which is the best for my area $$ wise :)

[Draston]

I grow in my closet which is a nice 7feet 3 inches tall and 6 feet and change wide and 1 foot 5 inches deep. I have a 120mm metal fan venting the heat into the attic that was used to cool oxygen tanks in a hospital van...

I want to spend somewhere in the 200 dollars range but out of these lights which would be the best for my money?

I'm almost growing 6 plants in the room btw.

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=48891

GrowBright 600watt HPS with MH conversion bulb $279.95

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=47981

HTGsupply 400watt HPS with MH conversion bulb $164.95

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=49398

Agrostar 400watt HPS with MH conversion bulb $229.95

I think the growbright system is the best but what do you all think? I am going to put the ballast if at all possible outside of the closet to reduce heat as well.

 

[Runbyhemp]

For that size space I think a 400w is good enough.

You have roughly 11 square foot there. A 400w HPS gives off 50,000 lumens. That gives you roughly 4500 lumens per square foot.

Reccommended is between 3,000 and 5,000 lumens per square foot.

The 400w are cheaper to buy, cheaper to run and won't generate as much heat as the 600W.

After that, you need to choose which 400w to buy. I guess you get what you pay for. I'd go for the Agrostar because I have heard of them before whereas the other seems to be a no name brand.

 

[Draston]

do you think thats good or do you think that spending the extra 60 bucks for 200 watts more will be better? I am going to be also using 3 hanging metal CFLS that are at 2700 lumens each for suppliment lighting or do you think in the grand scheme of things that those 3 will not even be worth using when usinga 400 watt hps?

 

[Runbyhemp]

1 400w and 3 CFL's is more than enough IMHO. I think the extra light from the CFLs would be beneficial. Hope this helps

 

[Draston]

just quickly asking, how did you come to me needing 4500 lumens. I've had a brain fart and I've been drinking some tonight so could you explain how you came to that number? I kind of had my heart set on a 600 watt system but if a 400 watt will do and is 60 dollars cheaper I could spend that extra money on a better reflector or something to make it better overall...

 

[Draston]

I forgot to say it in my last post but after this grow is done I'm going to really streamline my closet. This grow I kind of half assed it and didn't go "all out". Next time I'm going to buy some thermal blankets that reflect like 95 percent of light that hits them to the walls of my closet and cut a sheet for my door as well and cover the floor which is carpeted in a line of white plastic to help reflect some light and make things easier to manage.

 

[Runbyhemp]

7.25 feet x 1.5 feet = 10.875

Call it 11 square feet. A 400 w gives off 50,000 lumens.

Divide 50,000 by 11 you get roughly 4500.

4500 lumens persquare foot is the light that you will get from 1 400w HPS in an area of that size.

Simple maths really

 

[Draston]

but can't you not do it by 1.5 because 1.5 implys that 1.5 is 1 and a half feet? That would be 1 foot and 6 inches where as I only have 1 foot and 5 inches and the 7.25 is actually right. I know it isn't that much of a difference but it is off.

Now that I've basically decided that I am going to go with a 400 watt. I think I'm actually gonna go with the

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=49398

400 watt Agrostar with HPS and MH conversion bulb

which of these reflectors is better? I think the second one is but I just don't know.

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewoption.asp?ID=640

25 dollars

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewoption.asp?ID=641

28 dollars

 

[RatherBBurnin]

They both are good reflectors... but i think it would come down to the first one being a 6" inlines air flow..and the second being a 4".... i think im going to have to get a air cooled reflector... how much closer can you get the light to the plants with one???

 

[DLtoker]

Light distribution with one light will be goofy because of how narrow and wide your area is. If you put one light in the middle of that room, you will have 3 feet on each side of the light. The horizontal distance is even more than that. I would recommend a few things to get your light distribution a little more even throughout the room. First, two 250W HIDs. One MH and one HPS. Secondly, you could get a 250 HID with a few 2' fluorescents for each side.

Personally, I would do this first option I suggested.... Anything will work though, we are just trying to get the most efficient option out for you.

 

[Draston]

hmm that is a good point DLtoker. Do you think it would be better to get one of each or get two MH's or two HPS?... Since thoughs are the websites setups they don't sell the reflectors with those packages as cheap so buying a better reflector is out of the question for me right now.

Would my best buy be to buy the one of each type of light (mh and HPS) or buy two of the ones that do both bulbs? I think maybe I could swing that actually. I think If I did that I wouldn't even need the extra cfl's for supplimental lighting because I'd be running 500watts for the entire closet and it would all be uniform throughout.

That actually comes to 6363 lumens per square feet for my grow area... I know 5000 lumens per square foot is perfect but is more than that bad for my plants or does it just add to the penitrating light?

 

[DLtoker]

More light is always better. In the full sun, you can be getting 10,000 lumen/square foot. More light results in denser buds and a higher yield. Period. Personally, I like to use both the cool and warm lights for vegging and flowering. So, I would still go with one of each. Those were just examples, you can go with whichever 250W HID makes you like. I just chose some cheap ones because you said you wanted to be around $200.

A few hours and a joint later I want to expand on this. The blue spectrum promotes strong vigorous growth of plant tissue. Prime for vegging. HPSs provide the setting for the autumn sun and provides the setting to yield big buds. I like to give a balance of each... It's just logical to do so. When using the blue spectrum in flower I have noticed the buds become extremely frosty with trichs.

 

[RatherBBurnin]

You could also buy a used 400 ballast..and buy a conversion bulb... use mh for veg.. hps for flower..

 

[RatherBBurnin]

im seeing used 400w ballasts on craigslist with a bulb for around $80 canadian..

 

[Draston]

too bad I don't live in canada, and on top of that I don't live anywhere near where craiglist would even mean something to me... I live in the boonies...

 

[RatherBBurnin]

Too bad... i know that it might be worth the drive to the closest craiglist area... i just bought another 400w mh ballast and bulb for $60... so im selling the 400w mh i have right now...

 

[Draston]

The closest areas are around a 2 + hour drive away and that would make it not worth it right now with current prices on gas and me only owning an SUV .