[SailorSam]

Hey, if anyone can help me that would be great. I found a HPS 175w=1375W incadescent. Is this enough to grow? I know everyone says 1000W, but is 1300W incadescent sufficient, or is this altogether different and I shouldn't bother buying it. Its cheaper in price and you can hook it up direct. I found the same in Mercury Vapour, and it was the same case, are any of these any good? Any help would be appreciated!

[BuzzBob]

Hey SailorSam! --

Since we have not talked before, welcome to ICMag!

First, I would guess you are looking at a converted security lamp, maybe? And it uses a 175 watt HPS Lamp? If so, that should be suitable for a small grow space... Like around 4 sqft or so... How large of a space are you planning on lighting? 50 watts/sqft is norm...

Pay no attention to the incadescent wattage. It is irrelevent...

Mecury Vapor lamps are not suitable to our cause at all! Do not even consider them!

For more basic info on lighting, I might suggest you study up on the GrowFAQs on OG


Hope that helps!

-BuzzBob

[SailorSam]

Hey BuzzBob,
Thanks for the info and heads up. My space, well I have a couple in mind, since I'm trying to be discreet with my other half,she'd kick my @$$. The space is only 5 feet high, and can be as long as 22 feet X 12 feet, but i'm only going to use 5X5.
I was looking at the converted security lamp, yes! My second choice was building my own ballast. I'm still trying to find someone in my area who sells transformer, capacitor and ignitor. i haven't had much time looking around, just went to a couple of shops, since I always have wife and kids with me and normally my hobbies do not include electrical! haha.The reason i'm going cheap is that my wife would see any money going out and especially 300$ or so would raise an alarm. I thought if i went around it, got cheaper equipment, etc I could bypass that. My grandfather does electrical and I have done some as well, not too much of a big deal, and plus i'll save some money in the interim.
Thank you again for the info, it was very helpful indeed, and i will take your advice. Nice talking with you.
SailorSam

[mybeans420]

hey sailorsam,
welcome to icmag!
so whats you're budget for lighting? lets see if we cant get you set wit something better to fill thos 25 square feet you're planning on working with.

how much is that 175 watter you're looking at?

peace
beans

Now I do not see that 175 doing you much good at all. Not even a 250 would be good enough for that area.

If for vegy growth, yes it would work, but if for flowering you will want a bigger bulb for the area.

Now a 1k can be purchased at a price that is not to exspensive. It is the hood's that can cost money.

Now I run a serie's of 600 watt lamp's, basically it is 5 ft wide, and they do not cover that much area, they do if I raise my hood up higher, but then I am to far away from my plant's, at least I think so.

400's might have done me better, or the 1k's would have been the ideal lamp, but I do with what I have.

The question you need to ask is " do I have enough outlet's for more than one lamp."

If you can do one lamp only, look into a 1k set up as I do think it would serve your area best.

With lamps come's heat, humidity, and the demand on electricity, so one should think this out solid and get the right lamp for the job the first time around.

grow safe.

realhigh.

hey sailor, nice to see you here. my outlook has always been bigger is better, so started with a 1000W hps. was always a continuein fight against the heat a 1000W produces. I had a 400w hps in veg area and it is now in the flowerin room, and CFs in mother room. loaned the boomer out for a bit.

fellow grower here is usin a florex(sp) off ebay, uses 85 watts, and advertised as equal to 500ws in lumens. he has four plants under it and they look fine. I have 14 plants crammed under a 400w, seem to be doin fine not any leaf loss, and alls growin fine. really didnt see much diff last harvest in bud size compared to the 1000w.

id advertise in your local area for a HID in the paper, you would be suprised how may HIDs are sittin around garages unused. i purchased a 400W MH here local for 50.00
its wired for 230, so have to rewire for 110. and get some new cord for it.

also gobs of ballast, parts on ebay, but then thats not stealth enough to keep the old lady happy. good luck bro, im sure with some lookin around you will find what will suit ya.

CBF

The main thing is a 5x5 foot print. I can only think of the 1k giving this area enough light for a good grow.

Now I have ran a 400 in a 2' x 3' box that stood 5' tall. This worked great, so one could make a hood with two 400's in it that would give a 5' x 5' foot print.

Then again if you have solid enviroment control, look into bare bulbing it with out a hood. I actually think a grower get's more for his buck with a bare bulb.

What is your method of growing is important to the style and size of your lamp.

If you like sog method, maybe the 1K is best, if you like the idea of sog grow's off set for a harvest every 30 day's, maybe look into running two 250 lamps and then you are growing.

