so its not shaking and vibrating all to shit done deal all your going to need is probably cutting sides of wings or if its close bend outter reflector to fit top box cover
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
can you give me a direct link to the led thread?
It's a subforum beneath the forum you're posting in.

Is there a reason you're not considering T5HO? (Is it not sexy enough? :) ) 40w/sq ft is decent. It's usually the "go to" for shorter spaces. I used to grow with it in a 4' tall space. I got very hard/dense nuggets (at 50w/sq ft with a little sidelighting in late flower). They're not too good for taller plants. They don't have the penetration for that. If you had an LED bulb in each corner and a 4-tube (2' long) T5HO on top, that would work well at 36w/sq ft. If you had 6 tubes on top it would rock at just 46w/sq ft. You could grow your plants to 4-6 inches from the ceiling of your grow space.

(I'm concerned you'll lose some space with a HID. But, if you aren't trying to get maximum yield, it wouldn't matter.).
 

Sali-D

Well-Known Member
It's a subforum beneath the forum you're posting in.

Is there a reason you're not considering T5HO? (Is it not sexy enough? :) ) 40w/sq ft is decent. It's usually the "go to" for shorter spaces. I used to grow with it in a 4' tall space. I got very hard/dense nuggets (at 50w/sq ft with a little sidelighting in late flower). They're not too good for taller plants. They don't have the penetration for that. If you had an LED bulb in each corner and a 4-tube (2' long) T5HO on top, that would work well at 36w/sq ft. If you had 6 tubes on top it would rock at just 46w/sq ft. You could grow your plants to 4-6 inches from the ceiling of your grow space.

(I'm concerned you'll lose some space with a HID. But, if you aren't trying to get maximum yield, it wouldn't matter.).
Hey bud, nah reason been i just decided one light, less work, get job done with better yield. have a look at this i found on amazon, just want to know, it says 400w, its dimmable by 50% / 75%...so if i understand, at 50% it would produce 200w power correct? ...and running at 400w or 200w ect, will only use 200w or 400w of electricity or does the ballast use extra wattage as well?....sorry if this sounds a silly question.

http://www.amazon.com/iPower-GLSETX400DHMWING20T-400-watt-Digital-Dimmable/dp/B00CQ8IHL8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1451771055&sr=8-3&keywords=400w+led+grow+light&refinements=p_n_shipping_option-bin:3242350011
 

GrowUrOwnDank

Well-Known Member
yup that is pretty dam good price for a beginner starter kit ..
The problem with sites like this is a grower gets pulled into lots of different directions and also lots of BS being spewed ,, you get everything from diehard Cob growers , to LED growers that spent to vertical growers claiming numbers that they never really got but are forced into lies because there to embarrassed to admit they spent so much and numbers were never there but to look good they mock up there numbers..
so next person that jumps the wagon finds out WTF my numbers were not even close

Ego's ruin truths on whats what on sites like this or any other much better to BS then to look like a fool
Everybody wants to think they are more special than everyone else. Mommas be titty babying too much. And people coagulate into groups to give them that feeling of being so special they can actually belong in a groups. And the groups teach hating to make themselves feel even more special than others. It's a conundrum. It's why I am such an introvert. You really got to learn this stuff on your own to have a sense of reality. It's all good tho. I'm not too sure about a HID in that cab tho. I know my little 150 will have it ready to bake a meatloaf in my cab and it's almost identical to OPs space.

Endless debates to convince someone by any means necessary "forced into lies because there to embarrassed to admit" they are right. <shaking my head>.
 

