Help me understand lights and results

[Dr.Feel.real.good]

My current set up is a 1x1 tent with a single 130w cfl about 5 inches above 5 plants, and I’m aware this won’t give me very good results as a few people now have said; in fear of having a harvest that won’t be desirable I’ve decided to upgrade my light, but I need to do so cautiously as I’m living in a sharehouse.

 

I’ve found led lights, but there seems to be a lot of bullshit surrounding them.

 

My main question is this; is it true that a 300w led has an actual power draw of 136w

I.e do LEDs have a lower wattage then they state? Also why?

 

Secondly, will said 300w led light yield better results for quality and weight than my 130w cfl?

 

Finally, how much actual wattage would an led marketed as a ‘600w’ actually produce?

 

Also can anyone tell me a watt-to-dollar ratio, like roughly how much extra I’ll be paying after upgrading from 130w cfl to 300w or 600w led?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated, cheers guys

 

 

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app

[gazza308]

You want a led that uses true watts, don’t get sucked into the fact a lot of sellers market their lights at 1000w led but the reality is it will only draw 100w of power.

 

I’m using a couple of 200w actual draw leds in a 1.2 x 1.2 tent, the brand is called pro grow lights.

 

Think quick bloom lights have sold out of them so the must be reasonable.

 

You can get this style of led in 100w 150w 200w and 300w

 

They are heaps of options out there and styles, a lot of growers are building they own leds in diy kits now, I personally like plug and play.

 

 

2 of the 150w would kill your 1 x1

 

Use on for veg and add the 2nd come flower time.

[Dr.Feel.real.good]

You want a led that uses true watts, don’t get sucked into the fact a lot of sellers market their lights at 1000w led but the reality is it will only draw 100w of power.

 

I’m using a couple of 200w actual draw leds in a 1.2 x 1.2 tent, the brand is called pro grow lights.

 

Think quick bloom lights have sold out of them so the must be reasonable.

 

You can get this style of led in 100w 150w 200w and 300w

 

They are heaps of options out there and styles, a lot of growers are building they own leds in diy kits now, I personally like plug and play.

 

IMG_6313.JPG

 

2 of the 150w would kill your 1 x1

 

Use on for veg and add the 2nd come flower time.

I found this 300w led, seems legit and the model tent used is the same as mine; can I get your opinion on this one?

 

 

 

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app

[merl1n]

Hey Dr.Feel.Real.Good.,

 

"I’ve found led lights, but there seems to be a lot of bullshit surrounding them." OHH, HELL YEA 

 

OK, so I'll 'try' to answer some of your questions.

When they say '300w LED' they are talking equivalent to a 300w HID (High Intensity Discharge) light 

Trying to compare power usage to light output is a bit like comparing volts to watts, they are related but they are a measure of 2 different things

Here's a bit of a write up which may help explain it a bit better https://www.globalgarden.co/knowledge/hid-vs-led-for-growing-which-is-the-superior-option/

But in short, trying to compare the stated wattages vs output for both to the home grower is near on impossible unless you're a mathmagician 

LED technology has come a long way over the years, but still has further to go to equal HID for yield IMHO

 

As for the costs or 'watt-to-dollar ratio', the purchase price of LED is greater, but then the running costs are less for LED over HID. How much less? that can depend on your electricity provider.

One of the big advantages of LED vs HID is heat. HID produce a shitload of heat and in a confined space (Grow tent) this can be an issue and needs to be managed appropriately.

 

Hope it helps

Merl1n

[Dr.Feel.real.good]

Hey Dr.Feel.Real.Good.,

 

"

I’ve found led lights, but there seems to be a lot of bullshit surrounding them." OHH, HELL YEA

 

OK, so I'll 'try' to answer some of your questions.

When they say '300w LED' they are talking equivalent to a 300w HID (High Intensity Discharge) light

Trying to compare power usage to light output is a bit like comparing volts to watts, they are related but they are a measure of 2 different things

Here's a bit of a write up which may help explain it a bit better https://www.globalgarden.co/knowledge/hid-vs-led-for-growing-which-is-the-superior-option/

But in short, trying to compare the stated wattages vs output for both to the home grower is near on impossible unless you're a mathmagician

LED technology has come a long way over the years, but still has further to go to equal HID for yield IMHO

 

As for the costs or '

watt-to-dollar ratio', the purchase price of LED is greater, but then the running costs are less for LED over HID. How much less? that can depend on your electricity provider.

One of the big advantages of LED vs HID is heat. HID produce a shitload of heat and in a confined space (Grow tent) this can be an issue and needs to be managed appropriately.

 

Hope it helps

Merl1n

Hi mate, cheers for the input; yeah I have pretty much ruled out hid bulbs as I only have a small tent.

 

I’m looking at getting the led i powered above your comment, what’s your opinion on that light?

 

I.e will a 300w hid globe in theory be a powerful enough light for a 1x1 tent?

In that case, judging by your info on how the wattage of hid relates to the performance of led at lower wattage, then am I correct in assuming this light is probably going to give me the best result for such a small tent?

 

 

 

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app

[Dr.Feel.real.good]

Hi mate, cheers for the input; yeah I have pretty much ruled out hid bulbs as I only have a small tent.

