600w or 1000w?? That is the question....

burleigh4503

New Member
I am having some decision problems.... In a 4x4 gorilla grow tent in an upstairs bedroom should i use 600w or 1000w. In the summers it is very hot upstairs. I was planning on cooling the light with a 4 in inline and venting the tent with a 6 in with carbon filter with temp controller. I only want to do 4 5 gallon plants. I dont want to go smaller because i know after my first grow im going to want to try more. Im also getting a 3x3 cfl veg tent with 2x 250 w and 2x 2' t5 strip lights. Overkill?? Please help
 
In my opinion 1 600watt for a 4x4 space is ideal. Your cfl placement will be a little awkward in that small of space. Those 250 watters are pretty big and squizing another 2x2 t5 will be interesting. Heat will be a huge issue for you. I've done some second floor grows in a tent and it can be a bitch. Running the a/c messes with the humidity and it becomes very expensive to keep everything in check. Expect the need for using a/c on top of the air cooling. That room will be like an oven. I pack everything up during the summer months and take some time off mostly for these reasons.
 
So try to put the tent on my first floor. Got it! Problem is trying to keep a section of my main floor dark for my dark periods. Get rid of the 2' strip lights too. I guess it is a little overkill.
 
Room corners away from windows work well. It can be done on the second floor, it's just harder. I wouldn't worry too much about how dark the room is--that's what the tent is for.

Don't let my concerns put you off on the t5. Personally I'd rather use the t5 than the jumbo cfl. I have the 300watt monster and I don't like it. They get very hot compared to the t5 and they're too heavy in some cases for the reflectors. Worst equipment decision I ever made purchase wise. If you can work out a situation for it I'd go with a t5 set-up.
 
I agree the 600w would be perfect for your setup.

I would place it by a window if you can, for ventilation purposes. If you can blackout the window and use it for air exchange that'd be cool. Also just run lights at night and keep dark period in day to offset you being upstairs as much as possible.
 
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