From Cfl's to 150w Hps NLxAk47

[BL4ZE20]

Alright guys here we go again. This time around some things will be changed up. I've always used cfl's but i'm about to upgrade to a 150w hps here in 2-3 weeks. Hopefully i'll have everything setup by the time im ready to flower but if i gotta use cfl's for a week or two of flowering it's no big deal. I'm also using black gold organic soil now and some different nutes so we'll see how that goes.

3 clones went into veg around 3 days ago.

Heres two of the clones just chillin not much going on yet of course


Heres the third clone, shes in a diff container which she will remain in all thru flower. i'm most likely gonna experiment with a couple different container sizes and see how yield is affected etc










I'm looking for a new way to hold up the mylar since the duct tape over time wears out and lifts up halfway and then light shines through it also. I've thought about trying some foil tape since it's supposed to be better then duct tape, and i've also thought about velcro. Not sure which route i should go or if theres any other options i should look at but if you have an idea shoot it over cause i need to get this figured out since a 150w hps will really be glowing through anything thats not light tight. The only other thing i'm worried about is cooling but i think 136w or so of cfl's prob put off the same heat or a little more then a 150w hps so i should be fine with my 120mm 110 cfm computer fan. Gah that seemed like a lot of typin but whatever.

Anyways i hope some of you guys will take a seat cause this should be fun.


BL4ZE On!

 

[limey]

I'm looking for a new way to hold up the mylar since the duct tape over time wears out and lifts up halfway and then light shines through it also. I've thought about trying some foil tape since it's supposed to be better then duct tape, and i've also thought about velcro.

The only other thing i'm worried about is cooling but i think 136w or so of cfl's prob put off the same heat or a little more then a 150w hps so i should be fine with my 120mm 110 cfm computer fan. Gah that seemed like a lot of typin but whatever.

Anyways i hope some of you guys will take a seat cause this should be fun.


BL4ZE On!

Hi man

looks from the outside alot like my cab.

1. you can get heat proof tape (it does have a foil finish so maybe we are talking about the same thing) duct/gaffer tape doesn't like heat and, particularly, humidity.

2. You will almost certainly need to vent the cab with a small fan. I run a 250w HPC in a 50cmx50cmx200cm cab (with a bit extra on the side, it is a strangely shaped space) and it gets too hot and humid in there. I am currently trying to figure out whether an extractor or a dehumidifier would be better for my space. If you (and I) dont vent the space, there will be bud rot problems (I have been there before!)

best wishes for your gro, dude

 

[BL4ZE20]

Limey- thanks for stopping in.
I'm sure we're talking about the same tape because theres only one type of foil tape that i know of which is the kind used for HVAC stuff. I've never used the stuff maybe i'll give it a try, just didnt wanna waste money on a roll for it to just do the same thing as my duct tape ya know?

As far as the fan goes. I've got the computer fan which extracts air out of the cab i'm just hoping it will be enough for the 150w. I'm thinking it should work out but if not it may ruin my hps plan for a little bit until i could afford a new fan. But from everything i've read most ppl said 100 cfm or more is adequate for cooling a 150w hps and mine is 110cfm.
I should be able to pull it off though.


BL4ZE On!

 

[tejashidrow]

Blaze30..
Hiho... I had a 150 hps in a COOL tube attached to a 110 computer fan in a LARGE tower case. My temps were 10-15 degrees above ambeiant WAY tooo hot. I don't feel a COMPUTER fan will move enough air. I HAD to upgrade..(attached a drier vent hose over my cumputer fan, and duct taped a cheap 6 inch fan from wally world to the end..) Turned OFF the cumputer fan, and my case went to 2-3 degrees above ambeint. MUCH BETTER!!!
Go ahead and try, but have a back up plan cuz i don't think you will be happy with the temps PAX

 

[Cozy Amnesia]

I also agree that foil tape is better than duct tape.

I think you'll be ok with the fan you said you have, but don't expect to be able to use a carbon scrubber with it. I have a 65 cfm computer fan cooling my 150w in a cooltube and it keeps temps around 75-80, though in the summer it was more like 85. The size of the cab is an important variable for ventilation. The smaller the cab, the hotter it can get but it will be easier to cool too. The most important part of ventilation is exhausting the hot air out of the room. If the cab is in a closet, your going to have to push the air out of the closet some how.

 

[BL4ZE20]

tejashidrow: Thanks for the info man. I'm sure a 150w in a computer case generates quite a bit of heat. Hopefully since my cab is quite a bit bigger i won't have as much trouble.


Cozy Amnesia: Yea i've had a carbon scrubber hooked up to it once and it worked somewhat but not well enough. Luckly with this strain it doesnt smell at all during flower so i dont even have to worry about a scrubber this time around. Ill just see what happens and if it runs to hot i'll just have to buy one of those S&P fans i've been looking into.Also since winter is approaching i can just crack the window in the grow room so that the ambient temps drop a little bit in the room more then the rest of the house. Maybe by doing that i'll be in the right tempature range.

 

[BL4ZE20]

Figured i'd make a quick update.
I'll be ordering my 150w light and a new fan here next week so i'm looking forward to that.

Heres a few pictures

Starting some light Lst on this clone



This ones had some good growth it was also started in a larger container then the others.


And heres my other baby


So the plan is to veg them through the rest of next week and then i'll throw the Hps in there and start flowering the week after.

 

[greenlf87]

man they sure do look alot better now then in the first pic
i have seen what you can do cant wait to see the hps in there keep it up will have a front row seat!!

