Looking for feedback on my closet setup.

[TerrapinBlazin]

This has been months in the making and I’m pretty excited about how I finally finished this. The thing I’m proudest of is the lights because I think I found a cool solution. So I started looking into COB LEDs and decided that was the way to go, but I didn’t like how expensive the CXB3590s and the like are and I didn’t like the artificial looking light of the purpose built grow lights.

These are GE Nighthawk security lights, available from Lowe’s for $35 a piece. They put out 3000 lumens each, and these are a nice warm 3000k. Each one uses only 32 watts. The four of them looks about comparable to a 600 watt HPS but runs way cooler. That fan is all I need. With the cable tracks and the zip ties they’re fully adjustable as well. All in the lights cost me about $200 to build. The best part of these LEDs is that they have built in drivers and run off a standard 110v socket, so I just threw together some Edison fixtures for them and they work great. Plus there’s no artificial grow light look that might show through the window at night. With the door open it looks like a normal light. I’m growing legally but I still don’t want everyone to know I’m growing and those purple LEDs are a dead giveaway.

I just threw an elastic trellis in there, but I’ll eventually mount a metal one. The plants all sit on a big sheet of FRP.

The plants are aurora and white widow from nirvana. I accidentally split the stalk on one of them while I was tucking it. It shouldn’t kill the branches altogether but it’s gonna stress the fuck out of em. There were no other casualties sustained during the not so low stress training session.

Any feedback would be appreciated. My place isn’t big and I’m trying to maximize my small space. All my clones and seedlings are growing in a cabinet underneath. I’m phasing this cabinet out before I flip these plants because I’m worried about light leaks. Gonna set up a grow tent in the spare bedroom and put some of those same lights, but in the 6000k version in there.

 

[Renfro]

128 watts of LED will not replace a 600 watter. It would take more like 300 watts of LED to do that, and thats using quality LED. What you have is plenty for veg but in flower I suspect the buds will not get big and dense. I think about 9 of those in a 3x3 area would be much better in flower. Each bulb covering one square foot..

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

It won’t be too much work to add more of those lights. I’m not saying they do the exact same thing as a 600w HPS, but it’s pretty bright. I do know what you mean about buds not getting big and dense if the lights aren’t powerful enough. The last stuff I grew in that closet was under some of those “full spectrum” LED grow lights. I only ended up with about 1/4 per plant. I put these lights together to stay on roughly the same power consumption as with those “full spectrum” lights but with better yields. I’m still better off than I was before, and I’ll most likely add 2 more of those lights to the closet before I trigger these plants. The area is more like 2x3 feet, and there are 6 plants in there, so I think one light per plant is reasonable. I really want to keep this closet the way it is. I don’t want to have to run inline fans and ducting and if I lose a little potential yield that’s okay, especially since these are still real chip on board LEDs in those lights. That being said I was concerned that I might need to add more light. I’d love to build some bigger COB LED lights, like with something comparable to a CXB 3590, but I’ve gotta find a way to make them fit my budget first. I have to get the chips for no more than $20 a piece, and then a good driver and all the other hardware. Definitely something I want to do but I did it this way to get things rolling sooner. I think with two more lights like the ones I have I should get acceptable yields.

 

[DaFreak]

You’re claiming you got a quarter pound per plant with a 600 and decided to switch to these?

 

[coreywebster]

If your on a tight budget forget about COBs, though there are much cheaper options than cxb3590s, the heat sink makes them more expensive.
Look at bridgelux EB strips or cutters cree J series and find a driver that's cost effective.

Or look at hortiblooms 4 bar cob which runs at 240w using citizen 1212s and only costs $239.

There are a handful of peeps on here doing similar things to what you are now with very good results. But you want more light.

$80 for some strips
$40-$80 for a driver and some change for frame and wire and shit and you could have a 200-300w of efficient light in there.

 

[coreywebster]

If you don't plan on venting then look at dehumidifiers and DIY co2. Venting is not just about heat.

 

[Renfro]

. I have to get the chips for no more than $20 a piece, and then a good driver and all the other hardware.

Luminous CXM-22 Gen 4 3500K chips are like 19 bucks. At the mid power level they rule presently. They are what I am building with.