If number's must be kept low and you use the bucket's, I think I would go bare bulb and tree style grow's with the 1k or 600 in the center surrounded by plant's. This works well as you can rotate the plant's daily and get equal lighting and development of the plant.

I like to talk, hope I was not rambling off about nothing. So what is your method of growing going to be?

grow safe.

realhigh.

I found a 400 watt hps home security lamp at Home Depot for 59.00 on sale. Yes it was about 3 year's ago, but that lamp has burned since the day I got it and has not stopped working for me.

I had to get cord, a mogul socket, build a hood, and make a air cooled box for the ballast. I just feel that as much heat as the ballast produce's one should remove it for a better life span of the ballast. Now that came to near 250 buc's total cost by the time I was done, but it was a 400 watt hps air cooled sealed hood.

It is winter for many right now, lower temps, so bare bulb's can be used to help keep a heat level in the grow room as compared to summer when a sealed air cooled hood is needed.

[SailorSam]

Hey all,
Well thanks for the warm welcome everyone.
"so whats you're budget for lighting?" Beans.
Well Beans, I have a somewhat limited budget, just before Xmas, and the wife seeing money go out raises a concern and risk. I am slowly taking some money aside for my project and am looking in total at around 300$ to start(Thats 300$ Canadian funds, not quite as much in American green LOL). For that price I can get a 1000W bulb and ballast, though I thought of making my own ballast to save a couple bucks and put it to some good use.
"Now I do not see that 175 doing you much good at all. Not even a 250 would be good enough for that area." realhigh
Well i'm obviously a novice, though I have done my research and have been for a while now. I don't tend to just buy seeds and throw them in and hope for the best. I see your point about the low wattage not working. my other option was building a ballast and getting a 1000W HPS bulb.
"id advertise in your local area for a HID in the paper, you would be suprised how may HIDs are sittin around garages unused. i purchased a 400W MH here local for 50.00 " CBF
Thanks man, I never thought of looking around like that! I may do that and with some luck, i'll have light!
"If you like sog method, maybe the 1K is best, if you like the idea of sog grow's off set for a harvest every 30 day's, maybe look into running two 250 lamps and then you are growing." Realhigh
Thanks for the info. i want to grow SOG method. LikeI said, i'm new to growing, learning lots, but find that i've had a sensory overload with info, and which path is best to use.Can't choose the right way, too many ways. All your info, everyone, is, was very helpful! I guess what I want is to grow a small to medium size crop, but want to start off testing the waters first, making mistakes and fine tuning my science. Maybe making a little cash to cover expenses on the way too would help this mad doctor along. Like my previous post I have some grow space, but can expand later, especially in summer. I want to start small but I want quality and quantity well balanced. My space right now is like 5X5, and i guess i'll have to go with a 1K bulb HPS. I thought of getting the duel function one for veg and flower both in one, at least to start off. Anyways any info and help is well appreciated from everyone! Thanks
SailorSam

The lamp is one of the most important item's in the grow room. Some time's alot has to be done for the big lamp to be used in an area.

I have made my error's along the way and started out with flurescent light's and went up in size of HID until I found what I wanted. I still should have went with 2 1k lamps, but I went with three 600 unit's as this allow's me to play later with three perpetual grow area's. I have alway's wanted to do it, and some day I might get three scrog box's made just for this, but alot of work just for that, but then it is all work to some degree.

One need's to move around the plant's, have some room to move thing's, and some room for extra equipment if needed.

If one devided the grow area into two room's, well it could be two flower area's under 400 watt lamps off set by 30 day's and you harvest every 30 day's, but this require's a vegy area to keep going, or a nice club for solid clone's when you need them, or a good friend from the net to send you stock as needed.

If you have a nice vegy area, well this room could be set up with a large ebb/flow table, but half the amount plant's that fit into the system, start the 12/12 stage, about 30 day's done the road you put in enough plant's to fill the system. In 30 day's you harvest half of that, put in more plant's, 30 day's harvest the other's you put in.

1k lamp would serve this well , but I still like my 600's as I feel they do my girls justice.

Or take and hang a bare bulb vetical, run 6 bucket system, rotate the lid's each day giving the plant light all the way around. YOu will have 6 tree style plant's in a matter of month's and when flowered you would be amazed at the yield.

Maybe one on the site has a lamp size you need and will sell it to you. A bit more secure I would think over going to hydro store.

Stay safe and grow the same way.

realhigh.

[Harry Gypsna]

Low Bay security lighting is easy to convert, and u can even use the exiosting "Hood" and aircoolit if u want, if u r gonna convert a security light, look in2 a low bay rather than a floodlight.