grow box/fluoros/400w hps

[ktm250]

I want to make a grow fridge or closet and i was thinking i might just use 6 48w natuaral white fluoro`s,an intake fan and exhaust fan.Have a look at the quick pic i drew to give you a better idea what i mean.I would just use one 400w hps light but im worried about the electicity bill being to high and also the elec company relizing that im growing pot because of the hours i have them on for.Im not trying to grow ounces and ounces,just for personal use.I have a small fridge that i have cleaned out and was going to use that but i think it might be to small.It is about 4ft high and 2ft wide.If its to small i might go with making a box up that a little bigger.Any advice will be appreciated.As i said,i`d like to use one hps light but worried the police might be knocking on my door.

[Ozzy420]

Is off welcome to ozstoners.

 

Using a 400w hid will be a lot better than all those cf.

 

Think about using power for the 400w like this, ya pc has at least a 400w power supply to run it (and mos tppl leave there pc running all day), in summer ya a/c chews through more power than a 400w hid would and in winter how much power do u use for heating a lot more than the 400w hid will pull.

 

So what i am getting to is there are thing in your home that will chew way more power than a lil 400w setup will for doing a grow.

 

In all my time growing the most it has ever cost me in power to to run a 400w setup was an extra $100 on top of the normal 3 monthly bill that can be explaned away very easy, like you had to do some welding, but most power compneys dont care how power you use as long as u pay for it...

[ktm250]

Ok thanks,i think i will go for a single 400w light as i only want one plant growing.And now i have made a box (made from plywood)about 5ftx3ftx3ft so i am now wondering if a single light will be enough.Also how much on top of my elec bill do you think a using a single light will be?Do i need to have one of those tin shields behind the light?(i think its called a ballast)or can i just have the light its self hanging from the top?

 

As im just using soil/potting mix(and mabee some vermaculite)using a 400w would dry my soil out pretty quick im assuming,so how often should i water it?Should i just keep the top layer of soil moist?Also when its time to flower what light do i need to change the 4000w globe with?

[Pam]

The computer uses THAT much? Man I gotta get away from this thing...

 

Ok, the power bill will depend mostly on where you live. so at least put that in your profile if nothing else.

You say the box is 5 foot by 3 foot square? (3 feet are almost one meter...) a 400 w HPS is more than enough to flower providing you use crates to keep the plant the right distance from the light, and during flowering, plants can grow fast and can at least double in size! Keep that always in mind so you don't let her get too close and burn.

 

For vegging, you can use CFL floods 4, 120w/23w will do it for that size box, they don't make that much heat. make sure the fixtures can handle the floods. You can get them at Loews or Home Depot. They use way less power.

 

The shiny metal thing is a reflector, and yes, if you want the most light, you need something like that.

 

The ballast runs the light. CFL lights have them at the base of the bulb.

 

In a small area like you have, yes the heat will dry the plants quickly in soil, and raise the humidity in the box. You will need to ventilate and filter the air when you go to flower.

 

Still soil is the easiest for the first time so I suggest using a wick so that you don't under or over water.

Edited July 23, 2007 by Granny

[cranky]

My box is about the same as yours.

I DWC/SCROG and use a 400w hps with good results.

heat is a problem in the box, so get a good fan, I use an inline duct air con fan, which sucks the heat

out of the top of the box very well.

 

When you want it to flower just change light on/off timing to 12hrs on, 12hrs off.

From memory, I think the elect bill is about $80 a grow. The cops will not turn up over running a box like this

for any other reason, other than someone telling them your growing pot.

Edited July 27, 2007 by cranky

[ktm250]

Thanks for the help guys.I was going to use 400w lights but was worried that it would to hot in the box also would cost much more than using 250w.Anyway i have bought a 250w globe,batwing reflecter,ballast and 2 120mm fans so ill see how it goes.

[Token Jet]

I reckon you made the right choice with the 250w lamp. I have a 400w hps in my cupboard (1.2m wide .5m deep and 1.5m high)and with the fans I've got at the moment I was getting temps of 40 deg Celcius when outside was only about mid twenties. I bought some 150mm inline fans recently and when I get around to installing them the problem should be sorted.

 

I have one of those 42w flouros you were speakin of and it seems to do the job for small plants.

[Al B. Fuct]

You guys running cabinets should think about cooltubes. They keep the lamp envelope from getting hot and transferring the heat to the room airmass. You can lay your hand right on a cooltube over a 1000 HPS. You can exhaust your cabinet through them or have a separate air path. With a split air path, you can more easily do CO2.

[Pam]

Hey Al? Those cool tubes, are you talking about the lights with the air cooled hoods? This sounds really interesting, can you tell me a brand name or a source for them? I have my 400w sun system mounted outside the top of the box, and that's making the heat less, but I'm looking for a better idea.

~~~~

The one thing I forgot to mention that I have had great results with is using a 36 hour dark period to switch from veg to 12/12. Saw it in a grow book it said that this helps the girls adjust faster, and it seems to.

~~~~

[Al B. Fuct]

Hey Al? Those cool tubes, are you talking about the lights with the air cooled hoods? This sounds really interesting, can you tell me a brand name or a source for them? I have my 400w sun system mounted outside the top of the box, and that's making the heat less, but I'm looking for a better idea.

 

No, I'm talking about a cooltube added to an existing shade or even a cooltube with its own integral shade. I have cooltubes on the shelf from a generic maker; they come in 120mm x 400mm, 150mm x 400mm, 150mm x 500mm and 150mm x 800mm for twin tubes; they range in price from about $62 - $95 depending on size and whether one needs an integral reflector. Cooltubes can be added to most common batwing reflectors with some mechanical rejiggery. Cooltubes with their own shades/reflectors are best suited to cabinet grows.

 

Sounds like you have your ballast outside your box but the lamp tube is obviously inside. A cooltube fitted over the lamp tube with duct dumping warmed air to outside the grow's airmass will remove about 90% of the heat left in the box by lighting. A 120mm x 400mm cooltube would best suit a 400HPS.