Differnce between 400w - 600w hps ?
- Thread starter High4Life
- Start date
ganjababy1
Active Member
a 400 is 55,000 lumens and a 600 is 95,000 lumens. A 600 is the most efficient hid out there.
MrFishy
Well-Known Member
Twice the heat and cost for half again additional watts? Could be, but I'd seek another opinion. Don't sound right to me. I need to know too, w/digital ballast. The site seems to indicate the opposite in re
perating cost? High Tech Garden Supply
perating cost? High Tech Garden Supplybongrippinbob
Well-Known Member
Figure it this way, every day a 400watt light on 12/12 cycle will use 4.8 kwh a day. A 600watt light on the same schedule will use 7.2 kwh a day. If you are paying 10cents a kwh, which is really cheap, the 400watt will cost you $.48 a day and the 600watt will cost you $.72 a day. So for the month, the 400watt light will cost about $14.40 and the 600watt will cost about $21.60 a month. Now 10cents a kwh is fairly cheap. My cheapest ones arel like 12cents and can go all the way up to like 30cents depending on what "tier" I end up in after the bill comes.
My 400watt light, with all the fans and everything running, and my 250watt veg cab going, would bring my bill up like $40. Now with the 600watt light, my bill goes up $60. That extra money is well worth it considering my average yeild went up about 4oz, and I was only using it in a 3'x2' area. I have it in a 4'x4' area, so I am guessing my yeild should be even better than before because I have more room for the plants.
As far as temps go, the 600watt runs quite a bit warmer. With my 400watt light, the glass on my a/c hood was cool to the touch. Now with the 600watt light in there with the same fan cooling it, the glass is not warm to the touch. I would say its just cooler than a cfl. The plants can pretty much touch the glass without burning from heat.
HTG Supply has ballast kits you can get and they are really cheap but work great. I used a 400watt kit from them for about 2yrs with no problems. I have since bought a 600watt from them and have been using it for about 4 months with no problems. The 600watt with a bulb was only $150 shipped. The actual ballast is only like $105, which is like $50-$200 cheaper than a pre fabbed ballast.
My 400watt light, with all the fans and everything running, and my 250watt veg cab going, would bring my bill up like $40. Now with the 600watt light, my bill goes up $60. That extra money is well worth it considering my average yeild went up about 4oz, and I was only using it in a 3'x2' area. I have it in a 4'x4' area, so I am guessing my yeild should be even better than before because I have more room for the plants.
As far as temps go, the 600watt runs quite a bit warmer. With my 400watt light, the glass on my a/c hood was cool to the touch. Now with the 600watt light in there with the same fan cooling it, the glass is not warm to the touch. I would say its just cooler than a cfl. The plants can pretty much touch the glass without burning from heat.
HTG Supply has ballast kits you can get and they are really cheap but work great. I used a 400watt kit from them for about 2yrs with no problems. I have since bought a 600watt from them and have been using it for about 4 months with no problems. The 600watt with a bulb was only $150 shipped. The actual ballast is only like $105, which is like $50-$200 cheaper than a pre fabbed ballast.
MrFishy
Well-Known Member
bongrippinbob
Well-Known Member
Air cooled hood.
Digital ballasts are fine, but more expensive. ANd the cheap digital ones I think still have a problem with the RF interference. If the cable company is looking for a "cable leak", or illegal cable, your ballast will give of the same frequency as illegal cable and the cable company will come banging on your door and want to look for the leak.
I know some of the more expensive ones have fixed this problem, but I don't know if all the cheap ones have as well.
Digital ballasts are fine, but more expensive. ANd the cheap digital ones I think still have a problem with the RF interference. If the cable company is looking for a "cable leak", or illegal cable, your ballast will give of the same frequency as illegal cable and the cable company will come banging on your door and want to look for the leak.
I know some of the more expensive ones have fixed this problem, but I don't know if all the cheap ones have as well.
MrFishy
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to HPS. So air-cooled how, if you don't mind? Thanks!