 

I’m looking at getting the led i powered above your comment, what’s your opinion on that light?

 

I.e will a 300w hid globe in theory be a powerful enough light for a 1x1 tent?

In that case, judging by your info on how the wattage of hid relates to the performance of led at lower wattage, then am I correct in assuming this light is probably going to give me the best result for such a small tent?

 

 

 

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app

 

 

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app

[freddie]

You really need to take the time to research LED's. There's no other way around it. 

 

This video taught me so much about lighting. Unfortunately I didn't see it before I bought my last one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ID9rE5JewVg&app=desktop

[merl1n]

Here's a link to a few 'Growroom Calculators'  http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/lighting.php (It'll ask ya for a username and password. Just hit 'Cancel' and it'll continue)

I typed in your 1mx1m with a 2m height and these are the results

 

http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/mbox_top_left.gif http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/blank.png http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/mbox_top_right.gif

Your room is 10.8 squarefeet, please review the three levels of recomendation below suited to your grow room

Minimum Lighting 25 watts Per Square Foot

Lighting
The minimum recommended lighting for your area is 270 watts
Ventilation
The minimum flow rating of your fan should be 58.9 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM)
Power Requirements
This setup will require 1.5 amps to be available at all times for safest operation*

Optimum Lighting 40 watts Per Square Foot

Lighting
The optimum reccomended lighting for your area is 432 watts
Ventilation
For optimum ventilation the flow rating of your fan should be around 64.7 Cubic Feet per Minute
Power Requirements
This setup will require 2.3 amps to be available at all times for safest operation*

Maximum Lighting 60 watts Per Square Foot

Lighting
The maximum reccomended lighting for your area is 648 watts
Ventilation
Going this way you will require a fan with a flow rating of at least 76.5 Cubic Feet per Minute
Power Requirements
This setup will require 3.5 amps to be available at all times for safest operation*
Additional Comments
Getting to these points and or over it is highly reccomended the grower use Co2 in their room as your plants will only be able to photosythesise a certain amount of light before needing a Co2 boost to benifit
http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/bklightingcalc.gif

http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/mbox_bot_left.gif http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/blank.png http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/mbox_bot_right.gif

[Dr.Feel.real.good]

Here's a link to a few 'Growroom Calculators' http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/lighting.php (It'll ask ya for a username and password. Just hit 'Cancel' and it'll continue)

I typed in your 1mx1m with a 2m height and these are the results

http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/mbox_top_left.gifhttp://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/blank.pnghttp://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/mbox_top_right.gif

Your room is 10.8 squarefeet, please review the three levels of recomendation below suited to your grow room

 

 

Minimum Lighting 25 watts Per Square Foot

Lighting

The minimum recommended lighting for your area is 270 watts

Ventilation

The minimum flow rating of your fan should be 58.9 Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM)

Power Requirements

This setup will require 1.5 amps to be available at all times for safest operation*

Optimum Lighting 40 watts Per Square Foot

Lighting

The optimum reccomended lighting for your area is 432 watts

Ventilation

For optimum ventilation the flow rating of your fan should be around 64.7 Cubic Feet per Minute

Power Requirements

This setup will require 2.3 amps to be available at all times for safest operation*

Maximum Lighting 60 watts Per Square Foot

Lighting

The maximum reccomended lighting for your area is 648 watts

Ventilation

Going this way you will require a fan with a flow rating of at least 76.5 Cubic Feet per Minute

Power Requirements

This setup will require 3.5 amps to be available at all times for safest operation*

Additional Comments

Getting to these points and or over it is highly reccomended the grower use Co2 in their room as your plants will only be able to photosythesise a certain amount of light before needing a Co2 boost to benifit

http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/bklightingcalc.gif http://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/mbox_bot_left.gifhttp://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/blank.pnghttp://www.cannaversity.com/calculators/images/mbox_bot_right.gif

LEGEND! cheers mate, I just watched the video and took notes on both the video and the calculations you made for me.

 

That’s one less problem on my list of troubles. I need to do some more hunting now to find a light I’ll be able to afford.

Is the recommended wattage for an LED lighting system/what system is it for?

 

I’m thinking I’ll use my 130w CFL for seedlings/clones, then switch to a LED light between 270w and 432w

 

 

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app

[buzzer]

That light is only about 130 watt mate.

 

This style is the old blurple type and they are not a match for HID's It will get you to harvest but don't expect to much. The newer quantum board LED's are a match for HID's in quality and harvest potential. With a decent QB around 250-300 true wattage and all the right growing conditions you should be able to pull a pound from that size tent.

 

Spider Farmer do some pretty reasonable QB's and are a bit cheaper than HLG

 

When looking to buy any LED of the net you need to do a little digging to find out the actual wattage. Check the descriptions or Google the model and find a page that states the real specs. unfortunately the market is flooded with all these Chinese brand who don't give a fuck if they are lying or not.

I found this 300w led, seems legit and the model tent used is the same as mine; can I get your opinion on this one?

 

IMG_3202.JPGIMG_3203.JPGIMG_3205.JPG

 

 

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app

 

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app