Need help picking a ballast

W

Wantstolearnmore

Member
Hi everybody this is my first post and I hope someone can help.
Im trying to pick what size watt ballast I need im tryin to choose between
600 watt phantom switchable dimmable or the 1000 watt switchable dimmable.
My question is if I'm using a 4•6 flood tray is the 600 gonna be enough juice
or should I just invest in the 1000 watt in case I have lighting issues. I'm going to be using
a xxl or xxxl hood. And planing on having 15- 25 plants in 2" rockwool cubes with coco mat under them
 
hazey grapes

hazey grapes

Well-Known Member
i like broader coverage with smaller lights myself. lumatek used to have issues with their 600w digital from what i read in forums. i think they've fixed the problem now, but i like mixing some halide in and have a 400/400 system. using the 2:1 color balance suggested by LED grow light literature, 1 halide & 2 sodiums would give you a better spectrum & coverage than a 1000w sodium. these days, you can just swap bulbs too if you wanted to start with a halide for pre-flower & swap to a sodium for flowering. i liked the bud i grew under just a halide last year just fine. another nice thing about a modular system is that if a bulb or ballast fails, you have others still working.

using that same principle, but with bigger lights, HT did a low heat grow where they staggered their lights so only 1/2 were on at a time and lost little in production. i'm also into scrogging, so light penetration isn't a big issue.
 
HeartlandHank

HeartlandHank

Well-Known Member
Get 2 600s, perfect for 6x3. The extra 1x6 will be good for air circulation. I've done 1 1000 and 2 600s in my 6 x 4 tent. The 2 600s is the way to go.
If you go with 1 1000, def get a light mover.
 
Sir.Ganga

Sir.Ganga

New Member
4x6 flood tray... but what size is the grow room? If your in a closet then heat may be an issue and the 600 might be the way, if not the 1000's fits better for the table.
 
theguyintheshadows

theguyintheshadows

Well-Known Member
If you go with a Bigfoot hood by Maverick sun, a 1000 watt bulb will give you a 6x6 footprint at 18" above the plant which will be good assuming you have at least a 720cfm fan to cool it appropriately. I suggest BaddAss ballasts (dimmable) with thier matching 1000 watt MH and HPS bulbs that use square wave technolgy (mimics the wavelength the analog ballasts use). Ideally, I suggest vegging with T5 though to avoid stretching but you can get great results with lower wattage MH
 
superstoner1

superstoner1

Well-Known Member
i keep hearing bad stuff about baddass fans and ballasts and customer service is nonexistant. i stopped calling about my fan issues and bought a cheap ecoplus occillating fan that is quieter and has worked loner that the baddass for less than half cost.
 
T

treetopmmmp

Active Member
Solis-Tek have a good rep and seem to be becoming
more popular but I have no first hand experience. I
do like the Galaxy Select A Watt ballasts. I saw them
for $200 a while back but recently for $225, still not
bad for a quality ballast.

treetopmmmp
 
Sensibowl

Sensibowl

Active Member
superstoner1 said:
i keep hearing bad stuff about baddass fans and ballasts and customer service is nonexistant. i stopped calling about my fan issues and bought a cheap ecoplus occillating fan that is quieter and has worked loner that the baddass for less than half cost.
Click to expand...
Wow. That certainly hasn't been my experience. Customer service is awesome.

I don't know why folks post about things they've heard from someone else. I mean, it sounds like you might have had a negative customer service experience, but you haven't said anything about how the Baddass fans and ballasts worked for you.

I'd love to hear about your experience because it's not been mine. The fans are awesome and I'm adding the Baddass ballasts in my new room.
 
M

MuddyOne

Member
treetopmmmp said:
Solis-Tek have a good rep and seem to be becoming
more popular but I have no first hand experience. I
do like the Galaxy Select A Watt ballasts. I saw them
for $200 a while back but recently for $225, still not
bad for a quality ballast.

treetopmmmp
Click to expand...
I second the Galaxy select-a-watt. I'm unsure about longevity, and the can be a bit loud be aide they are fan cooled... But yeah, they are fan cooled which I think should do nothing but help longevity. I'm just a big fan of bring able to pick and choose your wattage and bulb, so they can scale up with you. Don't make the mistake of buying a 600 and wanting a 1000 months later, or buying a 1000 and realizing its overkill. Much cheaper to buy 1 ballast and just change bulbs if your needs change. Not to mention they are priced pretty well for a digital dim able ballast.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top