i am back and forth here,help me

[inutero11]

so CFL's or a MH/HPS combo? obviously heat is a issue since ill be using a 3x3x6 or so cabinet,and obviously im not wanting any "spikes" in my electric bill or none of that,so im stuck here,i keep going back and forth from buying prob a t5 4 bulb set up or a nice 400watt mh/hps combo i cant make my mind up. is it going to be a serious problem getting the heat out of there with a hps,the key to this setup obviously is being low key,so i dont want loud exhuast fans going,air ducts everywhere,etc...basically i want it to someone will look at this cabinet and not see air ducts and big fans coming out of everywhere....i ordered my seeds and they are here,now i just gotta make my mind up on what to buy for this cabinet setup,i know im making this harder than it is

 

[Akornpatch]

CFL may be the way to go for the kind of stealth you're looking for.

What kind of seeds BTW?

 

[inutero11]

i bought some grapefruit.

howmany lights should i go with if CFLS and those ones that have 4 tubes,2 red,3 blue those are suppose to be good for start to finish right? if the hps/mh light is going to make a big differnce in quality thought,id rather hve to go with the hps set up

 

[Racefan]

The HPS is the best IMO.

 

[Eldamari420]

whats IMO?

 

[Racefan]

In My Opinion

 

[MadameCrash]

You could probably get away with a 150w or 250w HPS in that size cabinet without needing to run huge fans or duct hoses everywhere. A light that small wouldn't spike your electic bill much if any, and heat wouldn't be too difficult to manage.

Peace
MC

 

[Urdedpal]

I like that answer best^
I tried cabenet growing with a 400w in a slightly smaller space. I had to keep the door open because of the heat and that was with the ballast outside of the cabinet. Probelm with cfls is the really poor light penetration so the smaller hps would be the most optimal answer guys. Thats only my opinian though. I have seen some pretty descent grow using just cfls but to get the results you have to use a lot of them. HPS in 150 or 250w would be cheaper in the long run because of bulb replacements and the energy consumption of that many tubes versus just the one bulb.

 

[inutero11]

hmm..so a 250w mh/hps will work fine,thats great news thanks(im only gonna have one plant maybe two going at first)

 

[Gorillabuds]

...basically i want it to someone will look at this cabinet and not see air ducts and big fans coming out of everywhere....

I don't think that really matters..I mean...if you think this is gonna be in your living room and people not notice it, that's just a pipe dream. I'm not trying to be sarcastic but the light leaks and the aroma are gonna be a little more obvious than vent fans..lol. Even with a carbon scrubber you're gonna need flex duct and a fan. It's very, very difficult to have a grow, even a small one, in an apartment or a house and be able to have "uncool company" over for a few hours. It can be done but you gotta really seal up the room and use a carbon scrubber.

 

[inutero11]

hmm yeh thats true,but im not so much worried about people knowing about it at all..im more concerned about space,and for my own personal eye sore. i mean its not like i absolutely cant have it,if i need it so be it,i was just hoping there was a way around it all,you know one less thing i have to worrie about when setting this entire thing up.

i found this amrior(spelling) at walmart,they want $130 for it. it is about 3.5 feet wide,about 3 feet deep and 5.5 feet high,with cabinet doors and everything,basically eggs-actly what im looking to build and i went and priced wood today and its gonna be atleast 40-60 for the wood alone,plus all the labor im gonna have to do and time its gonna take ,after im done building one,it will prob be near 100 after all supplies and a headache of a job to get it perfect,this one is already done for me so ill prob pick that up.i will prob end up installing the intake and exhuast fan though,jsut to be safe with heat issues.

 

[Gorillabuds]

Got a basement? You can put up plastic and paper painters drop cloth into the growing space dimensions you want. It's what I use in my basement. If you're worried about a fire with the plastic, fire could happen just as easily in a wood cabinet. you'd need a sheet of black plastic about 8' x 20' to make a 4' x 4' x 8' grow..perfect for a plant and cheap, too. That'd give you the ability to have a circular grow area which is ideal, actually. All the light would be reflected evenly back at the plant from the painters drop cloth. You're gonna need a vent fan at the very minimum or your cabinet temps are gonna get out of control even with fluorescents. Fluorescents have a ballast that cranks out heat. A 250 watt MH or HPS bulb cranks out heat even if you can find one with a remote ballast. Just some ideas...GL with the grow. Are you gonna do a grow thread?

 

[inutero11]

i wish i had a basement,but i dont think there are houses with them in this state. anyways yeh ill get the intake and exhaust fan for this setup. and yeh ill do a grow thread,cause i know once start ill have a million questions and concerns again