Question about supplemental light

[Hdinkleman]

hey guys and gals any suggestions on supplemental light.
its not really an issue ...yet, but with spring and summer coming temps will become an issue for me
i have a small tent at 2.5 x 2.5 and have a hlg 260 which im currently running at 100% onthe driver, which i was told by a reputable memeber here is pulling 205 from the wall. ambient tent temperature is hovering around 80-81, which coming into the end of veg isnt too bad, but once flowering starts i kind of want to bring that down a bit.
i do know running the qb at 50% keeps my temps around 75, from doing a test for a 24 hr period.
so question is, i know the cheapy leds are garbage for the most part, but what say would the opinion be if i got a cheap led light and hing it next to the qb running at 50%? how hot do these things run if i got one that was 120 watts actual draw off the wall? or anyone else run into this heat issue and found out a good way to tackle it? thanks in advance

 

[Old Salt]

The QB and its Meanwell driver is probably one of the most efficient lighting setups on the market. The "cheap led lights" generate more heat per lumen than your current setup. In other words, adding them. and reducing the light output from the HLG will increase the temperature in your tent.

You can move the driver out of the tent, and increase the airflow through the tent to drop the temperature.

 

[Hdinkleman]

The QB and its Meanwell driver is probably one of the most efficient lighting setups on the market. The "cheap led lights" generate more heat per lumen than your current setup. In other words, adding them. and reducing the light output from the HLG will increase the temperature in your tent.

You can move the driver out of the tent, and increase the airflow through the tent to drop the temperature.

yes youre right, was lookin. at the cheap leds last night, the newer ones say theyre using 10 watt chips, from what i can tell is going to run hotter than a 3 or 5 watt chip and they are touting the 10 watt chip as more advanced technology lol.
i do want to somehow add some wattage to the grow somehow.
what would you suggest?

 

[Chris Scorpio]

Yup, cheap blurple will heat up a lot more than yer QB ever will

Is yer driver outside yer tent?

Pretty sure yer light covers yer tent pretty good, just roll with it

Also start a journal if u haven't, easier to post and get answers

 

[Old Salt]

theyre using 10 watt chips

They don't run them at 10W, but usually between two and five watts.

i do want to somehow add some wattage to the grow somehow.
what would you suggest?

The light you have for your 2.5' x 2.5' tent is plenty at 41.6w / sq ft. You could add one or two of the HLG QB 96 boards, or a ChilLED Logic puck, but I don't think you'll be able to take advantage of them in your tent. Perhaps an initiator puck?

 

[Hdinkleman]

Yup, cheap blurple will heat up a lot more than yer QB ever will

Is yer driver outside yer tent?

Pretty sure yer light covers yer tent pretty good, just roll with it

Also start a journal if u haven't, easier to post and get answers

scorpio you think the 200 watts is enough though? remeber youre the one who informed me the board i have is technically only 201 watts total at full blast.
btw running at full blast was best advice ive received about this light, i was worried about stressing them for so long i never dared push it past 50 lol, i am getting a little tacoing but youre right its like force feeding geese for fois gras

 

[Chris Scorpio]

I'm currently running about 450w in my 4x4 tent.

Same as last year and it's fantastic. Been lazy to add 150w more I have sitting, well, because I don't need it

If yer plants are within the light spread area, then yer fine

My tent today after I shuffled and filled it up

 

[Hdinkleman]

They don't run them at 10W, but usually between two and five watts.


The light you have for your 2.5' x 2.5' tent is plenty at 41.6w / sq ft. You could add one or two of the HLG QB 96 boards, or a ChilLED Logic puck, but I don't think you'll be able to take advantage of them in your tent. Perhaps an initiator puck?

old salt i know i dont neccasarily need more light, i just want to add more watts from a different source so i can turn down the driver and reduce some heat.
and i know i would be able to move the driver off the board and out of the tent but i kind of wanted to add some different spectrums. right now i have a few full spectrum + uv that i run for 6 hours a day but it raises temps over 85 F when i do.
what do you think about these KIND led liggt bars? i was thinking about getting the micro and the macro ones for flowering, the macro has the reds and blues and the macro has uv, infrared and some other “micro” spectrums? i have approx 300$ to spend so the two runs about 260$ i could afford it now.
both the kind led bars total is only 40-50 watts i believe

 

[Hdinkleman]

I'm currently running about 450w in my 4x4 tent.

Same as last year and it's fantastic. Been lazy to add 150w more I have sitting, well, because I don't need it

If yer plants are within the light spread area, then yer fine

My tent today after I shuffled and filled it up

oh wow scorpio, how close to the canopy do you put them? im at 23” right now and i have done a good job keeping the canopy flat.
im gonna start a journal right now actually been meaning to do it

 

[Chris Scorpio]

I honestly think, yer over thinking things

But that's just me

Those QBs will do everything you need if you just relax and be patient

 

[Chris Scorpio]

oh wow scorpio, how close to the canopy do you put them? im at 23” right now and i have done a good job keeping the canopy flat.
im gonna start a journal right now actually been meaning to do it

Mine are different bds

I can run them a lot closer than the 288s

As close as 6", but usually around a foot ish

 

[Hdinkleman]

I honestly think, yer over thinking things

But that's just me

Those QBs will do everything you need if you just relax and be patient

i actually want to move the t5s into my veg area, so in doing so i want to replace the uv that i wont have in the tent when i do move them out, that was the original idea about the cheap led, but after hearing they produce alot of heat thats a no go for that lol

 

[Chris Scorpio]

Everyone I know, better growers than me, use just the QB lights

The spectrum tickles all the right spots as long as yer K value is right

I have 2700 and 3000 for flower tents
3500 and 4000 for veg

Love em. I go small plants due to pheno hunting, genetic playing, and strain hunting, so size isn't my main goal

I enjoy the process, opening the tent every morning like greetings my kids (I dont have kids thank GOD ..LOL)

So my $1.02 worth of advice