need advice on future set up (hps wattage)

im exploring my options since i'll be able to use more room for a grow. im going hps from cfls. if im only going for maybe 2-3 grows at a time, what would you recommend for hps wattage? i'm thinking something low-key like a 250w from ebay. saw them for about $130ish with ventilated hood. it will be in a basement where temps are low in the summer and surprisingly cozy in the winter (wont be far from the oil burner). also, being new to hps, what kind of damage does an <400 hps setup do on electricity bills?

Light size depends on the amount of space you have. Cost depends on how much your power company charges per kilowatt hour.

18 hours a day x 400w = 7.2 kilowatt hours $.10 cents per x 7.2 = .72 cents a day

*A 400w draws more than 400 actual watts. It's something like 456. Depends really.


BTW, HPS stands for high pressure sodium. Usually used for flowering plants.

HID is high intensity discharge. That is the type of lamp the HPS is.

MH or metal halide is usually used for vegetative growth.

for the sake of grow space and maximizing lumens per sqaure foot i might just use only hps for 12/12 from seed grows. but i think i'll probably end up with an hid system that can handle both and case i feel it necessary to veg more before flower.

Wise Idea, Sun System builds magnetic ballast that are simple to use and less cost than the cooler running digital. It makes more noise as well. However the price is infinatly cheeper. The ballast to look at for veg or flower is probably the 1000 watt switchable. These create lots of heat so a cool basment is also wise. I, at one time used the six inch yeildmaster hoods with no cooling fan to cool the fixtures, This is pretty hard on the bulbs but totally possible if your basement stays cool enough. These are old pics of a basement grow with no vent fans on lights. They did ok this way. The cost formula Above is prettty straight forward, and the cost of running these high watt lamps, when figuring the cost of street drugs, pretty neglagible, So worth, over cost,,, it at least balances out. With a bigger foot print and the right high volume strains, you will probably come out way ahead with this powerfull of a light. I've seen these used in well vented tents as well. You might look on line at Igrow hydro, they are just one of the many dealers in Sun Systems lamps and ballasts. I like the stealth shipping practices they employ and prices are competitive, Sure you can purchase this stuff used on E-Bay, But,, sometimes someone elses mistreated equipment with no 5 year warranty is not worth the money saved. "New,"with electrical equipment is a good Idea. Alot of the listings for new equipment, through this retailer and that,are purchased,remanufactured returns from someones warranty pile. They sand blast re-powder coat the unit,re sticker and decal it,and sell it to discount "wholesalers" on E-Bay. They all do it even Sun Systems.

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/623029-425-00-transition-mylar-solid.html
This link may help with your set up design and venting. Peace . melungeonman

i was actually looking at the ipower system on ebay for 164.00...400w with mh and hps. tbh i really dont see myself doing more than 2 or 3 grows at a time so it will be convenient to have a ballast that lets me switch down to 50% or 75%...the part of the basement ill be using isnt even under the house itself..its off to the side and actually has 2 x 6-8'' vents going straight up and out to the outside in the back yard. perfect for ventilation to the point where i dont even think ill need a carbon scrubber since im just dumping it outside but id like an opinion on this. btn that setup, an inline fan, all i really need to research more is a grow tent.