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Replacing equipment.. what to get

blondie

Well-known member
I have a 4x4 7ft tent. In a large room in a basement. Winter temps are pretty cool down there and I won’t be running summers. Just me so I should have enough to last from spring to fall. I grow all soil and add very little.

Replacing some 4-5 yr old equipment, one 600 watt air cooled hood and cheap Chinese digital ballast. But what to get. Thinking a new Gavita 600/750 DE, run on 600. But.. I will be running some ACE Malawi here shortly. Got my ace beans (kind of unhappy. They sent me the wrong beans..grrr) and am finishing up an indica grow. Doesn’t seem like a hot lamp like that would work so well with stretchy sativas and 7ft high tent. I am old school, magnetic ballast and hps on and off since late 80’s. I don’t know about the newer lights. I can’t shake the thought that hps works. Seems the Gavita gives a nice bang for the buck.

Main concern here is safety, hence my trepidation about hot Gavita. So without starting any kind of war here I need some schooling about current technology, hid or other. Right now open mind and welcome suggestions. I would love to hear from someone running the Gavita 600/750 or competitor, if anyone here has it though.

Blondie
 

BombBudPuffa

Member
Veteran
I was like you just last year about hps. Just couldn't imagine anything topping them because I'd used them so long. Then I found COB leds. Imo, you should look into leds.
 

packerfan79

Active member
Veteran
Ceramic metal halide is what you want. Their is a side by side hps vs. Cmh thread here. Their are a couple good threads about the Cmh. It's good reading. They run cooler yo so that's always a good thing.
 

MJPassion

Observer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Save the coin and use what you've got.


I mean... really... what is wrong with the equipment you've got?


If it quit working then replace it but why fix what isn't broke?
 

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Ditto. Gavita's require more head room as well, and you'll already be using canopy management to keep those sativas short. ;)


Spend some $$$ on a high quality lamp instead. :) Hortilux Blue? :D
 
If it were me I would look into a double 315w CMH. So 630w total.
I would also flip the Malawi into flower quickly after vegging them. I grew aces Malawi under 600hps and it ended up 6 feet tall, I think they were in 3 gallons.

Good luck
 

ambertrichome

Active member
Veteran
1000w Hortilux HPS is perfect for a 4 x 4, and 7 foot ceilings.

Gavita recommends at least 36 inches from the canopy..

In reality considering you can get the Hortilux 20 inches, or closer, they will get similar powerful ligh output, but a 1000w Gavita would cover more area.

IMHO Hortilux 1000w HPS is the gold standard for a 4 x 4 area.
I use this bulb in both Veg, and Flowering if in a lower ceiling environment. We also use Gavita, and 1000w Nanolux DE CMH when there are high ceilings. I find no upgrade to the 1000w DE CMH vs Gavita.
 

blondie

Well-known member
My ballast crapped out on me. I have old bulbs. I don’t get great yields. My hood is air cooled and usually has a layer of dust on it. Takes more effort to maintain and I’d rather not continue. This is medical for me as I have physical health issues. Less work = happier mind and body.

There seems to be better gear out there now than what I have. I could either spend cash and have mediocre new stuff or spend more and get better. So is my thinking. Seems the Gavita crowd here is reinforcing that’s not the best lamp for my situation.

Nanolux hid has not been mentioned, nor has yield lab. Anyone?

For LED and CMH.. same grow principles as hid? Height the same? Heat the same? Light penetration same? One thing. I will be rotating out what I grow. Next run sativa, after probably indica again. So I need to keep that in mind. Anyone have links to where/what they bought, I’m all eyes. Thanks so far to all. Glad to keep things civil. Life is to short.
 

Lester Beans

Frequent Flyer
Veteran
1000w Hortilux HPS is perfect for a 4 x 4, and 7 foot ceilings.

Gavita recommends at least 36 inches from the canopy..

In reality considering you can get the Hortilux 20 inches, or closer, they will get similar powerful ligh output, but a 1000w Gavita would cover more area.

