watt is power not heat thats all im saying
You got it Bro!
Watts = Voltage x Current.
I hate to barge in on this thread but It seems like a little education might help here. It's boring stuff so you don't have to read it. If you would rather watch cartoons I understand. I'll try to keep things simple.
Voltage is a measurement of the potential of electricity, current is the actual flow. Voltage don't mean shit, current is the big daddy! That's why you can weld steel with a 12 volt car battery but you won't die if you get shocked with thousands of volts of static electricity. A car battery has the potential for high current but the voltage is low. On the other hand, static electricity may measure thousands of volts but the current is very weak.
Think of it like a water faucet. Voltage is the size of the hose. A 1" diameter hose would have more potential for water flow than a 1/2" hose.
Current is how much you turn the faucet on. What happens if you have a huge hose but barely turn the valve on? No water. Same thing goes if you have a small hose but turn the faucet on all the way. Still not a lot of water.
For power (watts) you need both voltage and current. A big hose turned all the way on will give you maximum water.
So... Voltage (volts) x Current (amps) = Power (watts)
Watts has nothing to do with heat what so ever. Watts is a measurement of electrical power, heat is measured by temperature(duh). Although it's safe to assume that a high wattage light will produce a lot of heat.
Now, on to Watts vs. lumens. They are not directly related. Some lights are more efficient than other. They produce more light (lumens) with less power (watts).
The amount of light is more important than the color of the light. That's why you can grow bigger plants, faster with a large 1000W HPS even though the color of a 65W CFL might be better. So can you have 10-100 watt CFLs works as well as 1-1000 watt HID light? For clones and veg, yes. You can keep the lights right on the canopy.
Which brings us to the issue of distance of the light source from the plants. Basically the further the light is away, the more light you loose. You can keep CFLs a couple of inches away from the plants which is fine when the plant is 2 inches tall. What happens when your plants are three feet tall? The fact is CFL's are fine for cuttings and veg but if you want the dank, rock hard, sweetness you need some serious light. Once the plants start getting a couple of feet high you need the penetration of an HID light.
If all you can afford is CFL lights then go for it! You are always better off smoking herb from a light source that you actually own, than NOT smoking herb from the best light that you don't own. Start saving up for a HID light if you can though. Make sure you get one with a vented hood so you can keep your heat down. Keep your ballast out of the grow space and your temps will be fine. Most new ballasts are switchable from MH to HPS. These are great for those that like to use a MH for veg and a HPS for flower. (I prefer both at the same time myself)
One more thing...
Sometimes it helps to view the author's gallery. It's pretty easy to see if the person knows what's up. Kind of like feedback on Fleabay
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By the way, I love you all! Sorry to bore you but I'm sitting around smoking pot waiting for a website I designed to be posted...
Good luck on your grow Bro!!! You're doing great!
mmmm....cherry/blueberry....cough...head rush...