Sali-D

Well-Known Member
its not that its to big Cut the reflector down to fit simple cause thats the only thing that is maybe to big here simple masking tape , jig saw with metal cutting blades tape cutting area once you got dimensions figured out use 2 x 4's or some other jig clamp in place use it as cutting edge for saw then cut so its not shaking and vibrating all to shit done deal all your going to need is probably cutting sides of wings or if its close bend outter reflector to fit top box cover
yea i see what you say. thing is i dont know how much heat that ballast will produce, nor do i know what kind of bulb it is in the unit. (Im on about the one ay $60 on the site in NZ) ive got my heart set on this one now on amazon..dimmable, 400w, lots say it runs super cool as its got a fan built in ect ect...what you think?

http://www.amazon.com/iPower-GLSETX400DHMWING20T-400-watt-Digital-Dimmable/dp/B00CQ8IHL8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1451771055&sr=8-3&keywords=400w+led+grow+light&refinements=p_n_shipping_option-bin:3242350011
 

2ANONYMOUS

Well-Known Member
you know what Buy it its dimable which is good thing incase she is to hot , your also have to upgrade on ventilation may be a 4 x 4 tent might be also a good investment in the near future but yeah you like it go for it sure the other one is cheaper but after you factor in shipping costs it might be up there this one you say is in your country so shipping will be cheaper its a win win same light dimable is a bonus but remember your going to have to also up grade on ventilation
 

az2000

Well-Known Member
it says 400w, its dimmable by 50% / 75%...so if i understand, at 50% it would produce 200w power correct? ...and running at 400w or 200w ect, will only use 200w or 400w of electricity or does the ballast use extra wattage as well?....
Yes, that sounds correct. You're dealing with a bulb rated for a certain wattage, a ballast which drives the bulb at that wattage (and consumes its own lost watts). And then dimming. It's pretty basic. People generally think of the wattage in terms of sq ft. So, if you dimmed it to 200w, that would be 50w/sq ft in your space (and then the ballast draws more to make that happen. Similar to running T5HO at 40w/sq ft. It's the tubes (enough of them) driven at 24w which is referred to as 40w/sq ft. But, the ballasts will use some energy too. I.e., the power drawn from the wall is probably more than what you would calculate adding up the tubes power rating. I don't have my T5HO so I can't tell you.).

LED has an implied benefit in this regard. When people talk about actual watts, that includes the driver and internal fan. So, 50w/sq ft of MarsHydro includes that loss, just like 20w/sq ft of the LED bulbs do too. The driver/transformer loss isn't referenced separate from the bulb's rating (what it's being driven at).

So, saying "I run my Mars Hydro at 50w/sq ft" is not exactly the same as saying you run your HPS at 50w/sq ft. There's some more watts that aren't counted (I believe).

If you're intent on HID, CMH would be good. You'd pay a little more. But, you could run fewer watts sq. ft. Might run cooler and give back a little vertical space. CMH gets a lot of love in the LED forum as an alternative to LED. A light, reflector and ballast can be purchased for about $250 US. They're reported to run at 35w/sq ft. But, I don't know if they're recommended for 4'-tall spaces. The LED forum would be the place to explore that more.

If you get HID, I would recommend you get a magnetic ballast instead of electronic. Phillips makes a All-Start CMH bulb which will work in an ordinary MH ballast. If you get the ballast you're looking at, I don't think you could ever use CMH. No reason to limit your options (unless you don't mind doing so, if you don't believe you'll want to do different things in the future.).
 
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Sali-D

Well-Known Member
Ok, so last coat of paint has dried, all edges siliconed up, put draft insulation around door to eliminate light leakage, used cable tacks to pin fan wires to wall so nice n neat. Now just fitted a scrog mesh in which is exactly 2ft high, so once plant reaches it, i got about another 1ft and half for flowering stage. So i will probably veg until 1ft tall as i need to take into consideration the height of the plant pot i will be using.....thinking of taking the OP advice and not removing the intake fan, but just install another 120mm outake fan at the side of the existing one. Just need to figure out how i will make a filter to go over both of them....hmmmmmmmmmm......


