150w HPS Club and Resource Guide......
- Thread starter Pipedream
- Start date
dayum q_ba, youre making me a little bit envious with those shots, and that was a nirvana ice too? very nice grow.
G
Guest
SlowCalaToker said:
I've run a 150HPS in my rubbermaid tub. I used it as the prototype to build my 150HPS cabinet. My rubbermaid had 252W of CFL's that were cooled by a 38CFM 80mm computer fan with a 5"x5" intake. The lighting separated from the growchamber with an acrylic sheet.
I took the 3 socket light bar out of the light section and cut a hole in the center of the box and just set the whole light and top can right ontop of the tub. To access the plants I had to shut off the light, let cool a bit and remove and set aside before lifting off the top tub. What a pain!!!!
The temps were as good or better than with the CFL's. I took the plants into about 2 weeks of flowering before I got the new cabinet built. No complaints other than handling the light each time to get into the tub.
Poker_Toker
Member
Thats nirvana ice? what were your training methods? top then fim? that is exactly how i want my plants to look, damn
SlowCalaToker
Member
Red_Greenery said:
Thanks for the reply Red. Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm having a hard time visualizing how the acrylic sheet is mounted and vented. If you have any pics, could you post one? Or in the absence, could you describe it? I have an acrylic sheet that I can use.
Red_Greenery said:
All that being said, would you stick with the CFL's or would you go with the HPS if you were using the rubbermaid set-up still?
I gotta give you big props and MUCHO thanks for everything you have shown in this thread and the rubbermaid thread. Your screen setup solved the problem I was wrestling with on how to scrog in a container that I couldn't access the pot. I was going to put the screen on the rubbermaid and just pour the water through the canopy until I saw the pic of your pot-mounted individual screens. It was one of those *thunk* (sound of me slapping my forehead) DOH! moments...
Thanks again Red, I'd rep you also, but I don't have enough posts.
SlowCalaToker
Member
Found a pic on page 8 of the rubbermaid thread of the acrylic (I really should look at your pics closer before asking... sorry!), you just used duct tape to hold it in place... interesting AND easy. I need to get some duct hosing to vent the lower area now.
Still going to wait for the answer on your opinion of CFL vs. HPS as to which you would use.
Thanks again!
Still going to wait for the answer on your opinion of CFL vs. HPS as to which you would use.
Thanks again!
igrowdadankest
Member
G
Guest
Hey SlowCalaToker and igrowdankest. Thanks for showing interest in my Rubbermaid designs.
The 150 HPS is a bit better to cool than the 252W CFL's but that's also due to the remote ballast which gets quite warm.
I found the 150 HPS pushed the plants in flowering more while the CFL's seemed to grow more leaves and foliage and looked greener through flowering. I got about the same yeild about 2oz/sq ft around .7 to .8 g/w.
My rubbermaid tubs were designed to have all the features of a big growbox made from inexpensive readily available stuff. And they work too!
The 150 HPS is a bit better to cool than the 252W CFL's but that's also due to the remote ballast which gets quite warm.
I found the 150 HPS pushed the plants in flowering more while the CFL's seemed to grow more leaves and foliage and looked greener through flowering. I got about the same yeild about 2oz/sq ft around .7 to .8 g/w.
My rubbermaid tubs were designed to have all the features of a big growbox made from inexpensive readily available stuff. And they work too!
Remote ballasting a floralux 150 watt HPS.
Somebody mentioned something about this many, many pages back in this thread, but I don't think I saw any detailed explanation.
I've decided to remote ballast my floralux, because I now feel comfortable with doing it, and besides, I've come to the realization that if you're not growing in a damn igloo, then it is a retarded idea to have an integrated ballast.
Now, I was wondering, is this all I would need to remote ballast the floralux ?
(1) Heavy gauge electrical extension cord. I'm not sure of the gauge I would need, somewhere from 10-16 ?
(2) Electrical tape
(3) wire cutters
Unscrew the ballast from the reflector, snip the wires (2 I assume ?) going from the reflector to the ballast, extend it with the new extension cord, place the ballast outside the cabinet and that's it right ?
]
Somebody mentioned something about this many, many pages back in this thread, but I don't think I saw any detailed explanation.
I've decided to remote ballast my floralux, because I now feel comfortable with doing it, and besides, I've come to the realization that if you're not growing in a damn igloo, then it is a retarded idea to have an integrated ballast.
Now, I was wondering, is this all I would need to remote ballast the floralux ?
(1) Heavy gauge electrical extension cord. I'm not sure of the gauge I would need, somewhere from 10-16 ?
(2) Electrical tape
(3) wire cutters
Unscrew the ballast from the reflector, snip the wires (2 I assume ?) going from the reflector to the ballast, extend it with the new extension cord, place the ballast outside the cabinet and that's it right ?
]
greenhead ... you got it . if you wanted to do a real pro-type job you could make your connections inside a junction box, using wire nuts. a wire cutter/stripper tool makes the job go easier. one of the handiest things i ever bought was an electrical fix-it kit from canadian tire. it comes with the aforementioned tool and an assortment of connectors, fuses and goo-gaws . i use it all the time for automotive and grow-stuff.
johhnyATL ... greenhead has just given a pretty straightforward explanation of how to do it. perhaps it will help if you think of it like this : all you are really doing is extending the wires that run from the ballast to the bulb. make your connections secure and run the wires somewhere out of the way and you will be good.
p.s. ... as for the wire gauge, just use the same gauge, or heavier, as the wire you are cutting into . never use a lighter (thinner) gauge.
johhnyATL ... greenhead has just given a pretty straightforward explanation of how to do it. perhaps it will help if you think of it like this : all you are really doing is extending the wires that run from the ballast to the bulb. make your connections secure and run the wires somewhere out of the way and you will be good.
p.s. ... as for the wire gauge, just use the same gauge, or heavier, as the wire you are cutting into . never use a lighter (thinner) gauge.
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green_grow said:
Cool, thanks for the info. I did overlook one minor detail though. I would have to drill two new holes on top of the reflector, so that I can move a metal strip from the ballast which connects to the mounting brackets. I don't even own a drill, but I might be able to borrow one from somebody. I'm currently flowering and heat is not a big issue right now, so there's no huge rush in remoting the ballast. I will for sure do it before the hot temps come around again this year.
greenhead, sugabear has a link to that remote ballast thread in his sig i think
abirdintheair said:
Thanks. Yeah, I remember seeing that, however his is a link on how to remote ballast one of those security lights like you can buy at econolight. What I'm attempting to do is far simpler, since there's only two wires to cut on the floralux, and that's basically it.