 

[Renfro]

It won’t be too much work to add more of those lights. I’m not saying they do the exact same thing as a 600w HPS, but it’s pretty bright. I do know what you mean about buds not getting big and dense if the lights aren’t powerful enough. The last stuff I grew in that closet was under some of those “full spectrum” LED grow lights. I only ended up with about 1/4 per plant. I put these lights together to stay on roughly the same power consumption as with those “full spectrum” lights but with better yields. I’m still better off than I was before, and I’ll most likely add 2 more of those lights to the closet before I trigger these plants. The area is more like 2x3 feet, and there are 6 plants in there, so I think one light per plant is reasonable. I really want to keep this closet the way it is. I don’t want to have to run inline fans and ducting and if I lose a little potential yield that’s okay, especially since these are still real chip on board LEDs in those lights. That being said I was concerned that I might need to add more light. I’d love to build some bigger COB LED lights, like with something comparable to a CXB 3590, but I’ve gotta find a way to make them fit my budget first. I have to get the chips for no more than $20 a piece, and then a good driver and all the other hardware. Definitely something I want to do but I did it this way to get things rolling sooner. I think with two more lights like the ones I have I should get acceptable yields.

I think those bulbs can cover about one square foot each so aim for that and you will be happy.

 

[eatled]

At 93 lumens per watt (3000 lm/32 W) and $35 for 3000 lm. Not good.
A $7 Bridgelunx 3000K will give you more than 3000 lm at 186 lm/W.

 

[Renfro]

You’re claiming you got a quarter pound per plant with a 600 and decided to switch to these?

I laughed so hard I spit my soda all over the keyboard lmao.

 

[1212ham]

Quarter ounce.

Two of these EB strips and a $10 ebay driver, 4800 lumen for $20.
240 lumen/dollar vs 85 lumen/dollar for the security lights.

 

[Renfro]

Two of these EB strips and a $10 ebay driver, 4800 lumen for $20.
240 lumen/dollar vs 85 lumen/dollar for the security lights.

And a lot less clunky, save some of that vertical space.

 

[ChiefRunningPhist]

This has been months in the making and I’m pretty excited about how I finally finished this. The thing I’m proudest of is the lights because I think I found a cool solution. So I started looking into COB LEDs and decided that was the way to go, but I didn’t like how expensive the CXB3590s and the like are and I didn’t like the artificial looking light of the purpose built grow lights.

These are GE Nighthawk security lights, available from Lowe’s for $35 a piece. They put out 3000 lumens each, and these are a nice warm 3000k. Each one uses only 32 watts. The four of them looks about comparable to a 600 watt HPS but runs way cooler. That fan is all I need. With the cable tracks and the zip ties they’re fully adjustable as well. All in the lights cost me about $200 to build. The best part of these LEDs is that they have built in drivers and run off a standard 110v socket, so I just threw together some Edison fixtures for them and they work great. Plus there’s no artificial grow light look that might show through the window at night. With the door open it looks like a normal light. I’m growing legally but I still don’t want everyone to know I’m growing and those purple LEDs are a dead giveaway.

I just threw an elastic trellis in there, but I’ll eventually mount a metal one. The plants all sit on a big sheet of FRP.

The plants are aurora and white widow from nirvana. I accidentally split the stalk on one of them while I was tucking it. It shouldn’t kill the branches altogether but it’s gonna stress the fuck out of em. There were no other casualties sustained during the not so low stress training session.

Any feedback would be appreciated. My place isn’t big and I’m trying to maximize my small space. All my clones and seedlings are growing in a cabinet underneath. I’m phasing this cabinet out before I flip these plants because I’m worried about light leaks. Gonna set up a grow tent in the spare bedroom and put some of those same lights, but in the 6000k version in there.

View attachment 4376605

Cool set up. You gotta start somewhere! I started out with 4 plants & 16 of those clamping single bulb shop lights and loaded them up with CFLs! Went through several types of lighting and now currently running QB304s from China (the QB304s aren't the best grow light, just what I'm currently using though they work very well).

Adding a few extra floods when bloom hits would be good. 2 floods ~$70, for $70 you could try out what some of these guys are suggesting and dip a toe into DIY LED.

I've heard good things about the Vesta strips, but one thing to keep in mind (sounds like you're already aware) is with DIY LED, you need drivers and most times heatsinks or some sort of mounting flashing ect so the total price isn't just the cost of the strips or boards or modules or whatever you're buying, and can add up fast when buying connectors and dimmers ect.

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

Here’s what I decided on. This will almost triple the lumens in there and I’m just going to throw this in the reflector of my old 600w HPS and leave the other lights in there for the nice warm 3000k light they put out. I’m not using the HPS because it’s too hot and expensive but the reflector is super dope. Having this in the very center should give the plants all the light they need. I know growers that still spend shitloads of money on HID lighting and air conditioning and I just can’t do it. I’ve gotta go all LED.

