critique my plan please!

[MrMortakis$moot]

This is going to be my first indoor grow, I have a pretty good area with some space. This is not a complete plan because Im at a point were I need advice. First off, let me tell you the space is about 3.5(deep)x3.75(wide)x4(tall) -- all in feet. Im planning on doing a 400w switchable setup(hps/mh) with possibly 2 tube fluorescents attached to the actual reflector on the sides... any advice on this would be great.

Equipment Im looking at & need advice on which would better suit my situation.
- 400w switchable ballast ($149.95) - looking at the sun system 10, but was wondering should I go with a cheaper ballast or is this about as cheap as its going to get without sacrificing quality?

- Sunlight Cool Sun Reflector 6" openings($144.95)

- Tjernlund M-6 [6"] inline duct fan ($120.00 off ebay) - once again, there are a bunch of air options, is there another thats going to be better?

I could possibly end up going into a bigger setup later, and would like to reuse the equipment but thats in the future and not now.

Im looking at doing runs of 4 at a time, and with the dimensions Im looking at 7.6w per sq. ft(right?) ... thats counting the area around the light as well.

Any constructive critism is appreciated! thanks for the help on getting my setup off the ground!

 

[messn'n'gommin']

Just a clarification 3.5' X 3.75 = 13.125 sq. ft. and divide that into 400 = just over 30w per sq. ft. Usually the "rule of thumb" is a minimum of 50w's/sq. ft. (75-100 is probably best and 125-150 your starting to get into diminishing returns). But, 4 plants grouped together under a 400w light should compensate for that and will go a long way to increasing your skills, so you can upgrade later. Good luck, it sounds to me like you're getting your ducks in a row.

Namaste, mess

 

[maryj315]

i agree with MESSN yet i do see a lot of people who buy a 400 and end up upgrading to a 600 or 1000

I think the idea of getting a switchable is good you can use it for a veg light instead of it getting put back in a closet if you do upgrade down the road

You can get a 4 inch vortex i have 1 puts out 195 cfm and i think it is $100 bucks good fan

Like MESSN said you sound like you are on the right track

Nice to have you here k+ have a good day

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

"with possibly 2 tube fluorescents attached to the actual reflector on the sides"

Flouros need to be within an inch or two to "work" ... stuck up beside a HPS 2 or 3 feet away, they will do very little IMO, get a 600 instead, light = yield [ish]

Personally, with magnetic ballasts, I would never buy a switchable balast, IIRC a 400MH is 3.5A and a 400HPS is 4.5A .... I have happily run many MH bulbs in 4.5A HPS ballasts... they run "hotter" ... put out more Lumens than a MH is meant to, the downside is they burn out quicker, 2 years not 5... well, I change in months not years, so it is not a problem.

if you only have 4' height you will need a really low pot/hydro system [I would go NFT just for this reason] and a really really short variety... White Rhino comes to mind.... easy to finish fat clones at 1' height.

good luck !
CC

 

[yamaha_1fan]

Your grow space is only 4 feet tall? To me that sounds kind of small but I guess if you scrog that could work.

 

[MrMortakis$moot]

well I was going to cut it to 4ft.. but the room is actually 5.3(deep)x3.75(wide)x8ft(tall) and I can use all of it, but I was thinking about wasted light in all the extra space, but I guess the mylar is going to keep me from doing that correct? Im actually now considering just going with 1000w, should I go with a digital switchable ballast? just hps? or mh? I was going to just start with a 400, but... it's going to benefit me in the long run just to go ahead and get a 1000w, and I can possibly add in a couple more plants, or just bake 4 with 1000w and get nice yields.

I've read up on a lot of this before and have forgotten some stuff, and the search here isnt returning too much, but thats why I love this place, and loved og.. everyone's so helpful!

thanks for the advice so far!

 

[MrMortakis$moot]

another few questions, any answers are great!

Im now looking into doing 1000w digital mh/hps setup, what Im wondering is will a 6" cool sun hood work fine with 1000w or do I need to go with a 8"? and the fan Im looking at is going to be a 6", would it be fine to reduce the 8" to a 6" to match up with the fan or would that be pointless? The fan claims to beable to pull up to 530 CFM's.

another, the room im setting up is still just the skeleton(ply wood only on one side of the frame and is in a shed outside)... should I insulate the walls then put on the other side of plywood, or just leave the walls empty. Im thinking I need to find out what the temp's are going to be without any equipment and then make a decision, just wondering if any others in this situation have there grow space insulated. its becoming winter time in the south, and well it doesnt really get that cold around here in the winter except right now were looking at 40-50degree mornings. im thinking if I leave them empty, I will have to put a small space heater in the grow room to keep the chilly mornings warm.

I dont want to go below 70deg F in the grow room at any times, or is a lower temp. acceptable?

sorry for all the questions, but Im looking to get this baby up and running very SOON!

thanks for all the help once again!

 

[Skipload]

insulate the space and use the 8' ceiling, seal the space air tight. Your shed needs to become a bug prof fortress.
Using Sun System products you can use the cheap coil balast. It performs relatively equal to their other ballasts.
Your fan is more than enough, make sure its 120v.
You will figure the fan thing out after setting it up.

 

[MrMortakis$moot]

Alright, sorry for the bump from so many pages down. But I've done a little more research and the room is on its way, electrical is done, insulation is in, and will be finishing the inside this weekend along with painting and putting up the door.

Ive just decided to go with a 1000w HPS system(I cant really see the benefit of going with MH for 3 weeks of veg.. any opinions on this?), 8" cool sun hood, 6in fan. I'd really like to know if anyone has any experience with the Tjernlund fans? I noticed a lot of people on here like to use the vortex fans, though they are a good bit more. But I did notice the warranty on the tjernlund is only 1 year, and the vortex's have a 10yr along with the confidence of a lot of people on here. so Im kind of leaning towards shelling out the extra cash for the vortex, but would like to know if anyone has any experiences or heard anything about the tjernlund fans.

the total floor space I can use for this is going to be 3.75x3.75. I know its not the best amount of space, but its what I have to work with and still have some room to store stuff inside the room and beable to work in there. Thats putting me around 71w per sqft. what I need to know, is how many plants do you think I can fit in there and should I use grow bags, small pots...? and I will also be using a organic medium with organic nutes if needed.

thanks for any advice and critism once again!

 

[Snagglepuss]

sounds fantastic!!