Grow Closet Ideas?

first of all, hello. kick ass forum with TONS of great information. i have decided on almost everything about my new grow closet except for the damn lighting. i can't make up my mind....HPS or T5. i am concerned with heat. the T5 fixtures can be mounted vertically as well. i was thinking of getting a 4 bulb 4ft fixture for the top, and 2x2 bulb fixtures, one for each side. my closet is 7'Hx5'Wx32"D. i really dig the ease of them, and maybe they'd be good for my first grow. see how it goes, then maybe convert to HPS down the line. then i could just move the t5 fixtures out to my garage or something.
anyone have experience with these fixtures?

no one uses fixtures? just the bulbs and Y-adapters?

If you can afford hps then I would say definately go for hps assuming you can control the heat...You could always use T5s to veg and buy a hps for flowering to supplement light.

You definitely have the space for a 600 or 1000w HPS. If you can get a cooltube or make your own, that is far and away a better choice than the T5. With the HPS, you'll need to vent the exhaust completely out fo the grow room (outside or into an attic etc). If you cant do that then you're limited to needing an AC or use T5's or CFL's to lower heat.

Im going to use 6 42w CFL's for veg and a 400w HPS for flower, but my box is much smaller than yours (5'H 34"W 24"D)

Dirty, unless you have a really sound plan for heat and vent go with the T5's. My experience is that they will push the room temps about 7-8 Deg F. You have lots of options just think them through before you make a decision. If you go to veg/flower with two rooms later the T5 will always be great for the veg side. I have t5's and love them, cheap to run and low heat, you can use them start to finish. You don't really say how many plants you are looking to grow but, at under 3 feet deep I suspect that you could get by with a 250W HID. Remember, HID generates heat as BTU/Watt, more watts more heat. Just my 2 cents, lets see what the other say and good luck with whatever you decide to go with.

thanks for the replies everyone, appreciate it. i'm planning on growing 4-6 plants. i'm definitely going the T5 route for now, so at least that part is decided. now which T5 light? for that many plants i'm unsure if i should get a 4ft 4 bulb, 4ft 6 bulb, or 4ft 8 bulb fixture. i guess more light is best, so maybe the 8 bulb one?

this one here puts out 40,000 lumens. is that enough for 4-6 plants? i thought i could mount a couple 2 bulb fixtures (one on each side) for supplemental side lighting if needed.
http://www.aghydroponics.com/Sun-Blaze-T5-Fluorescent-Fixtures-s/376.htm

this one is $160.00 more?? why so much?
http://www.aghydroponics.com/Tek-Light-T5-Fluorescent-Light-Fixture-4Ft-x-8Lamp-p/litt5-960110.htm

gonna "study" some more. time for a little wake-n-bake.

i'm seeing comments about having no less than 3000 lumens/plant. so with 40,000 lumens i should be way above that.....maybe that's overkill and i should get the 6 bulb fixture that puts out 30,000 lumens? however, more lumens never hurt....i think.

MIne is a 4 bulb, in retrospect I wish that I had gone a little larger. Just remember that more bulbs=more heat, be prepared. Mine is a sunblaze and it works just fine. Is the other one worth the extra, I don't really know.

i think the sunblaze is what i'll end up starting with. down the road, we'll see. the 4ft 8 bulb fixture is on sale for 208. that's the lowest price i've seen so far...

i have a question about venting. the closet has a drop ceiling, can i just exhaust from the room (through a carbon filter) into the area above the drop ceiling? i checked it out yesterday, and when the ceiling tiles are removed there is tons of space between the boards above.

ow.douglas said:

MIne is a 4 bulb, in retrospect I wish that I had gone a little larger. Just remember that more bulbs=more heat, be prepared. Mine is a sunblaze and it works just fine. Is the other one worth the extra, I don't really know.

Click to expand...

for your 4-bulb...how many plants are you growing?

can anyone speak to their experience with either the bad boy quantum, teklight, or sunblaze fixtures?

the price difference is huge!

http://www.aghydroponics.com/Sun-Blaze-4ft-x-8Tube-T5-Fluorescent-Grow-Light-p/litt5-960305.htm

http://www.hydrowarehouse.com/sunlight-supply-sunlight-supply-new-wave-4ft8-lamps-p-1559.html


is that because of a difference in reflectors??

go with a 400 we have the same space. make an inner tent to your closet and make sure its sealed except for a door a hole in the top for light and fan or put a fan on the side wall. i used pvc pipe tape and panda film for walls.