Garden Knowm
The Love Doctor
If you are only going to have one light and you can manage the heat, I highly recoomend a 1000 watt HID and a light mover...
If you can have 2 lights.. then go with 2 - 600's
iloveyou
If you can have 2 lights.. then go with 2 - 600's
iloveyou
MrFishy
Well-Known Member
phillypete
Well-Known Member
I think you are talking about like 8' x 10' max probably better off with 6' x 8'. I don't drive big rigs though, let's see what the big boys/girls say.How big a floor space will 2 - 600's take good care of? Thanks.
PP
bongrippinbob
Well-Known Member
Do a search for air cooled reflectors. They are built to be connected to ducts to get rid of the hot air they produce. There is a piece of glass between the bulb and your plants so the hot air doesn't escape. Just do a search for air cooled reflector and you will see what they are.
In the near future, I will be running 2 600watt lights in a 4'x4' area. You could cover a 4'x6' area ok with those lights as well. But the more lumens/watts per sq foot, the tighter your buds will be. My 600watt light is not quite enough for my 4'x4' area. Another one in there, or even a 400watt light, would increase my yield by quite a bit. So for your best coverage with the 2 600watters, I would say a nice 4'x4' area. Stick like 16 plants in there, hit 1/2 gram per watt and you got yourself like 1 1/2 lbs. And the 2 600watt lights will give you a much better yield than one 1000watt light in the same space.
You can do larger areas, your buds will just not get as dense. You would probably be able to yield the same amount in the smaller area with less plants simply because the buds are denser and they will be able to get better buds lower on the plants.
I like to have as many lumens per sq ft as possible. For the past couple of years I have grown at 75-100watts per sq ft, and love it. If you can keep it cool, this is the way to go. RIght now I am well below this, simply because I wanted to build a new room, but don't quite have the money for the second light yet. But it will be up by the end of this harvest.
I was growing in a 3'x2' cab with my 600watt light and was getting like 11oz every 60days. This is with 4 plants in a 6sq ft area. With my 400watt light in 2'x2' area with 4 plants, I was getting like 6oz every 60days, and when I moved the 400watt light to the 3'x2' cab, I ended up with almost 8oz off of 7 plants. I don't think going any bigger with the 400watt light would have helped yeild. My yeild per plant went down, but because I was able to fit more plants, I was able to yield more. But the buds were noticably less dense.
In the near future, I will be running 2 600watt lights in a 4'x4' area. You could cover a 4'x6' area ok with those lights as well. But the more lumens/watts per sq foot, the tighter your buds will be. My 600watt light is not quite enough for my 4'x4' area. Another one in there, or even a 400watt light, would increase my yield by quite a bit. So for your best coverage with the 2 600watters, I would say a nice 4'x4' area. Stick like 16 plants in there, hit 1/2 gram per watt and you got yourself like 1 1/2 lbs. And the 2 600watt lights will give you a much better yield than one 1000watt light in the same space.
You can do larger areas, your buds will just not get as dense. You would probably be able to yield the same amount in the smaller area with less plants simply because the buds are denser and they will be able to get better buds lower on the plants.
I like to have as many lumens per sq ft as possible. For the past couple of years I have grown at 75-100watts per sq ft, and love it. If you can keep it cool, this is the way to go. RIght now I am well below this, simply because I wanted to build a new room, but don't quite have the money for the second light yet. But it will be up by the end of this harvest.
I was growing in a 3'x2' cab with my 600watt light and was getting like 11oz every 60days. This is with 4 plants in a 6sq ft area. With my 400watt light in 2'x2' area with 4 plants, I was getting like 6oz every 60days, and when I moved the 400watt light to the 3'x2' cab, I ended up with almost 8oz off of 7 plants. I don't think going any bigger with the 400watt light would have helped yeild. My yeild per plant went down, but because I was able to fit more plants, I was able to yield more. But the buds were noticably less dense.
