250w, 400w dimmable or led?

[northern lightz]

Hi and happy new year everybody.

I'm giving away a third of my wardrobe to godwil so that I can have a closet to grow in. the space is 90x55x185cm or 3x2x6ft2inch, it's in my bedrom so it needs to be stelth and quiet.

wich light do you think I should chose? the price difrence between 250w and 400w is wery small, but I need more ventilation for a 400w and that means more noice. but maybe I coulde dim the 400 and get away whit a smaler fan and if in the future I could move the grow out of my bedroom I would have a 400w light.

For the third option LED I need a little gouidance, I don't know wery much about led's would the Advanced Led Lightnings Diamond Series XML 150 be bether than a 250w hps? is there a cheeper option for my kind of space?

Hoping for some good input from you good people out there

 

[rives]

Check out the last 75 pages or so of the CMH thread linked below. The 315w CDM Elite lamp does a pretty incredible job, and can be had in either vegging (942) or flowering (930) configurations. One big advantage over HPS or non-white LED is that the white light makes it a hell of a lot easier to see what is going on with your plants, as well as being much more pleasant to spend time with them. The Philips ballast is also switchable between 210 watts and 315 watts.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=72215

 

[Kman1965]

Hello, I use a closet that is 2.5x3.4x5'8 and I went with the 250w with some supplemental CFL's. I am very glad I did. I have a passive intake and use 2 120mm computer fans for exhaust. They run pretty quite but I use a muffler and it is just background noise in my home. I have been easliy able to control my temps keeping it right around 75f. It is the perfect setup for my style of growing. I can run 4 decent sized plants with no problems. I would have had problems keeing things cool if I had gone with the 400. I hope this helps. Here is the link to my grow https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=274825

Peace,
K

 

[northern lightz]

Check out the last 75 pages or so of the CMH thread linked below. The 315w CDM Elite lamp does a pretty incredible job, and can be had in either vegging (942) or flowering (930) configurations. One big advantage over HPS or non-white LED is that the white light makes it a hell of a lot easier to see what is going on with your plants, as well as being much more pleasant to spend time with them. The Philips ballast is also switchable between 210 watts and 315 watts.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=72215

So you had to give me a fourth choice like this wasen't hard allredy!
hehe, no just kidding, never heard about cmh befor, did some quicke googling and it seems interesting, but are they cooler than normal mh/hps light or could I get away with lower wattage like a 150w?
So far the advantage I see is a better spectrum than the traditional HID's.
Also I need to be able to both flower and veg in the cabinet so unless there's a ballast that lets me do both just by changing bulbe it seems maye a little unpractical and expensive?
Hope you maybe can clarify if I'm very wrong in my assumptions and thanks for the reply.

Hello, I use a closet that is 2.5x3.4x5'8 and I went with the 250w with some supplemental CFL's. I am very glad I did. I have a passive intake and use 2 120mm computer fans for exhaust. They run pretty quite but I use a muffler and it is just background noise in my home. I have been easliy able to control my temps keeping it right around 75f. It is the perfect setup for my style of growing. I can run 4 decent sized plants with no problems. I would have had problems keeing things cool if I had gone with the 400. I hope this helps. Here is the link to my grow https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=274825

Peace,
K

thank you for a great reply, you sort of confirms my suspicion about a 250w would be sufficient for my space, I'm not looking for huge yields, just growing for personal use.

Should maybe say that I alredy got my fan and filter from a friend the fan is 230m2/h which I think is about 115cfm fierd it up some weeks ago and it was loud as hell, gonna buy a fan controler and a muffler, hope that wil help.

Still wondering if I could use a 400w dimmable ballast turned down whiteout heat issues?

 

[rives]

Most of the fixtures built for the CDM are capable of running either a 210w lamp or the 315w by changing a dip switch built into the ballast. And yes, the ballast will run either a vegging lamp or a flowering one, and people have had pretty good success running the veg lamp all the way through. I run an air-cooled 315w in a 30" x 30" tent, and have been very happy with the system.

 

[northern lightz]

sounds interesting, how big a fan are you running? And what are you getting for yields?

I'm also curious about LED but you would recommend CMH befor LED?

 

[testymctester]

I use a Lumatek selectable wattage ballast in a 3' x 1.5' x 5' tent. I use 250w bulbs during the warmer months and 400w bulbs during the colder months with the same exhaust/filter system (Vortex 6" with speed controller and a Phresh 6"x16" filter). I would definitely recommend this setup. The loudest noise is the fan motor humming from the speed controller slowing it down. It's not completely stealth, but it is pretty quiet.

I have not used CMH and cannot comment on that, but the selectable wattage sounds very similar. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[rives]

sounds interesting, how big a fan are you running? And what are you getting for yields?

I'm also curious about LED but you would recommend CMH befor LED?

I run a 100cfm 4" fan, and have been averaging just under 5ozs/plant. There are some pictures in my Philips 315w CDM album.

I've experimented pretty seriously with LEDs for quite a while now, running both a Lumigrow ES330 and some DIY variants (check my sig), and I think that the 315w CDM is well ahead of LED offerings at this time, particularly the commercial variants.

 

[northern lightz]

I run a 100cfm 4" fan, and have been averaging just under 5ozs/plant. There are some pictures in my Philips 315w CDM album.

