[Bud Buddington]

So I wanted to get some opinions from here, I'm looking at replacing my two 400W HPS and using a single 600W on a light rail to cover this grow area which is 3x6 (WxL).

Now looking at this from a technical stand point I have 18sqft to cover which at 50W/sqft is 900W total. Currently I have 800W so if I switch down to a 600W I will be 300W below the recommended wattage for the area but my thought process is that the light mover may help with this and the lower wattage may not even be noticeable at harvest.

There are 3 main reasons I want to do this upgrade:
1) Lower electricity bill
2) Better light coverage (no shaded areas)
3) Potentially bigger/denser buds from the 600W

This upgrade would also allow me to re-use one of the 400W which I could use in my 3x3 tent for a second flower room for either SoG or maybe some hydro plants. This way I could get another harvest or two a year.

Anyway, I would love to hear some opinions from you guys/gals on if my upgrade is worth it and if you have any experience with switching to light movers.

I've read a lot recently about light movers and upgrading but everyone's circumstances are different so I figured I would spell out mine and take this sites trustworthy opinion on it.

[EastCoast710]

i had a 400 on a mover.. 3x7 .. had the 400 move back and forth only a little.. not fully back and forth as u get shitty yields but with a 3x6 u should be able to have it move like literally 1.5 feet max and get perfect coverage..

[Bud Buddington]

EastCoast710, thanks for your input.
Do you know why you were getting shitty yields moving the light all the way back and forth?
I thought that moving the light all the way across the rail would give the best light spread and there should be minimal if any shaded areas in the plants?

If I'm only going to move the light back and forth a little I may as well just buy 2 600W lights and keep them stationary. The initial cost is about the same and would be more effective in the long run I think.

[Snow Crash]

There is risk with light movers. Similar to the sense that there is risk with an Aeroponic system getting the misters clogged, or a recirculating DWC spreading pathogens from one site to all sites. However, the difference between an Aero or rDWC setup and the LightRail is that the gardener knows that the hydro systems need constant attention while the LightRail gardeners seem intent on this product only making their lives easier and better.

When the motor fails, and it will fail eventually, you're going to cook a plant or two if you're not very lucky and walk into the room right then. For my store customers the failure rates within 30 days on these products is nearly 20% (plenty of user error involved here too, not all on the MFG). If you get a good one then great! But be aware that these things aren't 100% solid and dependable and that you're very likely to take a loss at some point down the line. The trade-off on power might be worth it, especially if 1x600 w/rail gets you more weight than 2x400's.

Personal experience is such that I avoid them and avoid suggesting them. To each their own though.

[Bud Buddington]

Thanks for your opinion Snow Crash.
I've actually heard about the failure rates for the rails but most of them seem to be with the moving parts such as the wheels but since you can buy pretty much all the replacement parts separately it didn't deter me much.

Adding the light rail would be way more work for me than to just add 2 new ballasts and get some new bulbs but the new ballasts have a recurring cost (electricity) and the light rail would actually lower electricity and have the same initial cost as the new ballasts.

So far I think I'm leaning towards the 2 new ballasts since it's easier and shouldn't pose any problems to the plants unlike the light rail from what you've mentioned.

[EastCoast710]

I think because of the shade honestly.. when I found the sweet spot. it seems like by the time it was moving back and forth it hit the entire canopy at a even spot.. the middle of the grow itself did the best.. but still had a over 1 gram per watt harvest.. with a mover and with plants that weren't the healthiest if I am being 100% honest

[guanosin]

i just installed a light rail - i am sick of bad harvests where 2x600w lamps where hanging, mostly i harvest about 300-400g per lamp. So now i save energy and have the same amount of plants, we will see

Installation is easy, in a box you have to screw it on wood and hang the wood in the Box. I made a Picture for u guys. Adjusting the cables takes some time so the lamp moves correctly. NFT Setup is now ready to get started

[cough_cough_eer]

I like my light mover. I bought it to cover more area. But it didn't work out that way. I don't get the larger harvest, but I get better tighter, more solid buds. If you let the light mover move to far you will get fluffy buds, I move mine about 8 inches total.