So I'm wondering what to do with my new flowering room. It's a 10x12 space with a 14' ceiling. My friend who has been growing for longer than me, said that recently he has been having more success using multiple 250w hps lights rather then fewer higher wattage lights. This makes a bit of sense to me since the closer you can get each plant to a light source the better.

Would my room get too hot/loud if I put 8 or 9 250 w hps lamps instead of 4 600 w lamps? I'm going to be venting with a 500 cfm blower fan. Opinions?

Well i would say that total lumens is what matters. You would spread the light more evenly but you would loose the powerful penetration of a 600w HPS. I would go with 4x600W.

Yeah I would go with 4 600's. though the advantage with using 9 250s would be your have more points of light hitting your plants at different angles. but i think in a 10x12 space you should use 4 600s. you will still have 4 differents angles of light and they light, imo, will be more concentrated than 9 250s. i have a 250 in my veg box and personally for a room that size i wouldnt use 250s they are too small. heat would probly be the same in both applications. you should look into venting the lights. does wonders on heat and is pretty simple to hook up.

Depends on what you want to do, you could use upto 10 1000w in that space.

Penetration isn't too important to me since I'm going to be flowering in 8x8" pots, probably about 200 plants. Do you still think it will be better? I know I'm going to have to vent either way, but which creates more heat the 4 600w or the 9 250w?

the other question you should be asking yourself is how many amps are 4 600 watt lamps going to pull versus 9 250 watt lamps. no need to overload your circuits with that many lamps and burn the place down.

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Try BOTH and tell me the difference. How about a 1,000 HPS on a "sun track" or whatever you want to invent for a new name. I know of one that iz like 6 feet each way in 18 second's or so .......... SPREAD the LUMEN'z ..........

if your venting your lights heat wont be an issue if you with went 5 1,000s compared to 9 250's all the heat is getting expelled out the room so it wouldnt matter.

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higher wattage is the only way to increase lumens and canopy penetration.

9 250w's will not equal the lumenosity of 4 600w's. it can only match the even light spread. but you will lose out if your plants get tall. 250w lumens will not reach the depth of a 600w.

600 watts, no questions.

If you go to 120v there and turn your lights sideways you'll be fine with those nine and better off to. A sidways light, with, on a metal brake and using white flashing you make up some shades, you will get 40% more lumens from any light to the plant as opposed to vertical on 220v guaranteed!. Advantages also of running lights and ballasts on 120v is, not as much hum or heat. I hang my ballasts with that holey roll of metal strapping from the ceiling. Vent in if you can and run a germicidal lamp at the far end of your four inch exhaust line, on a timer, timed with the exhaust timer and in a four inch piece of pvc pipe. I pick everything up from my local hardware and farm stores, where i buy my black and white poly. The lamp you can express order from anywhere.

3 x 600 = 1800
9 x 259 = 2200

Thats why they invented light tracks and i used em now i do it this way.
Questions?