250w HPS Club And Help Guide

Javadog

Well-Known Member
Well, it just might be very healthy....very new growth is typically
a lighter green and as that occurs where it does....let it grow out a
bit and see.

Good luck.

(otherwise: Is it heavy? ;0)
 

CEEJR

Well-Known Member
Any recomendations for a 250 digital ballast that doesn't emit RFI? Just got a call fro the cable company yesterday stating they have pinpointed the source of my neighborhoods cable issues to my house where I am using 2 250 watt ballast's from HTG supply and they want to come out and have a look . AM radio test confirmed a huge amount of RFI coming from the ballasts, sure am glad it's now legal here or I would be shitting a brick.
 

Oneirogen

Member
Hi Guys, First time poster in this thread. I just recently bought a 250Watt Hps with a kit and a DR60 secret jardin tent.
All i've done before is closet grow with a 150watt hps, so now im getting a bit more serious and invested in this kit.

I could use some advice before I start, firstly I wonder about the lights off period, smell aside, can I leave the inline fan off, and instead just keep a PC fan blowing in some fresh air?

And secondly, I seem to have a bit off problem with heat in this little tent, not sure how it will be once there is plants inside, but i get around 86F 10inches from the lamp. I guess I can always solve it by simply keeping the plants further from the lamp, but sacrifice lumens and yields. Or is this ok temps at 10inches, with a regular reflector?


Since the tent is quite small, it is impossible to have the Filter =>Inline fan=>Ducting out, in a straight line, it comes out at 74cm total length, and the tent is 60cm so. The solution was cutting the Ducting at 30% length, taking that piece and connecting the Filter to the inline fan, then placing the filter on 1 side of the tent, and the inline fan on the adjacent side, then rest of the ducting from the inline fan and out the top. Creating an L shape with the Filter and the Inline fan. Is the 2 90degrees bends decreasing my inline fan far too much, to the point that it cant manage get the heat out fast enough? The strength of the Inline fan is 280cfm.
 

past times

Well-Known Member
Hi Guys, First time poster in this thread. I just recently bought a 250Watt Hps with a kit and a DR60 secret jardin tent.
All i've done before is closet grow with a 150watt hps, so now im getting a bit more serious and invested in this kit.

I could use some advice before I start, firstly I wonder about the lights off period, smell aside, can I leave the inline fan off, and instead just keep a PC fan blowing in some fresh air?

And secondly, I seem to have a bit off problem with heat in this little tent, not sure how it will be once there is plants inside, but i get around 86F 10inches from the lamp. I guess I can always solve it by simply keeping the plants further from the lamp, but sacrifice lumens and yields. Or is this ok temps at 10inches, with a regular reflector?


Since the tent is quite small, it is impossible to have the Filter =>Inline fan=>Ducting out, in a straight line, it comes out at 74cm total length, and the tent is 60cm so. The solution was cutting the Ducting at 30% length, taking that piece and connecting the Filter to the inline fan, then placing the filter on 1 side of the tent, and the inline fan on the adjacent side, then rest of the ducting from the inline fan and out the top. Creating an L shape with the Filter and the Inline fan. Is the 2 90degrees bends decreasing my inline fan far too much, to the point that it cant manage get the heat out fast enough? The strength of the Inline fan is 280cfm.
I always keep my carbon scrubbing fan on at least a little during lights off. Towards the middle end of flower when things start stinking, I keep it on all the time. As the plants fill in to he tent, the temps will probably go up more (less air flow). I have found that to do it best, with any HPS size in a tent, you need a air cooled light. One way is an inline fan pulling air in from outside, past the light, then back outside. This air wont be stinky, but also does not circulate air in the tent. YOu need a seperate fan with carbon exhaust in this setup (So 2 fans system). A one fan system would pull air air from inside the tent, through the bulb, then pushed through a carbon scrubber outside the tent (Or carbon scrubber inside the tent getting air pulled through it, then past the light, then out the tent). This single fan set up relies on passive air intake. Which is best to come in near the ground so the fresh air gets pulled past the plants. This make sense?
 

Oneirogen

Member
I always keep my carbon scrubbing fan on at least a little during lights off. Towards the middle end of flower when things start stinking, I keep it on all the time. As the plants fill in to he tent, the temps will probably go up more (less air flow). I have found that to do it best, with any HPS size in a tent, you need a air cooled light. One way is an inline fan pulling air in from outside, past the light, then back outside. This air wont be stinky, but also does not circulate air in the tent. YOu need a seperate fan with carbon exhaust in this setup (So 2 fans system). A one fan system would pull air air from inside the tent, through the bulb, then pushed through a carbon scrubber outside the tent (Or carbon scrubber inside the tent getting air pulled through it, then past the light, then out the tent). This single fan set up relies on passive air intake. Which is best to come in near the ground so the fresh air gets pulled past the plants. This make sense?

Keeping the inline fan on all that time would be very annoying soundwise, I dont have a controller for the fan. It does have 2 speeds, but in order to change speed i need to unscrew the top with 2 screws and rewire inside, this is not something you wanna do every day. But I guess I'll have to keep it on during night also the last weeks If the plants start to smell too much.

I thought that if there are plants there is more surface to absorb heat, and also more cold air touches surfaces on the way up and through the ventilation. Kinda like a computer heat sink, if it was only 1 big solid block it would trap heat rather then dissipate, but since the heat sink has so much surface area it absorbs easily the heat.