 

[moses224]

Get a spray on adhesive and use it to hold mylar. I have had mine up for over a year with no problems

 

[greenlf87]

whats up blaze20 just wanted to stop in and show off my AK's that in this pic are at day 4 or 5 of flower

 

[BL4ZE20]

moses224- I havent thought about a spray adhesive good idea i'll keep it in mind. Could you tell me the brand/type that you used?

greenLf- the Ak's look good man a nice lush green. I dropped by your grow and left a comment.

These pictures were taken about 6 days after the last ones i'd posted.
Heres the biggest lady, i was originally going to leave her in this container but since shes' my biggest lady I can't make her suffer so im going to throw her into a 1 gallon grow bag here in a few days.


This plant was recently transplanted from the water bottle and has started getting a little bigger.



Here's the Lst'd plant, it was really being held back by the small container so i transplanted it the other night, but i took the pictures before that. Hopefully she will gain some size before i flip the lights.



A little overhead shot of the three ladys


My 150w hps and S&p fan are being orderd so hopefully i'll get them sometime next week. Then i just gotta come up with a little bit of money for some extension cords to wire everything up and i'll be good to go. Can't wait to see what the hps can do.

 

[greenlf87]

man you sure do know how to use the cfls!!! looking great man keep it up

oh and here is some eye candy for ya

 

[BL4ZE20]

Figured i'd throw up a small update. I flipped the lights about 3 days ago so things will be getting interesting here soon. My 150w hps should be in tommorrow all thats left after that is to wait on my fan to get in. Probably going to have about a week of flowering under the cfl's till the fan gets here and then i'll have the 150 up and running. Hoping everything goes smoothly and dont have any problems with heat.


Heres the lady in the 1 gallon grow bag



My other biggest girl looking good



Group shot of all three. The lst'd one looks quite small next to the 2 others.

 

[greenlf87]

Man those girls sure are bushy! looking good man so when do we get to take a peek at that 150 man? well the claw struck again in the greenlf garden but its all good knew what i was looking at this go around. well i got my clone cab up and running today you should stop by my thread and check that shit out man 138w of cfl's! well i am supposed to be getting some more of the clones from a friend of mine soon do you know how the ak's might act when switching from cfl's to hps like that seence thats what your planing on doing?


NLxAK47

 

[BL4ZE20]

Just stopped by your thread and dropped a comment greenLf.
Yea the clones are looking pretty good right now i just hope they stay that way. Everyone will be getting a peak at the 150w here in a day or two. I was trying to get some pictures last night but couldnt find my camera. I was going to go ahead and get it mounted in my cab but I think i'm going to wait until my fan comes in. That way i can see how everything going to fit. I dont wanna install the light just to find out it's in the way of mounting my fan or something. You'll be fine going from the Cfl's into the Hps, it'd prob be a different story if you were flowering under a 600 or 1000w.

I'm excited to get everything setup but worried at the same time. Just hoping everything works, stays cool and i'll be rockin some nice buds.
Ohh and props to my buddy who wired up my hps.

 

[sleepyrz]

as funny as it is duct tape should never be used on ducts

i used to work a/c install and repair and we always use the foil tape

duct tape get brittle and the glue comes off and the duct tape starts to just fall off from the constant warm to cold cycling

 

[Rob547]

Nice man. I've always used CFLs all the way through just got a 150w econo-light for this grow. I'm only in flower a few weeks so its still a ways to go till we see the results but best ofluck on your grow! peace

 

[greenlf87]

hey whats up brother just wanted to thank you for the great advice! after i read that i just couldn't understand why i didn't think of it. well it only cost me a hole in the wall and 2cfls well i droped it and then puched a hole in the wall but the fan is up and running in the hood now so i will keep an eye on temps and hope its not to hot in there! thanks again!

 

[BL4ZE20]

sleepyrz- haha man yea i've never even used duct tape on ducting but i have on about everything else.

Rob547- thanks man. You got a grow log for your 150w?
Anyways it should be fun for the both of us, good luck on your grow also man.

GreenLf- looks good man. let me know how it works. I was more so talking about putting the fan on the top part of the backside of the cab and then having holes in the shelf for the air to come through instead of a fan blowing up.


Well guys got a small update a little teaser of whats to come.

150Hps fired up.



Shot of the girls basking under the lovely orange glow.


That's all i've got for now didn't really take many pictures. Im just leaving the Hps in there for a few hours before i go to bed and then it'll be back to the Cfl's for the rest of the night. I get my new fan tommorrow so hopefully in the next day or two i'll have everything up and running. Not sure if im going to mount my light horizontally or vertically hmmm. Horizontally i really need a reflector but that will have to come at later time. Ohh and the 150 is a lot brighter then i thought the damn thing will blind you, even when i wear sun glasses it still seems to effect my eyes after i look away haha.

BL4ZE ON!

 

[BL4ZE20]

Alright i know i just did an update yesterday but i'm just to excited since I got my Hps mounted in the cab, fan is mounted and temps seem to be staying good.

This is a shot looking up you can see the Hps mounted vertically and then my ducting on the left.



This is the new fan setup. So it draws air through the hole you saw in the last picture and then up and out the back. Only reason for the big square hole in the back is because my pc fan use to be mounted there.


One of the girls



And another


I'm really happy with the light and fan. I really like the fan for some reason it's a neat little toy lol. Only things i've gotta work out are some light leaks and also from my fan being on the same shelf the Hps is attached to, it'll sometimes cause the Hps to rattle anyone know if this is bad for the bulb? I figure people who use cool tubes with air flowing through probably cause the same thing to happen so maybe it's not a concern. It does annoy me though so im working on fixing it. Can't wait to see what an Hps can do with these ladys
Thats all for now

BL4ZE ON!!