Lighting investment

[bubbajake420]

say i was to invest in a good light, i have went with floros and cfls, and have an hid but never used it because i cant get it working ha, but what would be the most effective for the money spent? looking to downsize to not as many light fixtures, hate having floros sittin all over the place ha.
help is appreciated

 

[Be Irie]

I think you answered your own question...

 

[TorturedSoul]

If only going with one, a 600-watt HPS because it is the most effecient and puts out close to 100,000 lumens and HPS can veg ok and flowers wonderfully. Sealed, vented, and air-cooled because if you can remove the heat from the light (which in itself has no odor) everything else becomes world's easier and air-cooled because it's cheaper/easier and because while a failure might cause some "cooking" of your girls, it will not be likely to cause any damage other than that. Interior being a dual-curve hammered specular-aluminum reflector as the most effecient, reflecting light down to your plants without creating hot spots or trying to reflect the light through the bulb.

If multiple lights are an option, a bunch of them lol.

A 1000-watter produces more gross lumens than a 600 but at the cost of effeciency. You might consider the 1kw if you do not see yourself able to add any more lights in the future and are not in any way concerned with effeciency and "monthly cost per lumen."

Many love the Son Agro HPS bulbs because the extra spectrum injection they provide helps keep internodal spacing MUCH shorter and produces a healthier, denser plant overall. I believe the Planta T is another such "fortified" bulb. If you cannot afford the small amount of extra electricity usage of a 600-watter over a 400-watter, I would recommend the 430-watt Son Agro.

MH conversion bulbs that can be used in HPS fixtures for vegging and even for the last week or two of flowering can be used but they are even less efficient lumen-wise than a regular MH (which is less so than a HPS) but they are not really necessary, especially if one uses one of the aforementioned "fortified" bulbs.

Of course all of the above is only my opinion and I could be as wrong as the next guy.

 

[fraggman]

600watt hps are the shit.get one of those bad boys and make your plants happy;-)~ peace out.

 

[Smokeyjoe]

600w hps

 

[ReactiveLlama]

If I could satisfy the cooling requirements of a 600 and stay stealthy I'd go with one!

 

[bubbajake420]

how much more expensive will my elect bill be if i purchase one or even two hps?

 

[notreallyhere]

say you had a 600 and a 400, that is about 1000 total watts, or one kilowatt. ignoring ballasts and fans etc, and assuming a 12 hour photoperiod, that is 12 extra kilowatt hours every day. assuming $0.15/kWh (high estimate i believe), that is $1.80/day, or $54/month.

 

[bubbajake420]

what exactly is a ballast? and do i absolutly need one or can i just hard wire some stuff up lol, i have plenty of fans and everything else, just dont really know what a ballast is and what it is used for and where you would be able to get one, thanks for the help
-bubba