IMHO Hortilux 1000w HPS is the gold standard for a 4 x 4 area.
I use this bulb in both Veg, and Flowering if in a lower ceiling environment. We also use Gavita, and 1000w Nanolux DE CMH when there are high ceilings. I find no upgrade to the 1000w DE CMH vs Gavita.

This is exactly what I was going to post. 1000 watt hortilux eye buld run by a dimmable electronic ballast. So you can run 600 as well.

I have a 630 CMH de and it gives me half of what the 1k does. I find the quality is better with the 1k over the CMH as well.

Ace would surely replace your seeds if they sent the wrong ones.
 

ambertrichome

Active member
Veteran
The Gavita works as advertised if you have the height to use it, and the ability to deal with the extra heat. Gavita is considerably hotter vs HID of the same wattage. For me the big advantage of the Gavita is it good for more Sq/ft. You can stretch the 1000w Gavita to 5 x 6 Verses 4 x 4 for 1000w EYE Hortilux HPS, but the weed under the Gavita is no more potent vs the Hortilux. Gavita can be juiced up to 1175w, and 166,000 lumens, and plants do recognize intensity. And both have really high umole readings.

And like I said, if you can keep them cool, the Hortilux can be brought to within 20 inches, or closer on many strains. Some strains don't like such bright light, but most Ive done like this do, but the key is temp control, airflow, and slowly over time breaking them in to increasingly brighter light. I start seedlings at 24-28 inches with 1000w Hortilux HPS
1000w Hortilux Bulbs are cheap too.



Scientists measure the suns power on the earths surface in several different ways.

340 Btu/ft2/hr, or 1,070 Watts/m2 at the earths surface. This is at the Maximum Exposured Measured Overhead. Think of LIVABLE AREAS IN High Altitude Andes/Equador....

893w m2 or slightly higher is the average on the earths surface on a clear day at noon with overhead sun.

Sun is 10,000+ Lumens Sq/Ft at the equator.

IMHO its best to have High Intensity/High Umol, and High UVA/B

Hortilux is 62.5w Sq/ft 145,000 Lumens, and 1600 umol. ALso consider you can get this high Umol light very close to the canopy, and cover 4 x 4.

I would also add 2 x Solacure.. 32w FlowerPower UVA/B bulb for every 1000w Hortilux, and 4 x 4 area. Especially for Sativa/Equatoral, and those that originated at high altitude. Or both.

I would also bend your plants. No way Id let them grow straight up.

Id Trellis them and train them Horizontally, and train all the Secondaries to grow Vertically. Id start bending them at an early age in veg, even if not sexed, and then when sexed trellis them, or support them in some way, but keep them Horizontal.

Some plants/strains don't need supported, and will grow into a big Forsythia type bush. But you have to figure they will need support.
 
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blondie

Well-known member
What would be a good hood for the hortilux? Looks like the have one for 600 but not 1000. Less I’m missing something. You guys talking about hortilux ballast also or just the bulb?
 

ambertrichome

Active member
Veteran
Id get a Gavita.

At 7ft ceilings, you don't have the height for a DE, and use your space most effectively, and in a 4 x 4, there really is no need for a DE.

You can get the SE closer, which will make up for any umol loss vs DE, and with a 4 x 4 the Hortilux EYE HPS is the gold standard.
 

blondie

Well-known member
Rethinking all this once again. My tent has 6in openings for ducting. Can’t easily cram 8in through the hole. Also have to rerun all new ducting. Not real fun with health conditions I have. Do-able yes , likeable no.. so thinking new galaxy dimable ballast, 1000 watt eye hortilux, and existing hood/ducting. One snag, not sure my existing hood will work with 1000 watt. It came with 600 watt bulbs and dimmable 600 ballast. Is the bulb limitation a function of the ballast or the hood? That does not feel real safe to me.
 

Hold Your Fire

Finding my way back home
Veteran
Reflector should be fine for a 1000w bulb..

I've never seen wattage specific reflector. 6 inch reflectors are everywhere btw.
 

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