Stacked Rubbermaid Project... I can't make my choice on light!

[hgl]

Hi guy,

Can some of you help me choose my lightning setup for my Stealth Stacked Rubbermaid Grow box...

I just can't make my choice... either CFL or HPS. Both have PRO and CON.

The dimension will be approximately 25'L, 14'W, 40'H.

Initially i thought using about 6 or 8 x 42w CFL 2,700k. Maybe one or two blue for the vegging.

Now I ask myself this. Buying all those CFL will cost about the same as a 150w or 250w HPS light and will give me trouble to install and set up while a HPS would almost be like a plug and play... designing something to ventilate the light and I'm ready to grow.

The problem is that I fear fire with the HPS... The light and heat... the ballast.. the wiring... the fact that the HPS will be enclosed in small box (with ventilation of course).. but still... Fire concern me a lot.

On the other hand, 6 or 8 CFL will generate heat also and will probably need to be cooled also... but CFL don't generate enough heat to set fire...

Well I'm lost... I got around $100 CAD to spend on light and another $100 for the rest of setup (with seeds maybe).

Can you help me?

Thanks a lot!

 

[JimBeamKush]

Do the HPS man it will give you a lot more dense buds, and also more weight. And dont forget it is more efficent.


Fire is not a issue as long as you are very careful with the wiring and such and dont take any shortcuts!

 

[kcbudz31]

i've lately cottoned to the idea of 220w worth of PL-L's along the top of a rubbermaid rig

 

[hgl]

Do the HPS man it will give you a lot more dense buds, and also more weight. And dont forget it is more efficent.

Fire is not a issue as long as you are very careful with the wiring and such and dont take any shortcuts!

How far from the plastic/glass an HPS light need to be to not melt it (plastic)? Would 150w be enough? 250w too much (Useless)?

i've lately cottoned to the idea of 220w worth of PL-L's along the top of a rubbermaid rig

I would really like to have some PL-L since it would fit better for the space... but are those really effective? I guess they wouldn't even need ventilation for cooling?

 

[LEDGro]

I think PL-L are perfect for a small space. You can pack them in and keep the plants very close. There is a ton of info here about them and if you read up you will change many of the preconceptions of CFL lights.

 

[hgl]

I just found some of those on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Osram-Dulux-L-36...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_2?hash=item414a9a0446

is that the kind of light appropriate for a grow?
I'm even more lost now... CFL, PL-L, HPS... damn!!!

 

[maryjohn]

you should do hps, so we can find out if it is feasible in a rubbermaid. how many gallons are the bins? Are you ok with having the top one upside down? if not, that affects your lighting options.

seems to me the drawback in the rubbermaid is lack of vertical space. maybe a cool tube?

 

[Kusherman]

Have you ever tried t5's? I use them for veg and then switch to the HPS for flowering and it has given me some of the best results apart from growing outdoors LOL. PEACE LUV AND BUDS!!!

 

[hgl]

Guys, Keep in mind that I don't have that much money to spend on getting two type of light...

I would love to do HPS to help you find out if it is feasible in a Rubbermaid or not, but then again, if it doesn't work I loose money that I don't necessarily have!

Need more input please?

 

[maryjohn]

start with your plan for ventilationand scrubbing, then figure the light. What kind of fan are we talking?

 

[guest 77721]

Hey HGL, great to see ya postin' again. I still remember you from our early days on OG!

I put a 150HPS in the same setup as 6x42 = 252 watts of CFL's and got similar results because the HPS and 6 CFL's put out about the same amount of Lumens.

The HPS light itself get's pretty hot but as long as it's a 6" away from any surface, it won't be a firehazard. The CFL's put out a lot of heat comparatively becuase the ballasts are part of the bulb so the HPS is easier to cool.

A CFL setup is pretty cheap to get started. Single sockets can be picked up for $2 each and a small 3 or 4 fixture lightbar can be found for under $20. I would recommend getting a lightbar and a 6 pack of 26W CFL's for vegging.

To get an optimum setup, you want 8,000 to 10,000 lumens per sqft which is far easier to get with a 16,000 lumen 150HPS than a bunch of 2,700 lumen CFL's.

I finally found a 150HPS light with medium base so it will be going into my cabinet on the next grow. My lighting will be 150HPS and 2 x 42W for 10,000 lumens/sqft.

 

[mean mr.mustard]

CFLs are very productive! I didn't believe it either till I found out for myself... check my album... HPS wouldn't be worth the bother till you upgrade to say 600 watts IMO.

 

[guest 77721]

I think CFL's are great. It's just that you need 125 to 150 w/sqft to be in the same ballpark as a 600 HPS. I got a whole thread on this analysis.

 

[mean mr.mustard]

It would all depend on the depth of your canopy but it's still like comparing apples and bananas. In a limited space I'd think CFLs are the only option really.

 

[LEDGro]

If you are using the PL-L lighting go with the 55W bulbs. You can get them for $2-$3 dollars. I made a similar post recently and got some great info from some members. There have been some great grows using only the 4100K bulbs, so if funds are tight no need to buy two sets.

Here is a post by one of them will basically all the important info:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=2748322&postcount=11

Here is a good starter bulb:
http://www.1000bulbs.com/4100-Kelvin-55-Watt-4-Pin-2G11-Base-Compact-Fluorescent-Light-Bulbs/40749/

Finally here is my post where some of the same questions are answered and I whipped up a design is sketchup. You might find some useful info. I have not built mine yet but I will make sure to post a log when I do.
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=146833

 

[hgl]

Thanks for your input guy!

The PL-L are very interesting since they don't produce that much heat and their shape and size would fit my setup PERFECTLY and give me more height! The problem is that I want something very effective for a SCROG and I fear that the tube are not strong enough. Plus I don't have money to buy reflector.

What kind of "thermal windows" should I use in case I need to cool my light and ballast considering I go with CFL? Is it important for me to have glass? Or some Plexiglas or transparent plastic is great enough?

Red: You say the ballast of the CFL produce some heat, I found a tutorial here demonstrating how to separate the bulb from the ballast/socket... I might do that to get more space and diminish heat output.

Is there anyway to connect many CFL bulb to only one CFL ballast? Or any custom ballast like LEDGro suggested?

Again thanks for your help. Can't wait to start... one or two more week and I should be ready to grow!

 

[hgl]

Thanks LEDGro for your link! Very good information there!!!

 

[maryjohn]

check out scrub's grow. it's a screenless scrog basically, and he is getting some nice buds with pll. scrog was invented for fluorescents.

 

[LEDGro]

If you go with floro's get PLL, from everything seen they are much better then CFL's. In a normal Rubbermaid you can fit 4 55W lights for a total of 220W! Also due to the lower heat you can keep your plants close.

If you really want to see what some PL-L lights can do check out this thread:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=92259

Here is a pic from the grow log above. 1 Plant + 6 4100k PL-L Lights =

 

[maryjohn]

in a normal rubbermaid you can easily fit 6 42w cfl bulbs, for a total of 252...

I would look into how much leverage the mount has on the wall of the cab. rubbermaids are flexible, even more so when heated. if the walls are to flex alot in spots, that rules out using paint on the walls.