NCDude
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I've been reading the posts comparing LEDs with intrest. How do they stack up against T-5 floros? Anyone have an opinion?
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I think the biggest thing you're missing here is that a good LED carries both red and blue of the light spectrum. Fluoros only emit blue light & fluoros can get quite warm, LEDs much less so. masking any heat signals that may be picked up by police. Blue light is good for all stages, but more so for veg. red light is good for all stages but more so for flowering.
LEDs also take alot less power than anything else. There really is no debate. anyone who can afford to buy LED should do so. a good quality LED beats all.
I also have two 90 watt UFO's and the heat output from them is comparible to the T5 but the T5 offers a larger footprint of coverage. My 96 watt T5 will outgrow one of my 90 watt UFOs any day every day.
It's really a matter of cost and what the grower wants to spend. Do you want to spend $900 for 200 watts of LED or $200 for 200 watts of T5HO given that both lights will have about the same yield?
It sounds like you get the same if not better coverage & penetration from your LEDs than what you got with your T5 of a much higher wattage. What's the wattage of your leds now compared to the T5 you used in the past?Orangeblood, you are being a little forgiving on T5 and the heat they produce.
Is running roughly 20 degrees hotter and using nearly 2-3 times as much energy really comparable?
I currently grow with LED's and have owned and used T5's in the past, I know what I am talking about here sir.
Nothing beats a good quality brand name LED for vegging, I've never had plants grow so full and fast before with T5's or even HPS for that matter.
It is true T5's are cheaper to buy, but not cheaper to operate, so monthly power bills will keep draining the bank account.
LED's are more expensive to buy, but much cheaper to operate, so the bank account is only really drained once, during the initial purchase.
The UFO LEDs are mediocre at best. If you scan the internet long enough you can run into some really decent fixtures that easily beat the UFOs. LED is the future. There will be debate over them for years to come because people aren't as familiar with it as they are other lighting options. In a few years most everyone will be on board with LEDs.
It sounds like you get the same if not better coverage & penetration from your LEDs than what you got with your T5 of a much higher wattage. What's the wattage of your leds now compared to the T5 you used in the past?
I was using 2 Sunlight Supply New Wave T5's, 2 ft., 8 bulb, 192W's each (384W's total).
Now I use 2 ProSource 180W Jumbo UFO LED's instead (360W's total).
The LED's keep my 2x4x5 veg tent in the mid 80's, as where the T5's pushed the temps to over 100.
I'm definitely getting better coverage & penetration with the LED's.
Like I said before, I've never had plants excel so fast in veg like this.
I can not speak for the flowering capabilities of the LED's yet, but I should be able to before Thanksgiving
The wattage comparison is very silmilar between 360 and 384 watts so it seems to me the only real savings in energy would come from being able to reduce the size of the fans and blowers or reduce their run times.
I have a 288 watt LED now only been using it for 3 wks in my flower tent. However there are 2 1/2 rows of bulbs that are almost completly out they just seem to be flickering a bit
Well, almost.
The Amp rating between the 2 is different.
The LED's run at 1.5 Amps each, the T5's ran at a higher Amp rate that I can't remember off the top of my head right now.
I'm running 6 180W Jumbo UFO's (1080W's total) between my veg & flower tents and am still paying far less in electricity then when I was just running the 384W's of T5.
People get too focused on Wattage sometime and forget about the Amps a light uses, and those Amps will get ya every time.
I saw an increase of around $20 a month when I was running an HPS (150W).
I saw an increase of $12-15 a month when I was running T5's (384W).
I've seen an increase of $5 a month since I've been running the LED's (1080W).
A Watt for Watt comparison doesn't really work when the Amp ratings for these lights are so different.
I'm really baked right now but if I understand this correctly you're saying that your bill spiked $20 with 150 watts of hps and only spiked $5 with 1080 watts of led?
With that equation you're saying that 4320 watts of led costs the same to run as 150 watts of hps just because of the lower amp rating. Are you sure about that one?
I'd rather fix it if it's something simple ,I was asking if anyone knew how to do that !
Originally Posted by ol hippy:
Hi guys, I reading this in hopes I can decide what to get next . I have a 288 watt LED now only been using it for 3 wks in my flower tent. However there are 2 1/2 rows of bulbs that are almost completly out they just seem to be flickering a bit , I have a friend who has a hydro store and he keeps talking to me to but a T5, but I know nothing about them . I see hear that there are many different types of T5s !? Can you pros give me any idea of what I should be looking for in a T5 for a 3'6"x3'6" tent ? Thanks a bunch, I also have a 400 Watt HPS that I took down when I got my LED, I'd hate to have to put the 400 back up as it gets so f'n hot ... Thanks again...
You should ask The Builder on how to do that, especially considering one of the selling points of that brand of LED lights is that it's serviceable by the customer. Then he can send you a proper repair kit at no cost to you since you're still under warranty.
But you didn't ask how to fix it, you asked what you should get next.
You shouldn't fib to those who can fact check you.