I've experimented pretty seriously with LEDs for quite a while now, running both a Lumigrow ES330 and some DIY variants (check my sig), and I think that the 315w CDM is well ahead of LED offerings at this time, particularly the commercial variants.

That's just impressive, and no heat issues?
Don't think I will be able to get near 5ozs per plant this being my first grow I'm planing.
how many plants that big can u fit in a 30x30 tent?
if u could fit 2 you would be real close to 1gpw.

 

[rives]

That's just impressive, and no heat issues?
Don't think I will be able to get near 5ozs per plant this being my first grow I'm planing.
how many plants that big can u fit in a 30x30 tent?
if u could fit 2 you would be real close to 1gpw.

I've had two plants in the 30x30 tent for the last two runs. I've just started flowering 5 plants under a 315w in a 4' x 4' tent to see how it works out. The smaller tent could have easily held one more plant of pretty close to the same size as the other two, or two more if they were pruned back a bit. I use Bell Lighting hoods, and the small fan works well for keeping the heat under control.

 

[ladera]

Consider a GAVITA DIGISTAR 400w dimmable ballast

ballast has 4 changeable settings... 250w , 275w , 400w and 10% boost which gives 440w

you can run the HPS on all dim/boost settings...you can use a 250w or 400w HPS lamp...if running the 250 HPS you can up it to 275w (10%boost)

with the MH you can run a 250w or 400w lamp but you cannot run either lamp on boost but if using the 400w MH you can dim it.

So this ballast is like having 2 ballasts or more in one ballast......very versatile.

Cheers

 

[Blue Socks]

Consider a GAVITA DIGISTAR 400w dimmable ballast

ballast has 4 changeable settings... 250w , 275w , 400w and 10% boost which gives 440w

you can run the HPS on all dim/boost settings...you can use a 250w or 400w HPS lamp...if running the 250 HPS you can up it to 275w (10%boost)

with the MH you can run a 250w or 400w lamp but you cannot run either lamp on boost but if using the 400w MH you can dim it.

So this ballast is like having 2 ballasts or more in one ballast......very versatile.

Cheers

Thanks for the info this is very useful indeed!

 

[ladera]

It is actually like having 4 ballasts in one....MH 250W ,MH 400W ,HPS 400W ,HPS 250W

If dimming the HPS 400W lamp i believe that it will not be as bright as compared to running a HPS 250W bulb.... so in this instance better off light outputwise to put in the 250W HPS lamp and run it on 250W or 275W (10% boost).

I use a Gavita Pro-line reflector .....

 

[Blue Socks]

Can you use Eye Hortilux bulbs in this ballast or do you need to buy a specific brand?

 

[ladera]

I do not know Eye Hortilux bulbs , i use gavita bulbs but I recall
reading somewhere a while back that the DIGISTAR ballasts
will accommodate most HPS and MH lamps on the market...
maybe WAZZUP can confirm this....

 

[habeeb]

I second the CDM.. but you have to build, I think only one company offers them in a hood, but if you build you can pick whatever hood you want..

on the inline, why not throw it up in your attic with a bigger size / silencers on both ends? simple, out of the way, quiet...

 

[northern lightz]

Hi and thanks for the replies guys.

The gavita seems like a great ballast, but I'v got a good price on the lumatek 400w digital, this is from a local hydro shop and it's nice to shop local. The only thing I wonder is that the guy in the shop told my that I could run any 400w bulb in the 250w position, I seem to recall having read that u need a dimmable bulb is that just my brain playing tricks with me?

they had some dirt cheep magnetic ballasts too, tempted to pick one up and try CMH later on. About 20$ for a 400w, would it be worth trying?

running the vents up my attic sounds nice but I think the ppl living there would complain I live on the 13 floor of a 21 floor building so no chimney no basement and no attic unfortunately.

So unless anyone have knows a huge problem with the lumatek I think I'm gonna buy it tomorrow along whit some other stuff.

If my seeds germinate I hope I can start a grow log soon, so cross your fingers they are about 5 years old. I'm a little nervous

 

[testymctester]

The only thing I wonder is that the guy in the shop told my that I could run any 400w bulb in the 250w position, I seem to recall having read that u need a dimmable bulb is that just my brain playing tricks with me?

This is my understanding and it would be great if someone corrects me if I am wrong. I have a digital 400w Lumatek ballast which has a selectable wattage (250, 275, 400, 440). There were older generation digital ballasts that offered dimming in percentage increments from the base wattage, but most ballasts I see today are multi-watt/select-a-watt.

I use 250w bulbs in the 250w setting and 400w bulbs in the 400w setting. I do not (or have not yet) used the Super Lumens setting which boosts the selected base wattage by 10%. I buy cheap MH bulbs with nothing special about them. Hopefully this helps. Good luck!

 

[ladera]

hey northern lightz
all bulbs are dimmable.... but if for example you dim a 400w ballast down to 250w or 275w then the 400w lamp will not be as bright as compared to running a 250w lamp ( in the same ballast) on either the 250w or 275w (10% boost) settings.....

 

[northern lightz]

that sounds great ladera, then I'll buy two 400s one mh and one hps. If I find out that I only can run on 250 I can always exchange the 400 hps for a 250.

Are the cooltubes really effective for keeping it cool? or is it just as good using a normal hood with the vent above?
And is there any particular bulb I should look for, thinking about the Philips Son-T-Pia GreenPower but I could also get GIB and PureLight which are cheeper.