[Oceanicnomad]

I'm struggling comparing all the options available today and what would be best in my situation.

I have a Veg room that's 10x10x7.5 and currently run 4 x 1000w MH in adjustawings. 41 plants in 7gals. Room is air-cooled by only an 8" vortex fan, this also heats my home. However I have to run at 75% or I'll burn the tops, stunt them, and it gets too hot. I also have big problems with long internode spacing, especially compared to others I've seen under t5s.. Summer is around the corner and I know I'll need less heat so I don't have to run the central AC again all summer. (I can't afford the power upgrade for another AC)

So... Should I get cool tubes/magnum reflectors which would run about $2000 with a new fan.
Or... Could should I utilize the new technology keeping in mind this is veg only...
I was thinking 6x315watt cmh... Or some cheaper (mars) led's? I'm not sure what else is out there that'd be close to 750-1000W MH? Keep in mind I only have 7.5 ceiling height and want them a good 4ft or chest height before I flip to my vertical room.

So my main objective is to shorten those damn internodes and remove a significant amount of heat, power savings secondary but a big bonus. Budget is around 2k

Thank you for your help!

[FunkBomb]

Your only options are CMH and T5. You could go the LED route but you'd go way over budget. You would save money over time because of the efficiency of the diodes and much less air conditioning.

There are LED replacement bulbs for T5 that would work for you. Anything 4000 kelvin and higher would fix that internode spacing issue you're having.

-Funk

[herbgreen]

I think you answered your own question T5s

T5 units are good solid option for veg plants

LEDs would be no heat if you can find the right spectrum and amount of wattage for your needs

T5s are a no brainer and bring some heat into the room plants need

Got to watch out led manufacturers like to list watts as "equivalent to whatever"

You will need to unscramble the equivalent watts to actual watts to amount of light your plants really need

led is measured also by its ideal output in an perfectly cooled environment which it will never be in so you need to kind of ballpark it

And you probably need close to the same watts as T5s

There are some diy threads around here where these guys manage to squeeze some serious performance out of little watts but if you have a room like that you may want some thing sure to be enough for your plants and electrically url approved for damp spaces

combo of led 5000k and T5s would be good way to go....leds really tighten up inter nodes

[iBogart]

https://growershouse.com/prism-ceram...conversion-kit

Keep those ajustawings and go with the cmh kit above. That's what I'd do in your situation.

[weedlover_89]

I agree with iBogart on that one. Use adjusts with CMH and oscilating fans under the reflectors to direct the heat towards your ventilation.

[Oceanicnomad]

Wow thanks guys. I really like that CMH conversion kit! But will I have the footprint for an 8x8 or 9x9 space? I thought each one covered a 3x3 in which case I'd need like 9? I do have a few more reflectors...
I had also considered a chinese 630W double bulb CMH so I could just run 4... But not sure how many btus of heat that leaves me with in comparison.

I do run those big fat 6500K 1000w right now but I just can't slam them with enough light/close enough due to heat.
Would the t5s have enough penetration with a 4ft+ plant? I'm vegging 8 weeks after transplant from solo cups. I'd also need 8 of the 2x4ft fixtures at $350 a pop, which again heat.. and makes air cooled mh cheaper. But those t5s are just so Damm tight! The difference in bud size/density is quite noticeable in my flower room.

So LEDs just aren't worth it unless top of the line eh? They cost about 2k a pop up here which is why I discounted them. Maybe once I'm more established and can see the longevity of it. Comparing them is a huge headache.

Im leaning toward cmh but unsure of the coverage and if the 315 is enough light.
Cheers!

[Natural high]

Originally Posted by Oceanicnomad

Im leaning toward cmh but unsure of the coverage and if the 315 is enough light.

Definitely not enough light to prevent stretch, but 4 x 630w would be enough, plus it would put out significantly less heat than 4000w of MH.

[iBogart]

Originally Posted by Oceanicnomad

Wow thanks guys. I really like that CMH conversion kit! But will I have the footprint for an 8x8 or 9x9 space? I thought each one covered a 3x3 in which case I'd need like 9? I do have a few more reflectors...
I had also considered a chinese 630W double bulb CMH so I could just run 4... But not sure how many btus of heat that leaves me with in comparison.

I do run those big fat 6500K 1000w right now but I just can't slam them with enough light/close enough due to heat.
Would the t5s have enough penetration with a 4ft+ plant? I'm vegging 8 weeks after transplant from solo cups. I'd also need 8 of the 2x4ft fixtures at $350 a pop, which again heat.. and makes air cooled mh cheaper. But those t5s are just so Damm tight! The difference in bud size/density is quite noticeable in my flower room.

So LEDs just aren't worth it unless top of the line eh? They cost about 2k a pop up here which is why I discounted them. Maybe once I'm more established and see the longevity of it. Comparing them is a huge headache.

Im leaning toward cmh but unsure of the coverage and if the 315 is enough light.
Cheers!

3x3 for flower on the CMH. I think you could go with a larger footprint for veg. Say a 4x4. I'd say shoot for 20k lux or higher and that would be premium veg lighting with CMH. You can't beat the cost with those kits though, even if you needed to add a couple extra lights.

[Drop That Sound]

The smaller 2 or 4 bulb t5 fixtures, supplemented with rows of cheap 75-100watt equivalent screw in LED bulbs in between them, 3000-5000k mix.

You could even mount the bulb socket bases (cheap ones on ebay) right along each side the t5 fixture housings on a strip of wood, and wire them in to the t5s as well.

I'm basically using the same combo right now and the plants love it. 315w and up CMH or MH bulbs with their single points of light just don't compare IMO, especially if you are spreading the plants out and heavily training.

I've thought about building fixtures with multiple smaller CMH bulbs, 50-100 watters, just like DIY COB setups. You could save tons of energy by turning off some of the bulbs when needed, and get them way closer.

[herbgreen]

Originally Posted by FunkBomb

There are LED replacement bulbs for T5 that would work for you. Anything 4000 kelvin and higher would fix that internode spacing issue you're having.

-Funk

These t5 replacement LED tubes fit right into a T5 socket and thats a very cheap easy way to combine LED/t-5 every other bulb on 4 or 8 bulb t-5 unit

LED tubes run about 1/2 the watts as the t-5 and no heat be good in the mix

The 8 bulb t-5s are 400watts and mix led tubes in cuts it to 300watts these bigger T-5s have a very powerful effect

Thanks for linking the cmh adapter/ballasts would work really great w/air-cooled reflectors!