MrFishy
Well-Known Member
I live in a cold house and, with winter coming, theorize that I can simply blow the hot air made by 2-600's with batwings, out of the more than adequate-sized room via open fans and door . . . and use it to sorta help heat the other two rooms upstairs, where me and the grow sleep. The average in dead winter up there is maybe 50, so the lights are actually gonna be a big help at no extra expense, in fairly passive heat and making a more acceptable grow environment.
Is this realistic thinking when using HPS lighting?
I'm hoping to create an air inversion, with the light-heated air already upstairs ideally slowing the heated air downstairs in it's exit thru the crapilly-insulated roof, thus getting a little bit of heat to the toilet seat, downstairs and around the corner!
Barring any major set-backs, next year I'll vent the air and force it to the bottom of the stairs, where it can re-rise.
Is this realistic thinking when using HPS lighting?
I'm hoping to create an air inversion, with the light-heated air already upstairs ideally slowing the heated air downstairs in it's exit thru the crapilly-insulated roof, thus getting a little bit of heat to the toilet seat, downstairs and around the corner!
Barring any major set-backs, next year I'll vent the air and force it to the bottom of the stairs, where it can re-rise.
bongrippinbob
Well-Known Member
Just remember with the 2 600watt lights, it will heat up the air in the room quite fast. Also, with bat wings, you can't get the plants as close to the lights as you can with an air cooled hood. You will yeild the same amound from one 600watt with good conditions as you will from 2 600watts in not so good conditions.
With only 1200 watts, you will not heat the rest of your house with the air from your lights. My spare bedroom, which houses a 600watt flower cab and 250watt veg cab, is only like 2 degrees warmer than the rest of the house. And if I open the door to the bedroom, the rest of my house doesn't get any warmer. If you were running like 5000watts, this may work to help heat your house, but 1200 watts wont do it.
I would suggest building something like 4'x4' or 4'x6' and just make sure you have enough exhuast to cool it. If you don't have many grows under your belt, I would suggest building like a 3'x2' area and just getting a 400watt light until you learn the basics. It would suck to spend over $1000 and end up with nothing, or a crappy burnt whispy crop.
With only 1200 watts, you will not heat the rest of your house with the air from your lights. My spare bedroom, which houses a 600watt flower cab and 250watt veg cab, is only like 2 degrees warmer than the rest of the house. And if I open the door to the bedroom, the rest of my house doesn't get any warmer. If you were running like 5000watts, this may work to help heat your house, but 1200 watts wont do it.
I would suggest building something like 4'x4' or 4'x6' and just make sure you have enough exhuast to cool it. If you don't have many grows under your belt, I would suggest building like a 3'x2' area and just getting a 400watt light until you learn the basics. It would suck to spend over $1000 and end up with nothing, or a crappy burnt whispy crop.
High4Life
Well-Known Member
The intensity and depth of the top cola bud plane is more than 50% greater in a 600 over a 400. Not only is the lumens gain greater than 50%, but also the physical geometry of the space benath the light is augmented in terms of volume by a factor greater than 50%. The result is a more efficient and just plain more productive design for very little additional money/ space/ heat/ electricity. The only drawbacks being the limiting of some crappy small low end reflectors that can only be used with 400. If the 600w doesnt fit the room or design, a 400 may be your best bet. However in almost any conceivable circumstance the arguments for a 600 vs 400 are superior.
calicat
Well-Known Member
A 600 W will generate more heat than a 400 W. A 600 W cost more per day to run than a 400 W. @ 3ft from the canopy of plants a 600 W generates 10,000 lumens..@ 2.25 ft away from the canopy a 400 W generates 10,000 lumens. If I had more disposable income I would run 3 400 W versus 2 600 W because you would have more light distribution. It is cheaper to have purchased two units rather than three.
bongrippinbob
Well-Known Member
With the cool tube and all reflectors really, it is not the "ballast" that they accept, it is the bulb. Some bulbs are wierd shapes. Mainly the MH bulbs which are kind of like a big egg. Some of these will not fit in all reflectors. But if you are using a HPS light, most of them are skinny and long and should fit just fine.