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Smallest space for a 1k light? (and are digi ballasts really silent?)

M

mallyone

Going through prices and wanted a 600W light, but the price difference between the 600 and 1k is soooooo small, it would almost be a crime to not go with a 1k? I'm looking to do an ebb and flow table sog grow (or a DWC recirulating hybrid areoponics system... ummm but just typing that sounds like way too much work and worry :)).

I'm curious if this could be done in a closet or large cabinet? I'm looking at those nice super expensive light sheilding inline fans for cooling, but to cool the bulb and circulate I would think I'd have to go 700+ cfm as a bare minimum.

Oh, also looking at an internally shielded digital ballast, so the temp from that shouldn't be an issue. ARe they really silent? I would imaging the bulbs give off some hum or annoying buzz?
 
chosen

chosen

Active member
Veteran
I'd say use a 3' x 3' area. It's a bit of overkill but you're right. I usually suggest the same for buying a 250 vs a 400. I use a 400 in a 2' x 2' for vegging.
 
M

mallyone

chosen said:
I'd say use a 3' x 3' area. It's a bit of overkill but you're right. I usually suggest the same for buying a 250 vs a 400. I use a 400 in a 2' x 2' for vegging.
Click to expand...

yeah it's funny how I've gone from a modest 250 watt home depot light, to a digital ballast 1k all in the name of "value" :jawdrop:. :)


3x3 seems a bit tight though but I did ask for the smallest area :) I'm Thinking 3 wide and then a foot or two extra long if I can squeeze it out, and an air-con for winter :).

Curious how many watts your flower room is to compliment your 400 watt veg?


m1...
 
Blunt_69

Blunt_69

the keeper of the creeper
Veteran
minimum I would go 5X5X8, i run a 1k in 5X7X8..It's a problem keepin the temps in the range i want, and im using a vented shade with 600cfm inline fan.. I'd go 600 for anything under this size. The bulb produces close to same lumens, burns far less power, and is much eaiser to cool.
 
SuperBudz

SuperBudz

Smoke Two Joints In The Morning!
ICMag Donor
The problem with 1000ws they put off twice the heat as the 600w, and cant be as close to the plant canopy as a 600.. The lumen per watt output converstion, is also greatest in the 600w, making the 600w more efficient, all around better, imo. So basically you get more bang for your $$ going with the 600w. The area your growing in a 600w wuld work just fine, and would be much easier to get proper temps. hope this helps.
 
Murphy

Murphy

Member
SuperBudz said:
The problem with 1000ws they put off twice the heat as the 600w, and cant be as close to the plant canopy as a 600.. The lumen per watt output converstion, is also greatest in the 600w, making the 600w more efficient, all around better, imo. So basically you get more bang for your $$ going with the 600w. The area your growing in a 600w wuld work just fine, and would be much easier to get proper temps. hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I've been reading and searching for the same info and this is where it always ends up. The 600 watt is always said to be the best value. Lower temperatures, able to be closer to the canopy and cheaper to run, not much difference in lumens. Trust me, I've put my time in searching and reading, it always comes back to the 600 watt.
 
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M

mallyone

blunt_69: jebus, is the 600cfm also venting the space, or simply pulling heat from the lamp. I'm looking at the cooltubes and sealed reflectors, but 600cfm simply for the lamp would be a pain, I'd like to keep the box as quiet as possible as I'll probably be working in the same room during the day ("telecommuter" :) ). The guy at my hydro store had a quick formula that put a 600cfm fan as the basic level you would want to go to vent your lamp and space for a 400w hps.

SuperBudz, Murphy: I was aiming for 600's, actually two 600's, I had read the same thing (think it was in jorge cervantes growing med marijuanna), 600 was the perfect bang for the buck and scaled well to medium sized gardens.

My reasons for not going 600 is the cost difference isn't that large between 600 and 1000, bout a hundred bucks, and the digital ballasts will spark both MH and HPS, but a 600w MH is hard (impossible?) to find, and it would be nice to have a MH running while initially getting the new cab and seeds going. Also, 1000 sounds way cooler than 600 :).

That being said, a 600 and a 400 digi ballast will give me a 1000 if and when I need it, otherwise the 400 can spark a vegging MH. That's probably the best way to go, way more spensive, but to do things right, I'll need a decent vegging light.

.m1.
 
D

D0nC0smic

Member
On og I remember seeing a 1k in a c13, it was a beautiful thing to see, of course he had separate venting for the light and had AC for the closet, plus CO2, but it was a hell of a setup, of course you need to have your cabinet up against a windo for it to work
 
chubbynugs

chubbynugs

Registered Pothead
Veteran
Not sure about the area a 1k watter can cover but i know my digital 600s make zero sound and are working superbly.
 