20250Lm LED Corn Light Bulb,UL & DLC,150W Mogul Base E39 Led Bulbs,4000K LED Replacement for 400W-600W Metal Halide/HID/CFL/HPS in Garage,Warehouse,High Bay lights,Wall Pack,Parking Lot lighting

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZYHQDZV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RADvDbJ8JG0YT

Here’s a pic of the plants after a serious defoliation session. I think I’m going to let them go for another 2-4 weeks before I flip them.

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

Just one more update. I’m not trying to bump my thread for no reason or anything. I got my reflector out of storage, put a normal 110 volt plug on it and hung it in the closet. The corn bulb will arrive on Monday and I should just be able to pop it in. I don’t think I’ll need to put an exhaust fan on the reflector for this bulb. I think the fan I have blowing over the plants and out of the closet is sufficient. I’ll post another pic once the corn bulb is in.

I decided to just buy the 8000 lumen 4000k warm white corn bulb to save some money. It’s supposed to be equivalent to a 250w HPS and it only uses 60 watts. This will bring the total lumens in my closet to around 20000, which I think is sufficient. If I get a brighter bulb I’ll just get another cheap e39 base reflector and use the 60 watt bulb in the veg/clone tent I’ll be setting up soon.

By the way, those cable tracks I put in for the lights are so fucking awesome. I highly recommend them. Only cost me about 10 bucks for the parts and they really work great. I don’t think I’ll need to raise or lower the lights anymore but the really nice thing is being able to get the lights perfectly level by tensioning the cables with the turnbuckles I put on them. .

 

[Renfro]

I’m not trying to bump my thread for no reason or anything.

I don't think anyone cares. lol

By the way, those cable tracks I put in for the lights are so fucking awesome.

I do hope your eye screws are firmly anchored. The trim, 1/2 inch of dry wall / plaster and then the header lumber. You wanna get nice and deep into the header and you have nearly an inch of material to go through before you get started. I am just concerned that you may end up with your lights falling on your plants if the eye screws weren't long enough to get at least an inch into the header.

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

I don't think anyone cares. lol


I do hope your eye screws are firmly anchored. The trim, 1/2 inch of dry wall / plaster and then the header lumber. You wanna get nice and deep into the header and you have nearly an inch of material to go through before you get started. I am just concerned that you may end up with your lights falling on your plants if the eye screws weren't long enough to get at least an inch into the header.

I do commercial construction for a living with a specialty in finish carpentry. That casing around the mirror is nailed really well into the frame of the mirror and nailed into the studs, sill, and header. I know because I shot more nails into the frame and into the studs. Coarse thread eye bolts are in there really good with pilot holes. Above the door there is 1” thick barn wood paneling on the wall. That’s screwed to the studs and the cables are held in with more eye bolts. Nothing is gonna fall.

 

[Renfro]

I do commercial construction for a living with a specialty in finish carpentry.

That is all you needed to say.

 

[TerrapinBlazin]

That is all you needed to say.

I love building stuff which is why I’ve taken all this on so enthusiastically. That and the shitty experience I had with those cheap “full spectrum” LEDs with that pink light. Maybe they were just underpowered, but I only got like 10 grams off of two plants with 2 of those lights. When I started looking into what makes a good LED I just got so interested. Those security lights are a good find for something you can get at Lowe’s, but I didn’t want to build more of those Edison lights. Plus at only 3000 lumens a piece you need quite a few of them. This corn bulb is almost as powerful as 3 of the security lights.

I was doing a job for this electrical supply warehouse and noticed those corn bulbs in all their warehouse light fixtures. That was the eureka moment right there lol. I almost asked the manager about them but decided to look on amazon. I was thrilled to find out that they run exactly the same way as the security lights from Lowe’s and remembered my reflector with the e39 socket. I’m interested to see what one of those more expensive 20000 lumen ones looks like.

 

[Renfro]

I love building stuff which is why I’ve taken all this on so enthusiastically.

Yeah I got really into building my grow, about to build another commercial one. Planned it all out on paper, had an unfinished, clean, 1300 sq ft basement to work with. Now I have a pretty wicked setup, two 10kW flowering rooms on a flip and a veg room, light locks between rooms, 125 amp subpanel for the grow, AC, CO2, RO. Fuck man, sometimes I look at all the work I did and I blow my own mind.