This is far too small grow and small tent to have 2 intakes and exhausts I think. But I have already a cool tube coming my way, and I will be sending back my reflector. I think I can make it work after all, doing some thinking and calculations, I might actually comfortably fit the filter, inline fan and venting inside the tent. Due to bends in that small area I might sacrifice 4-6inches of height. But then It got me thinking, I probably can move the cooltube closer 4-6" so its a plus minus, I should still have approximately 1meter height for the plant. :)
 

paddy510

Well-Known Member
a few pics to bump the thread up
KC brains Afghan Special male over a KandyKush female
then recrossed with the same Afghan male again
then put a male and female from that cross together and got these seeds.
got 8 females so its a bit crowded in there
bongsmilie


01-08-17_0749.jpg 01-08-17_0751.jpg 01-08-17_0750.jpg
 

paddy510

Well-Known Member
not much happening in the 250w world anymore?
only just ran out of last years gear about a month agobongsmilie

im just starting this years grow. a bit late due to a long summer.
2 days nothing yet lol

02-06-18_0618.jpg
 

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
I'm somewhat shocked that the last post here was June 1st 2018 and then there were no follow up posts.

I've been out of the growing circuit for the last few years and I just brought my 250w out of storage.

Nothing is set up yet but I plan on growing some winter plants once I decide on the strains I want.

So let me be the first old clubbie to welcome you all back to the thread. Let's see what you can do with your 250s!
 

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
As a side note, our banners seems to be absent. Does anyone know where about the 250w club banners are?

Last seen in my signature (now missing), previous to that there were a few selections posted somewhere in this thread.
 

klmmicro

Well-Known Member
Just set up my 250W MH for my 2'x2' grow case. It is wired with a starter so I can run HPS, but will have to pick up a bulb for that. The little system was stuffed in a box and we found it while cleaning up our garage.

It has been packed away for a few years...the bulb is dated 11-Feb-2009 :)

Have not determined what will be growing under it. Harvesting the OG and will toss my peppers under it while I figure it out.
 

NCBMORE

Well-Known Member
You kinda got me excited. I am away doing contracting work, so I haven't had a chance to grow for a while. The last grows I did was on my Terrace. However before I left, I had a plant under my 110w cfl tubes in veg. My wife finished under the 250w hps. I was home last month for vacation to finally try the bud she harvested last April. She didba fantastic job with the light. We just moved so everything is in storage. When I finish my contract I will be back. Looking for a corner in our apartment where I can set up again. I have a huge bank of stuff waiting to flourish in the fridge. I will keep checking in though on your post. Have fun with the grow!
 

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
I examined and tried my old light set up (250w electronic ballast, 250w MH bulb, 250w HPS bulb, gullwing reflector)

I tried each bulb and everything still works so I ordered my first round of seeds. It's winter here so let's hope they're packaged well.

After everything was checked over, I wanted to check the makers of my bulbs and they don't seem to have any makers marks on them aside from a tiny stamp near the base saying either 250 HPS or 250 MH.

I also noted tiny (possible) cracks, one per bulb. The lights work so I don't know if I should be concerned.

I found possible replacement 250 HPS bulbs easily enough but finding the 250 MH light was an absolute pain in the butt.

Attached are the best phone camera pics I could take. If anyone can give me a hint who makes these bulbs, if the (micro crack?) should be of concern or if you have suggestions on where to get good quality replacement bulbs (not the ones that are $100 a bulb) all advice or thoughts would be welcome.
 

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Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
Whelp, I now own a Vivosun grow tent, an air cooled reflector hood (type S male horticulture cord), spidermite spray, new 250w MH bulbs, promix soil, pearlite, vermiculite, peat pucks and 10 beautiful Nirvana Blue Mystic seeds.

I still have my original 250w gullwing reflector and ballast, more plant pots than I'll ever need and my Cervantes bible.

Still waiting on my General Organics ferts, bat guano, 250w ballast (type S female plug), pH up/down and test kit w/pH tester.

Still need a carbon filter for exhaust, a hepa filter for intake and a quiet inline fan.

Considering everything I've learned over the years, I'm hoping this grow will be my finest yet and this time around I don't have to hide anything, I have the money to do things right and if I can keep the humidity right, the temps down and the pests at bay I think I'm gonna be in the sweet spot.

250club banner 2.png
 

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
After a hellish wait, the ballast that has traveled through 7 states, customs package invasion and 2 provinces has finally arrived.

I hooked up a bulb to the air cooled hood, plugged the hood into the ballast to try it out and everything worked wonderfully.

My pH up and down arrived along with my pH meter and the bat guano.

The last 2 packages I'm missing are my general organics Go Box (full nute line), carbon filter and my inline fan (amazon kit).

My Blue Mystic memories are going to be realized and repeated. I'm counting down the days until I can do this strain the justice it deserves!

Screenshot_20191214-173237_Amazon Shopping.jpg
 

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Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
Just got my inline fan and carbon filter today.

Holy fuck, I think went overboard by ordering a 6 inch fan and filter. The openings are 6 inch but there's another 4 inches of filter past the opening and the damn thing has to be 16 inches long AND it's heavy!

The inline fan is over kill too! It's not super noosy but it can be revved up to a small jet engime sound. I was a foot away when I turned it on and it tried to suck the shirt of me!

I have a tiny tent, large light hood, huge filter and big fan.....for my massively tiny 250w light.
 

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
Just picked up 2x 6", 8' aluminum ducting.

My nutes showed up yesterday.

I realized I don't have a fan for air movement.
 
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