HPS vs T5 issue

I am planning a closet grow for 3 plants but I am on the fence about the lights. I can find a HPS kit on craigslist for 100 ducks in working condition that puts out 250-300 watts but i know that it puts out plenty heat. Does it put out that much heat at 200watts that i would need a sophisticated venting system or can i just leave the doors opened halfway(sliding doors) i'm on a budget so if i have to go with the t5/t8 then its bueno because i'm just trying to smoke YA FEEL ME but if i can get the quality lights and get better yield/potent yield, without too much added maintenance then i'm about that life as well. its a small closet space about 28-30 inches in width.

TheWiseInfidel said:

I am planning a closet grow for 3 plants but I am on the fence about the lights. I can find a HPS kit on craigslist for 100 ducks in working condition that puts out 250-300 watts but i know that it puts out plenty heat. Does it put out that much heat at 200watts that i would need a sophisticated venting system or can i just leave the doors opened halfway(sliding doors) i'm on a budget so if i have to go with the t5/t8 then its bueno because i'm just trying to smoke YA FEEL ME but if i can get the quality lights and get better yield/potent yield, without too much added maintenance then i'm about that life as well. its a small closet space about 28-30 inches in width.

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A 100 "ducks" seems like a lot of money. See if that person can go down to 50.

ANYWAYS, I don't personally use HPS but I know they give off mad heat. And you won't want to leave your door open because that leads to like leaks that your plants won't like, and could cause you to get herms or males.

I'd say go with CFLs. Keeps the temps down, less maintenance (except for moving them a lot), less power used. But I'm just CFL man, a lot of other people will live for HPS til they die.

word i looked up cfls on the craig n theres a few good prices for the whole kit ranging from 50-75 so i might even go that route if i don't end up doing fluorescents. i thought for the price i might as well go with the 100 hps and they actually have a few dudes selling the ballasts which are 1000w with lights for about 150 but like you said with the ventilation its gonna be a bitch for the amount of plants i plan on doing. still trying to get more input though so i can be as informed as i can be

Even t5's give off enough heat to maybe be an issue in a small space. With HPS you can go with a cool tube and cut down the heat a bit. I use a mix...600 watt HPS with a cool tube over top and 2 x 8 lamp t-5's with a mixed spectrum for side lighting.

Cfls will not give u good quality smoke. 250 watt hps doesn't put off much heat at all and they're perfect for 3 plants. Works perfectly fine in a closet. Just keep it dark during lights out and you will be fine.

Blacktophat said:

Cfls will not give u good quality smoke. 250 watt hps doesn't put off much heat at all and they're perfect for 3 plants. Works perfectly fine in a closet. Just keep it dark during lights out and you will be fine.

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I'll have to disagree with you 100% if you say CFLs will not give you good quality smoke.

porky501 said:

Even t5's give off enough heat to maybe be an issue in a small space. With HPS you can go with a cool tube and cut down the heat a bit. I use a mix...600 watt HPS with a cool tube over top and 2 x 8 lamp t-5's with a mixed spectrum for side lighting.

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This is almost exactly my set up, just add one more 600w. But as for T5's giving out heat, I totally agree. I was surprised how much heat mine put out, especially given the fact that you have to have them so close to the canopy top. However, I have used T5's from start to finish and I can tell you that you CAN get decent smoke. Just not a lot of it.

Well what about using T-5s to veg and 1000w HPS to flower?

i'm heavily considering using a single 200-300w hps for my closet grow from the information you guys have given me. my major concern is that my a/c stays at 77 year round and i know that even one hps would raise the temp to about 80-82. my humidity is always at 45-50% so i don't think the hps would run the risk of raising the humidity too high to the point where i would run the risk of mold. i just wanted to know if for the price 75-100 ducks for a hps set up would be worth it if i can stretch my pocket. i'd rather go for quality rather than cost effectiveness wear i can afford it. ALSO. would i be able to use an hps THROUGHOUT all the stages i.e veg. and flowering and would i be able to use incandescent lights for side lighting one or two cheap fluorescent tubes for side lighting?

I bought two 4 foot 4 bulb t5s.. and they do put out a lot of heat for smaller areas. They are 54watts each so basically 216watts per fixture, and that equates to 432watts that is alot of heat generated to deal with. I didn't realize this when I bought them so I had to get cooling on them pronto or a way to exhaust the heat as it raised my veg room from 78ish to 82-83ish.

from that info i can deduce that hps would be the equal of having two t5/t8 fixtures then in terms of wattage and heat. i'm going to have 2 fans on deck regardless so i'm not worried but i think i'm steering towards the hps for this reason though.

150w hps puts off as much heat as a 2ft 4bulb t5 in my cab