T5 system VS. HPS setup

[GanjaGardener]

Im looking at getting a decent priced lighting system. I'm already pretty sure that everyone is going to say go with the HPS but im going to ask the question anyway.
Does this t5 system look like a good deal? Sun Blaze T5 - 48 (4ft, 8 lamp) High Output Fluorescent

If you think I should get a HPS instead what brand would you reccomend at a bargain price?
Should I go with one 1000 watt or two 600watt? Of course if I go with the 2 600s ill only be running one until i get the funds for a second but im thinking more about the long term.

Im thinking the T5 is a good deal because it can be closer to the canopy and it produces less heat which means less money spent on heat control, right? I mean does everyone have to use extra fans just for heat on top of odor control?

in advance for all advice and take it easy out there.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I never used a T5 setup so I can't give you any kind of useful comparison.

But as far as the rest of your post:

Between one 1kw and two 600s, I'd pick the pair of 600s every day of the week both for higher output, greater efficiency, and the fact that with two lights you can have a better chance of fitting the light footprints to an odd-shaped GR.

As far as "closeness to the canopy" with HIDs, I ran air-cooled fixtures and many times forgot to keep up on things a little bit and walked in to see the buds had grown right up to the glass. Probably not a real good idea but it didn't crispy them.

AND... Since I ran air-cooled (sealed) lights, the vast majority of the hot air that I moved didn't have any smell at all. Lots of times - depending on time of year - I didn't have to give much thought to venting the GR itself and got by with using oscillating fans to move the air around. And when the temps crept up I could use CO2 injection which kind of worked out all around since my GR was pretty much sealed. I don't know if you could do that with T5s or not - are they available in a sealed air-cooled fixture?

Oh, and I always had my ballasts outside of the GR so the heat they produced not only did NOT add to the temperature in the GR, that heat also didn't stink.

Just a few things to take into consideration.

EDIT: Just checked out your link. 8 bulbs @ 54 watts a piece nets 432 watts and only outputs 40,000 lumens? That's not even as efficient as a 400-watt HPS and 600s blow them away for efficiency. And that thing is within a nickel of costing three bills? Ya, I'd pass. YMMV, of course. And keep in mind that those things DO produce some heat. Like I mentioned, I haven't used one so I have no idea how much - but keep in mind that any electrically-powered light bulb is going to produce two things, light and heat. The more efficient it is, the more light it will produce and the less heat it will produce (per watt). That's just simple science. So you have a fixture that isn't nearly as efficient as one good 600-watt HPS. The HPS might produce more gross heat but if you were to compare apples to apples by adjusting the numbers of each type of fixture until the light outputs were equal, I'd bet that you'd find that the HPS section produced measurably less heat than the T5 section. If someone isn't thinking, they might assume that the T5s are going to be producing less heat (per watt, or per lumen if you like) because they can put their hand on part of the fixture and not have the skin immediately cooked off - whereas anyone dumb enough to place their hand on a bare HPS bulb that's operating... would only do it once lol (actually, the instant that your hand produced sweat in defense and that sweat flash-boiled the bulb might well shatter but we're talking hypothetically, IOW "Don't Try This at Home"). Anyway, those two sections that have equal amounts of light (from different amounts of the fixtures), seal and insulate both sections and see what I mean.

Additionally, do those T5 fixtures have remote ballasts or are they like the old-school flourescent fixtures that had them built-in? Because that wasn't even factoring in heat produced from them. If the T5's ballasts are remote it's a non-issue (for the GR itself), but if they're part of the fixture, well...

That's my thinking on it. I hope it helps in some small way.

Regardless, good luck with your grow! And if you have any extra come harvest, find someone who's living in pain and gift them with a higher quality of life.

 

[RandyL]

I've been looking around at local stores and online, and in my opinion, every T5 lighting system I've seen is VERY overpriced, for the amount of light they output.

I'm starting my first 6 plants with lights from Lowe's. 3 of their cheapest 4 foot long dual bulb lighting fixtures ($9.74 each), with 40 watt 3050 lumen 6500K T12 bulbs, $6.98 for a pair.

So that will be 240 watts, 18300 lumens, and a total cost of $50.16 + tax.

If I can get a 400 watt Metal Halide for a reasonable price on Craigslist I'll add that for vegging, then I'll switch to a 1000 watt Sodium light for flowering.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I'm starting my first 6 plants with lights from Lowe's. 3 of their cheapest 4 foot long dual bulb lighting fixtures ($9.74 each), with 40 watt 3050 lumen 6500K T12 bulbs, $6.98 for a pair.

So that will be 240 watts, 18300 lumens, and a total cost of $50.16 + tax.

Nothing wrong with starting a first grow with tubes - with a few caveats. There have been (and are) gardens as simple as a plant or two in a couple of buckets to stealthed double-decker fluorescent setups.

You will, of course, wish to get those tubes as close together as possible in order to concentrate the light. This might mean that you have the reflectors touching, that you trim the reflector "wings" to get the actual fixtures closer, or that you disassemble the fixtures and mount the components to a board or something, depending on how much effort you want to put into setup. 18,300 lumens in a 1' x 4' box would provide 4575 initial lumens. In the vegetative stage, you could get by with less but if you end up flowering with them I would not advise it and would likely try to get the lumens per square foot up to 5000 if feasible.

You're dealing with a flat plane of illumination that doesn't have the ability to penetrate into a dense canopy. So you need to train your plants accordingly. The Scrog technique works very well with fluorescent tubes. You will want to keep the bulbs as close as possible to the plants, raising them daily.

In the past I have seen such gardens start with a couple of fixtures and grow to 400 watts and beyond. I guess there comes a point when it is best to switch to HID but by then you would have learned the basics and enjoyed the fruits of your labors. You'll also probably have ended up spending what you'd have spent on an HID.

If I can get a 400 watt Metal Halide for a reasonable price on Craigslist I'll add that for vegging, then I'll switch to a 1000 watt Sodium light for flowering.

6500k tubes are fine for the vegetative stage. If you look for an HID to add to your setup, save your money for HPS.

 

[Kash Krop]

I just scored a hydrofarm 4' 8 bulb T-5 fixture with bulbs + an x-tra case of bulbs + two pairs of yo-yo hangers,HF brand, and a DWI 42 site cloner for $135 on the local CL.Dude said his brother bought it new & used it less than a month.Ran his mouth about his grow & you know what happened next.I'm gonna veg with this & switch to my 600 hps to flower.A bit of savings on the ol electric bill + I got tired of changing the bulbs in my sealed hood,pita.

 

[10ickyfingers]

If you go with the hps, look at some digital lights. 400watt from HTG Supply works great. I think the cfl work as well as the long tubes and are cheaper.