HPS newb questions

[Finagleabud]

So I'm finally upgrading to an HPS after having done 6 or 7 grows with CFLs and one indoor\outdoor grow. I live in an area where stealth and smell aren't really a concern. So here are my newbie HPS questions:

I'm thinking about getting a 250watt bulb and growing 3-4 plants at a time with a scrog. Considering that security isn't really an issue (registered medical patient in an area with many others), how feasible is it to just set up the grow in a normal sized bedroom with an open window and fan for ventilation, as opposed to cramming everything into a stealth closet grow? Would you still need extreme amounts of cooling to prevent a fire? My understanding is that all that extra heat comes from having the bulb enclosed in a cab\closet normally.

Also, what's a quality bulb\ballast to look into getting? Kind of something foolproof for a HID newb like me. I don't know anything about wiring or electronics, I'd like something I can just plug in and switch on\off that won't burn my house down.

Sorry for these really basic questions but I couldn't find any kind of HID or HPS faq or sticky. Thanks for any and all help!

 

[pinecone]

Aside for security-stealth, the other reason to grow in tent or cab is that they can easily be light proofed.

You probably could grow plants in a room under a 250w light and keep them cool, but then you would have to lightproof the window and the room door. Additionally, the room would be not be accessible for 12 hours per day during the dark cycle.

Pine

 

[DeoXy]

ok where to start... first off welcome and congrats on finally stepping up to an HPS.. you deff. won't be disappointed!

as far as setting up in an open room... that's fine and dandy for heat BUT keep this in mind... without much reflective walls/material around your space your wasting a good part of your lights output/lumens... simple sectioning off a part of the room with black plastic/tarp and lining the inside of that space with reflective material or flat white paint would deff. be more effective... and since its only a 250watt HPS you want to get the MOST out of your light...

As far as ballasts and bulbs.. I Use lumatek digital ballasts which tend to run cool and quiet and r VERY efficient.. The one I'm using is a 600watt HPS/MH with a dimable switch that goes from 600watts down to 400 watts all the way down to 360 w/o the need for a new/different bulb... they generally run between $100-$200 and bulbs anywhere from $60-$200 depending on the wattage and how fancy you wanna be...

MOST light systems these days come pre-assembled and are plug n play as you described, keep in mind you also have to deal with humidity.. heat isn't the only problem weather its a open room or enclosed space... an open window with a fan in it with NO filter/screen would just welcome pests into the garden and will also cause your temps to flux a lot more than you would like and could be problem-matic...

as a side note... I use to run the light at night when it was the coolest in the house and off during the day when it was the hottest from the sun beaming down.. and it worked out well... but not every location is the same.

 

[pinecone]

I Use lumatek digital ballasts which tend to run cool and quiet and r VERY efficient.. The one I'm using is a 600watt HPS/MH with a dimable switch that goes from 600watts down to 400 watts all the way down to 360 w/o the need for a new/different bulb... they generally run between $100-$200 and bulbs anywhere from $60-$200 depending on the wattage and how fancy you wanna be...

I might agree about the upgrade to a nice digital ballast if OP were going to run 400-600 watts. The problem with 250 watts is that there are not a lot of bulb choices. The best bulb available for the 250 watt is the Phillips CMH (there is a sticky in the lighting forum on this bulb) and it doesn't run on the electronic ballast.

Pine

 

[Noobian]

Cool tubes make growing in a cab very feasible you might want to check it out, they're not too expensive either!

 

[Anti]

I live in an area where stealth and smell aren't really a concern.
I'm thinking about getting a 250watt bulb and growing 3-4 plants at a time with a scrog. Considering that security isn't really an issue (registered medical patient in an area with many others), how feasible is it to just set up the grow in a normal sized bedroom with an open window and fan for ventilation, as opposed to cramming everything into a stealth closet grow?

Ok. Security isn't really an issue, space isn't an issue and you've got your med rec for 3-4 plants. Why go 250w? Is it a power consumption issue? You have a whole room... why not 600w or 1000w? That'd make better use of your space and you could still grow 3-4 (significantly larger) plants.

 

[Finagleabud]

Sorry it took so long to respond to this.

The reason I'm going with 250 instead of a higher wattage is that this is just a personal grow to supply myself, so I don't need more than 3 or 4 ounces per harvest which I think I can pull with a 250. There is a ton of ambient sunlight every day in the room which the plants can soak up in addition to the light coming down overhead from the bulb, and the windows have screens to prevent bugs.

As far as light cycle goes, I was thinking I can just put them in a ventilated closet during the dark hours, it will only be a couple feet away and I'll have to move the plants around to water them anyway.

This also got me thinking, couldn't you double your harvests by just running a light 24\7, and swapping the plants in and out of a dark room instead of a light room? Then you could grow twice as many plants in the same amount of space, and you could also veg plants in the same space maybe? Obviously I'm not gonna do this with my situation but it's just an idea I had when I was thinking of what to do about the light cycle.

Thanks for the help!

 

[DeoXy]

This also got me thinking, couldn't you double your harvests by just running a light 24\7, and swapping the plants in and out of a dark room instead of a light room? Then you could grow twice as many plants in the same amount of space, and you could also veg plants in the same space maybe? Obviously I'm not gonna do this with my situation but it's just an idea I had when I was thinking of what to do about the light cycle.

Thanks for the help!

Lol I thought about that before 2... but that's what you call a precise full time job all in its own ... most ppl would rather just have 2 lights with seperate cycles so you can keep up with them easier and not drive yourself mad!

 

[BlazingSaddles]

I would move up to 400w IMO, or even better 600w.

With a 250w HPS you'll get OK results, your plants may be a bit spindly from lack of lumens though. I guess with a 250w u could get the bulb nice and close to the canopy but IME you will be soooooooo much better off with a 400w or even better with 600w. Even if you only needed a small harvest for yourself why not employ an extra few hundred watts (which is chump change) and reap the benefits? Im sure you could find something to do with an extra couple of OZ every harvest.. Friends.. family.. Make an extra bit of coin for yourself.. It just doesnt make sense imo to use anything less than 400w, but preferably 600w!

Ive stopped using even 400w now as i see the difference between these and 600w. U can literally take 2 identical clones and put one under a 600w and the other under a 400w and after say 6 weeks of veg u would be amazed at the results.. This exact scenario ive recently had so i speak from experience.. The 600w clone was quite simply a ten times better plant than the 400w. Bigger, stronger, thicker, healthier, and probably going to yield somewhere in the region of 1.5x - 1.9x times what the 400w plant will.

Up to you though man

Good luck and best wishes..

BlazingSaddles