 

Sali-D

Well-Known Member
you know what Buy it its dimable which is good thing incase she is to hot , your also have to upgrade on ventilation may be a 4 x 4 tent might be also a good investment in the near future but yeah you like it go for it sure the other one is cheaper but after you factor in shipping costs it might be up there this one you say is in your country so shipping will be cheaper its a win win same light dimable is a bonus but remember your going to have to also up grade on ventilation
no way i can upgrade to a tent...the purpose of doing it in my storage is to keep it hidden away as much as possible. inlaws visit now and then and stay fro a few month at a time, so need to keep it looking as a lockup in my storage so they have no need to wonder what it is :)
 

az2000

Well-Known Member
the purpose of doing it in my storage is to keep it hidden away as much as possible.
I hate to sound like a partisan. But, if stealth is your overriding priority, I think you want to keep the heat down, so you aren't running a lot of fans. For example, with LED lightbulbs, you might get away with only one fan(?).
 

Sali-D

Well-Known Member
I hate to sound like a partisan. But, if stealth is your overriding priority, I think you want to keep the heat down, so you aren't running a lot of fans. For example, with LED lightbulbs, you might get away with only one fan(?).
Hi mate, not at all, and I appreciate your and everyone's input and suggestions. Have to admit my mind changed again and thinking of sticking with CFL as I have now found someone over here that sell the 45w ones for photography. Kicks out 4500 lumens within 2700k. So I wouldn't need as many bulbs in my area to reach an acceptable range. Plus also keep heat lower. I would go for a hps but just not sure if one would fit in the area. I could tame the heat by upgrading the fan system but just feel every hps I looked at, the dimensions just seem too big.
 

az2000

Well-Known Member
I have now found someone over here that sell the 45w ones for photography. Kicks out 4500 lumens within 2700k. So I wouldn't need as many bulbs in my area to reach an acceptable range.
I like the idea because you'll setup your mounting/aiming/reflecting. Then it's pretty much plug-n-play. You could order screw-in LED lightbulbs from AliExpress, etc, if you wanted to try something different.

However, I didn't realize there were CFL bulbs in the 100 L/w range. If that's for real, that's really good. If you find a link to them, I'd like to know more. T5HO is considered a step up from CFL. It's only 88 L/w. (And, that's just using the tube's power consumption. The ballast loss, watts from the wall, makes it a little lower.).

CFL's should work fine. But, put in the effort to properly reflect them. I think CFLs get a bad rap because usually people just hang them in mid air, with 70% of the lumens radiating in unproductive directions. If you can find clamp-on light sockets with reflectors (used in construction, sold at hardware stores, Bayco is a popular brand in the US), that would be ideal. The link I gave earlier for the Cree lightbulbs has examples. You could fabricate cones from sheets of aluminum. Use a hose/band clamp to clamp it to whatever socket the CFLs screw into. (I wouldn't use the "Y" splitter sockets. Those are popular for hanging CFLs in mid-air, radiating lumens into space. But, to make them directional, individual sockets would be better.).

Dropping a bare (unreflected) bulb down each corner might be useful for sidelight. You might not be able to get a reflector and socket in a tight space like that. But, you can find SMD5630 "lightbulbs" on AliExpress (seller getincoin, buybay). Those would work well for sidelight in a tight space. You can literally imbed the small, low-watt bulbs into the leaves (they don't burn, they're not that hot.). Talk to me more about that if you ever consider it. The bulbs cost about $2 US each. They're not suitable for your high-watt sources of light. But, to get some sidelight in a tight space, they could be useful.
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
yup that is pretty dam good price for a beginner starter kit ..
The problem with sites like this is a grower gets pulled into lots of different directions and also lots of BS being spewed ,, you get everything from diehard Cob growers , to LED growers that spent to vertical growers claiming numbers that they never really got but are forced into lies because there to embarrassed to admit they spent so much and numbers were never there but to look good they mock up there numbers..
so next person that jumps the wagon finds out WTF my numbers were not even close

Ego's ruin truths on whats what on sites like this or any other much better to BS then to look like a fool
At least call @ttystikk out to his face.

I guess you still haven't realized the holes in that fenching is 4in by 4in.

There are nugs in his grow several squares long and big around as one square. Plus did you see the person standing in the grow room. I believe his numbers.
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
I believe you.
I don't know why he's got it out for you.
I thought I'd let you know and let op know that your a good source for grow info.
 
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