InjectTruth

InjectTruth

Active member
There was an article in High Times with Willie Nelson on the cover (not the most recent one), and it had a headline article, "Big Yields In Small Spaces". The guy was running 25 clones vegged one week and then flowered under 1000w HPS in a 3x3 with an AC and AC reflector. He was harvesting something like 36 ounces every 2 months.


PS, my digital 600's are very silent, much more than my old school 1k. However, I wish I went for the 1000's in retrospect, or have the 600's in cool tubes with gavita bulbs instead of ac reflectors. The penetration is MUCH less with the 600's. Not too mention, my 1000 is not hard to cool at all, suprisingly (winter months).
 
M

mallyone

Was just looking at the gravita bulbs and they don't seem to make a 1k hps bulb, but they do make a 600 mh, that fits a hps ballast, since digi's spark both types of lamps, not sure if this really makes a difference :)... Saw a couple reports of not being able to angle the light and having leaks outside of the canopy, but in a closet with titanium white walls, should be no problem.

m1...
 
B

bat1327

Member
i'm in the same boat as you. My space is 15 sq/ft (closet) and would need vented anyway(cooltubes/inline vented hoods) I'm thinking cause of the abilty to keep the 600 closer to the plants i am going to use the 600 (digital probaly). could you keep the ballast out side the growing area this would definatly help with any heat build up due to ballast if you chose not to go digital. Another choice i was thinking of is the sun system 7(dual ballast) you can run 2-400s(1mh-1hps) or a 400mh and 600hps on the next size up. 2 lights on the same ballast (the larger being more pricey of course). The older models of these were having some problems but i called sun and talked to my hydro guy (their retailer so info may be skewed). i may go in this direction.
 
NiteTiger

NiteTiger

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright...
Veteran
I've got a 1kw in a 4x4 pod I built to purpose. Gives me 62 wpsf, and is the recommended space for a 1kw light. Obviously, penetration is great, there's just nowhere else the light can go LOL :D

I've got an A/C in mine for keeping the temps low in the summer, only use it for the fan in winter. Without the A/C, in summer, temps could get up to 83 - 85 F. I like to keep it at about 70F lights on (63-65 lights off), hence the A/C.

For light cooling, I use a 747 CFM Vortex. Overkill. Before I custom built the pods, I used a homemade speed controller to keep it all the way down, about 1/4 power. When I custom built the pod, I made a central duct and pulled each cool tube to the main duct. Each cool tube connection is independently dampered, so I can precisely control the amount of air being pulled trough each tube. This system currently provides cool tube ducting for a 1kw and a 400w MH for veg.

The cool tubes are homemade as well at about >$20, and the lights were done by ballast kit, so cost me $105 +shipping for the 1kw, $45 +shipping for the 400w.

Check out the buildout link in my sig to see more detail

Here's a pic from my last run. This is after 2 plants had already been harvested. This is after I flipped the light vertical. It was horizontal until about a week before they were pulled.



Here's the pic of the dry weight of one of those plants that were pulled before that pic was taken.



Here's where all the other plants were taken down. Had to take them early.



Here's where we're at now, Round 2 just starting!




:joint:
 
chosen

chosen

Active member
Veteran
Hey, Tiger. Love the vertical setup. I'm thinking of the same thing as an experiment with digital 600's. I like the digis better in some ways. But some companies just seem to put out crappy products. I have some 400 and 600 digitals. I even used 2 x 600s on a light mover to replace a 1K light. It was powering up a 4' x 6' growing area. They worked amazing until one of them went down. So, I'm back to the 1K with a parabolic. The only thing that I noticed about my digital lights is that due to their initial startup, I'm unable to plug them into my gfi surge protector. Yet, they have their own fuse. So, I'm not too concerned.
 
M

mallyone

Don't have time for a full reply, but just wanted to say I dropped by my hydro guy's and he didn't flinch at the idea of a 1k in 3x3, he even went as far as to suggest that a fan vented outdoors would be more than enough to keep the heat down, although with the scorcher summers I have, I'd need a AC just to cool a 20w CFL :).

Anyways, just wanted to drop that in quick and will give proper replies when I have a couple of seconds :).

m1...
 
chosen

chosen

Active member
Veteran
The funny thing about setting up rooms is that most people do it backwards. Don't setup your room in winter. Setup your indoor growing room in summer. If you can keep temps down, bringing them up is nothing. Setup your room in the summer time. YOu can even put some extra plants outdoors as well as indoors to get some bonus yields with free sun lighting.
 
A

africanherbman1

Member
I have a couple of friends who are running 2 closets, 3'x4' side by side w/ 1k watt lumatec digital ballasts in each closet. They are able to keep temps in the low 80's w/ no problem by using a 440 cfm cam fan to suck cool air through BOTH of the air-cooled reflectors into the attick. No ac needed whatsoever, and only a 440 cfm fan to cool both lights. However, they also run a 4" cam fan hooked up to a carbon scrubber in each closet to take care of all odors. It def can be done. Hope this helps you out on your quest.
 
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